4 Years On, This Abandoned Netflix Show is Still an Underrated Gem (& We Need More!)

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Will Arnett excels at playing comedic characters, doing voiceovers for commercials, and taking on serious roles. His distinctive, raspy voice can boost sales for any product he promotes, and he delivers strong performances in dramatic roles like the one in Is This Thing On? But what he does best is make both selfish and clueless characters hilariously funny. A prime example of the former is his role as Jonathan “Babe!” Ault in Hot Rod, while Detective Terry Seattle embodies the latter. Gob Bluth from Arrested Development falls somewhere in between those two types of characters.

Netflix’s Murderville follows Detective Terry Seattle, a character inspired by the BBC Three show Murder in Successville (which aired from 2015 to 2017). Each episode features a different celebrity guest who teams up with Terry to investigate a murder.

What Makes Murderville One of Netflix’s Funniest Shows?

This show features a mystery where everyone except one person—the guest—receives a script. The guest is given only a brief overview of the case, including a few hints, and told a murder has occurred. They then meet three suspects and try to solve the crime. At the end of each episode, the guest reveals who they think committed the murder, and we find out if they guessed correctly.

The first episode is a standout – many consider it the best, though the series is consistently funny – and features a guest appearance by Conan O’Brien. The episode relies heavily on the natural rapport between O’Brien and Will Arnett, and a particularly amusing challenge where Arnett makes O’Brien eat a fiery jalapeño sandwich with a slushy drink. However, the main plot involves a murder in the magic community. O’Brien meets Deb, a waitress and assistant to the deceased magician, as well as Magic Melvin, a rival magician who bewilders Detective Seattle, and the leader of a group opposed to magic, similar to MADD.

The show generally follows a consistent format. One suspect is questioned at the police station, another is interviewed in a familiar setting with deliberate distractions, and the third involves the guest going undercover. During the undercover segment, Detective Seattle provides guidance through an earpiece, offering advice that’s often unhelpful, irrelevant, or veers into strange tangents about everyday things.

The show’s first season, with six episodes, was released all at once on February 3, 2022. It features guests like Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone, and Ken Jeong. While all the episodes are good, the ones with O’Brien, Nanjiani, Murphy, and Jeong really stand out.

Ten months after the first season, a special episode called “Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery?” was released. This episode was different because it featured three guest stars. It began with Jason Bateman, a friend and podcast co-host of Will Arnett (their podcast, SmartLess, also stars Sean Hayes, who plays Santa in the episode). Then, Maya Rudolph joined Arnett as a second partner, helping to question the suspects. Finally, after all the suspects had been interviewed, Pete Davidson arrived to receive a rather confusing recap from Rudolph and Bateman.

While “Who Killed Santa?” is a fantastic episode, it appears to be the last we’ll see of the series Murderville. There hasn’t been any official word about whether the show is canceled or renewed. That’s disappointing, because Will Arnett is perfectly suited to host the show. He’s consistently funny and manages to challenge the guest stars in the investigation without putting them on the spot too much. It’s obvious Arnett enjoyed making the show, and another season would be welcome. The format is flexible enough that many other comedic actors could easily fit in.

Honestly, I’d be thrilled if they just gave O’Brien a whole season to investigate a new murder – six episodes dedicated to his detective work would be amazing! And if he throws in another one of those hilarious Dianne Feinstein jokes that makes everyone on set crack up? Even better! I’m just a big fan and I’d enjoy anything that lets his personality shine.

Seen Murderville yet? Share your thoughts in the comments and discuss it with other fans in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-20 23:19