
For anyone who’s made the effort to track his career, Richardson’s range has been evident for some time now, and Miller is clearly one of those fans. While the benevolent “Veep” breakout has been stretching himself in a variety of projects for years - from starring roles in “Detroiters” and “Champaign, ILL” to memorable supporting turns in “The Tomorrow War” and “I Think You Should Leave” - too much of his best work has been unjustly buried or otherwise overlooked. That endorsement goes eight-fold for Richardson. Not only are the songs catchy and goofy in equal measure (there’s an entire verse about actor-turned-director Eric Stoltz, and it works), but Schwartz’s enthusiasm is dialed in to such a charismatic degree you’ll want more songs, more dancing, more Schwartz by the time the credits roll.ĭave Franco and Zoe Chao in “The Afterparty” Danner even gets her own cop show (just make “23 Jump Street” already, please?), but it’s Yasper’s musical that exhibits the best of “The Afterparty’s” genre-hopping capabilities. Walt’s entry is a flashback to high school, paying homage to teen party movies with ’90s clothes, hairstyles, and music cues.

Chelsea’s horror episode is cloaked in shadows, with quick cuts eliciting jump scares and ominous figures shifting in the background.
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Other possible perps include Chelsea (Ilana Glazer), a popular girl in high school who’s hit a rough patch in the present Yasper (Ben Schwartz), Aniq’s best friend and Xavier’s former bandmate, who’s still pursuing a music career Walt (Jamie Demetriou), a forgettable figure who’s always around but can’t stop himself from blending into the background and Brett (Ike Barinholtz), Zoe’s ex-husband who sees himself as Dom Toretto from the “Fast & Furious” franchise.īrett’s episode parodies action movies and falls right in the “22 Jump Street” directors’ sweet spot - you will be convinced that Barinholtz, perhaps best known as the wild card nurse in “The Mindy Project,” can kick serious ass - but it’s seeing Miller expand into fresh territory that proves most exciting. Haddish’s off-kilter cop is easy to believe as someone who will munch popcorn while taking down testimony, making her an ideal audience proxy as we laugh along with her, while still sussing out who, in fact, has done it.

Anything could turn out to be a case-cracking clue, but she also enjoys hearing a good story. As he recounts his night to Detective Danner, Aniq stops to ask if she really wants all these sentimental details, and she assures him she does. His high school crush, Zoe (Chao), is recently divorced and her personal invitation got Aniq’s heart racing once more. To nail down her suspect, Danner says she wants to hear everyone’s “mind movie.” She believes people see themselves as the star of their own film, and thus the only way to put together a clear picture of the night’s proceedings is to experience every party guest’s motion-picture from their perspective, “Rashômon” style.Įarly evidence points to Aniq (Richardson), an escape room designer who showed up to the reunion looking for love. The suspects are all still gathered in the home - guests from a post-reunion party for their high school class - and it’s up to Detective Danner ( Tiffany Haddish) to find out who’s responsible for the deceased singer, actor, and “celebrity humanitarian.” (Early clips from Xavier’s films are an immediate highlight, from his adaptation of “Hungry, Hungry, Hippos” alongside Will Forte to Channing Tatum stealing the best episode’s best joke in “Private Eyes,” the Hall & Oates biopic.)

The victim: Xavier (Dave Franco), a pop star in the vein of Justin Bieber, who’s fallen to his death from his cliff-side mansion.

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Showtime's 'Let the Right One In' TV Series Makes for a Sufficiently Smart Expansion
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While a little lengthy in parts and with a central puzzle that will entice devout sleuths more than casual fans (there is apparently a cipher sprinkled throughout the series, allowing sharp-eyed fans to discover bonus clues ahead of the narrative), “The Afterparty” is dependably enjoyable and repeatedly clever through seven episodes, showcasing impressive range from the likes of Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, and Zoë Chao - not to mention convincing genre send-ups from a team who continue to expand their professional attributes as far as their imaginations will take them.
