So it’s in new takes on familiar formulas that true creative mastery is often at its peak. Movies like Knives Out and The Last Jedi along with other, less Rian Johnson-y offerings like animation masterclass The Mitchells vs. the Machines have proven that art doesn’t necessarily require a blank canvas. So when Apple TV Plus’ The Afterparty made its debut, that feeling of finding something fresh came roaring back. Now that it’s got another season coming, the show’s creators are ready to tease what’s to come in this innovative murder mystery series.
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Chris Miller, the show’s creator and director, recently spoke with Variety about what to expect from The Afterparty going forward. A second season was quickly confirmed with Tiffany Haddish returning as Detective Danner, but according to Miller, she won’t be the only one coming back. “There will be returning actors beyond Tiffany and a whole bunch of new folks as well,” the director said when asked about familiar faces. Naturally, this early on in production, not much can really be said, which is a song stuck in the heads of many movie and TV buffs out there. But many have speculated that Sam Richardson’s character, Aniq, might show up again after giving Danner his business card in season 1.
However, Miller did have a little bit to say about the ongoing focus, including one important detail, and it’s probably the most significant aspect of the entire series. “A whole new murder. Different shenanigans. Different film styles,” he added, before confirming what will definitely be the best part of the next season. “We do have a dog in it — that’s a spoiler, but there is a dog.”
For those unfamiliar with the series, season 1 took place at a high school reunion afterparty at the home of music and movie star classmate Xavier (Dave Franco), who was found dead after falling from the balcony. Haddish’s Detective Danner questioned each of the alumni in turn, and every episode retold the events of the night from each partygoer’s point of view. The styles ranged from thriller to romantic comedy to Saturday morning cartoon, with the audience left to piece together which parts of the testimonies could be trusted and how they fit together.
So now that the mystery in season 1 has been solved, the next case could go any number of places, with any number of new storytelling styles to tell the tale. The Afterparty season 1 starred a huge cast of heavy-hitters, including Richardson, Sonic star Ben Schwartz, Zoë Chao, Ilana Glazer, and Ika Barinholtz, among many others. So that’s a big pool of talent to choose from for returning characters. But don’t forget the most important part: there’s a dog now.
The Afterparty season 1 is available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
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Source: Variety
