“The Afterparty” executive producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord remain committed to mixed media presentations. Sure, there’s the multi-genre format of their murder mystery series, but their ambitions are perhaps even better explained by Season 1 star Ben Schwartz’s unorthodox appearance at the show’s Emmy FYC event at Hollywood Legion on Saturday.
Dialing in via FaceTime on an iPad perched on Miller’s lap, Schwartz shouted to the audience, “We’re all having fun, aren’t we?”
“The Afterparty” takes place after a high school reunion, as pop star alum Xavier (Dave Franco) invites his former classmates to party at his mansion. When Xavier falls to his death off of the balcony, Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) shows up to investigate who pushed him and each of the alumni is a suspect. Over the course of the night, the characters explain their version of what happened, with different film genres employed to illuminate each perspective.
Even though the murderer has been revealed, the mystery of “The Afterparty” continues — but now it’s about how the show will move forward. Miller, who also serves as creator and director of the Apple TV Plus comedy, shared just the smallest details about Season 2.
With only Tiffany Haddish announced to return thus far, Variety pressed to see who else might appear. When asked whether Season 1 lead Sam Richardson would reprise the role of Aniq, Miller smiled.
Courtesy of Apple
“There will be returning actors beyond Tiffany and a whole bunch of new folks as well,” he confirmed. And during the onstage Q&A, he added: “A whole new murder. Different shenanigans. Different film styles. We do have a dog in it — that’s a spoiler, but there is a dog.”
For his part, Richardson seems eager to come back to the show.
“It feels like it should happen,” Richardson said after mentioning a scene in the Season 1 finale where Aniq gives Detective Danner his business card and offers his help solving another mystery. “I don’t know. I hope it does.”
Ike Barinholtz, who plays Brett, was less subtle. “I cannot answer any questions about Season 2 yet because I signed a deal with these guys [Miller and Lord] where they can legally take my home if I say,” he joked. “All I can say is that these guys figured out some really great stuff.”
If it were up to him, though, Barinholtz suggested a few ideas for upcoming episodes.
“I would do good in a movie like ‘Cheaper by the Dozen.’ A kids’ movie where the adults are just made fun of,” Barinholtz said when asked what genre he would choose for his character. “I know there’s a Season 2, but I think Season 3 should be me and [Brett’s daughter Maggie, played by Everly Carganilla], and I’m gonna talk to these guys about it.”
Richardson wants a kung fu episode. “I’ve studied Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun Do and Jiu Jitsu, but I’ve never done a kung fu movie,” he explained.
Miller and Lord kept an even tighter lid on their genre plans for Season 2 than their casting, but they did express gratitude to be able to experiment with so many styles on a singular project.
Lord laughed, “It’s like eight blank checks.”
From Variety US