Netflix recently released the crime-solving comedy show Murderville starring the brilliant Will Arnett as Detective Terry Seattle. The show centers around Seattle solving a new mystery, each episode with a different celebrity guest as his rookie partner. The main cast has a script to go off of, but each guest has to improv their way through the chaotic characters as they try to solve the crimes. The episodes are fun and unique, as the cast obviously had a wonderful time making such a stylized show.
While the show’s premise is a fun improv mystery that the audience is able to follow and solve along with the celebrity guest, it doesn't quite hit all the marks it was aiming for. The initial responses to the show were fairly positive, but some reviews have been absolutely brutal. There’s a lot to like about the show and a lot to critique. With that, let's take a look at what works and what doesn't about the series.
Will Arnett Saves the Day
Despite some mixed reviews, audiences can agree on the fact that Will Arnett gives an outstanding performance throughout all six episodes. He commits to his character and plays brilliantly off each guest star, including celebrities like athlete Marshawn Lynch or recent Eternals actor Kumail Nanjiani. Every new partner he’s given has a wonderful energy that Arnett plays brilliantly off of as the brooding but bumbling Detective Seattle. His professionalism and talent in a show full of ridiculous moments – both from the script and from the improvised moments – show just how skilled he is as an actor, and his performance really keeps the series afloat.
Clumsy Improv Moments
The use of improvisation in a murder mystery show is an intriguing idea, but it’s also very difficult to execute properly. People often think of improv as awkward or uncomfortable – or at least, they end up feeling that way while watching it. Improvisation relies heavily on the timing of the performers. If you don’t commit and end up hesitating, it falls apart. There are moments like that scattered throughout each episode of Murderville, particularly in episode one with Conan O’Brien.
Both fans and reviewers responded well to O’Brien’s performance, enjoying the fact that he had no idea what was going on. His uneasiness with improvisation is what makes some of his performance fall flat. Whether it’s his embarrassed tone as Arnett gives him things to say through an earpiece while undercover, or his constant look of discontent as Arnett continues his bit of them eating Sloppy JalapenJoes while questioning a suspect, O’Brien seems reluctant to commit.
It’s moments like these where the guest seems like they’re being held in the mystery against their will, which takes away from the overall performance and story. If the guests can’t give their all during the episode, the improvised comedy will always feel clunky and cringey.
Surprise Gems
While the guests each had their struggles with improvising, the fan-favourite partner of Terry Seattle was by far Marshawn Lynch. Posts about the NFL star’s performance are all over social media and in almost every positive review. Arnett has spoken about how he applauds people’s willingness to do this style of show and how the premise is fun for each of the guests who just get to show up and be themselves. This doesn’t work for every guest, but it certainly works in the favour of Lynch, whose performance feels natural and fluid. He commits and is present in every moment and reacts naturally to all that’s happening around them, which makes for wonderful genuine moments throughout his episode. Lynch is famous now for his athletic abilities, but audiences would love to see him return for more comedic on-screen performances.
Clumsy Parody Moments
One of the more prevalent shortcomings of the show is the cringey moments brought on by the parody elements of Murderville. The show’s premise revolves around the murder mystery element but has a lot of tropes from cop dramas which are pretty hit-and-miss throughout the show. Arnett has a continuous bit where he laments the unsolved murder of his partner, shown in a photograph to be Jennifer Aniston, which repeats at perfect moments to get hilariously timed reactions from the guests. Though the scripted cast commits to their characters, the over-dramatic gritty cop elements feel somewhat out of place in the show as a whole and make everything feel much hokier than it needs to be.
Perfectly Contained Murders
One of the strongest parts of the show is how well the series holds a murder mystery in each episode. Episodes are roughly thirty minutes, and within that, the series can give the characters a bit of life and depth to make them more relatable and entertaining to watch. Along with the building of characters is the construction of the story; each murder is a well-crafted puzzle with clues strewn throughout the episode for audiences to detect alongside the guest star. Each mystery is fulfilling and fun, and even though some of the comedic bits or tropes drag out too long, the story never does and feels conclusive at the end of each episode.
Overall, Murderville is an enjoyable and entertaining experience for watchers. It has fun guest stars and is led incredibly well by the talents of Will Arnett. The murders are well concocted and fun for audiences to follow along with. But despite the good qualities, audiences still have their critiques. There’s plenty that could be improved or changed, so watchers will have to wait and see if the show survives long enough to get a second season.