Welcome to a very millennial murder mystery.
The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 1 is a light-hearted, breezy take on the murder mystery. Many of the tropes are present, but the stacked cast, as well as the execution (pun intended), keep it engaging and dynamic. Playing the untimely death of a celebrity for laughs may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm here for it. One comes from Indigo (played to pretentious perfection by Genevieve Angelson), who tells her version of events as a high-concept, black-and-white art film. It's brief enough that we get the joke -- an entire episode in this style might be a bit much. The rest features the account of Aniq (effortlessly lovable Sam Richardson) in the style of a romantic comedy. Given the cast's makeup, it's refreshing to have the romantic comedy genre assigned to Aniq something that might stereotypically cater to women and thus be assigned to a female character. It will be interesting to see what other genres manifest with the other party guests. The script is genuinely funny, but it's enhanced by a killer ensemble (pun intended again) of actors who know how to deliver lines for maximum comedic effect. This is especially true of John Early as Detective Culp. Every single line he had made me laugh. Culp's partner is Detective Danner, played by Tiffany Haddish, and they couldn't be more different, making them a great pair. Haddish's Danner is headstrong, self-assured, bucking authority and investigating the crime scene how she sees fit. Sometimes she comes across as less-than-qualified to be a detective, going with feelings instead of facts. There are many possibilities to consider and plenty of little nuggets of information that will undoubtedly come into play later. The throwaway jokes deserve mention Xavier's songs ('X Marks The G-Spot') and movies ('Hungry Hungry Hippos' featuring Will Forte and the Hall and Oates biopic 'Private Eyes' with Channing Tatum) are funny because they walk the line between satire and the notion that they could easily exist. We're off to a great start. Though not all of these characters are likable, they're definitely fun to watch.