By Jack Deegan
Staff Writer
Netflix’s new surprise hit show “Murderville” debuted this past week and proves that Netflix can indeed still make good shows. The series centers around Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett), who partners with a different celebrity guest each episode to help him solve a murder mystery. The big twist is that the celebrities aren’t given a script and have to improvise their way through the case before picking the culprit at the end of the episode.
The series is based on the British show “Murder in Successfille” and follows a very simple formula that sees Terry and his partner interrogate three suspects in hilarious ways in each episode. This simple concept works really well for the show because they’re able to play around with it and improvise on everything for each and every episode. The improvisational aspect is the core element that makes the show work as well as it does. It’s so funny watching these celebrities try their best to not only solve the mystery, but also play along with the absurd scenarios thrown their way. At one point in each episode, Terry has the celebrity in disguise say lines that he feeds them through an earpiece and it’s always the funniest part watching them try to say the lines without breaking.
While this show is most effective as a comedy, the murder mystery aspect isn’t lost in there at all. Part of what makes it so compelling to watch is that you can play along as the episode goes on to figure out the mystery for yourself. Each suspect’s interrogation gives clues, and based on the initial description of the case, culprits can be ruled out. The interrogations actually give valuable information that makes this show a lot of fun. You figure it out alongside the guest star and it makes the entire episode all the more enjoyable. At the end of every episode, all the clues are revealed to show who the murderer really was and proves whether the guest star (and yourself) were right or not.
By far the best thing about this series is Will Arnett. He gives it his all in this performance, and with someone less committed to the role, it would be a lot less entertaining. His improv skills are top notch — he comes up with incredibly funny bits that had me laughing more than I expected to be. He constantly puts his guest stars in the funniest scenarios, often where he is the butt of the joke, and it makes for a wildly entertaining time.
This show thoroughly surprised me; I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did, and it left me wanting more. I would love to see this show gain more popularity and go on for many more seasons with new celebrities solving funny cases. Personally, my favorite episode of the season starred Conan O’Brien and Marshawn Lynch. Both of them were all-in on it and have great chemistry with Arnett. Marshawn surprised me a lot as he seamlessly transitioned into improvisation and gave some of the most memorable moments of the entire show.
“Murderville” is a surprise hit that combines comedy and mystery in the most entertaining way possible. It was one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in a long time and it rewards the viewer for paying attention and playing along.
