Why ‘Murderville’ is Your Best Binge-Watching Option This Weekend
Netflix’s new original series Murderville starring Will Arnett and a vast array of other celebrities dropped on Feb. 3. If you’re looking for something to binge this weekend, we’ve got you covered. While the middle of winter sometimes gets people in the mood for television they can really sink their teeth into, Murderville checks another box.
Netflix’s ‘Murderville’ is essentially six half-hour ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketches
If you don’t check out the Murderville synopsis before starting the show, you might be totally confused when it seems like the characters don’t have a script. It’s because they don’t.
Netflix’s synopsis reads, “Meet Senior Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett), Homicide Division. For Terry, every day means a new murder case and a new celebrity guest star as his partner. But here’s the catch: each episode’s guest star isn’t being given the script. They have no idea what’s about to happen to them. Together, the guest star and Terry Seattle will have to improvise their way through the case… but it will be up to each celebrity guest alone to name the killer. Join them as they punch a one-way ticket to Murderville.”
At first, it’s hard to understand how this could possibly work, but if you’re in the mood for laughs, we promise it hits all the right notes. If you consider yourself a fan of Arnett, you’re in for a treat. Imagine his character of Gob from Arrested Development and combine it with a haggard and grizzled homicide detective.
While Arnett gets plenty of laughs, it’s the celebrity guests from each episode who really shine
Everyone knows the best part of Saturday Night Live is when the comedians or guests can’t keep it together and eventually break character. When the actors crack up into genuine laughter, it’s hard as a viewer not to laugh right along with them. Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone, and Ken Jeong take the role of celebrity guest star this season. They show up knowing the gist of everything that’s about to happen, but how they react to the situations is comedy gold.
Murderville’s guest stars are tasked with figuring out the murder. Still, the guests must factor in Arnett’s inability to stay quiet, which serves as a constant distraction. The actual murder is rarely what anyone focuses on. Several times throughout each episode, Murderville viewers catch glimpses of the guests breaking character simply because the lines Arnett pops off with are so funny. Haneefah Wood and Philip Smithey work perfectly as the supporting characters at the police station and manage to keep serious faces against Arnett’s delivery.
Here’s why you should binge-watch ‘Murderville’ this weekend
Murderville clocks in at only around 30 minutes per episode. With only six episodes in the first season, it’s not that big of a time commitment. Plus, the series seems like a breath of fresh air after watching shows like Euphoria and You. Those shows are excellent in their own right, but sometimes you just need to chuckle at something ridiculous. That’s where Murderville comes in and saves your weekend.
