The Afterparty (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The first two episodes of the second season were available immediately upon premiere, with one new episode debuting weekly until the season finale.
• A young version of Sebastian Drapewood is played by actor Shylo Molina in episodes 4 and 5 of season two.

Premise

The first season unfolds at a high school reunion after-party, with each episode offering a different attendee's account of the night. Critic Olivia Rutigliano called it a "millennial whodunnit," a murder mystery subgenre where the inquiry lets characters pursue second chances and break free from mundane routines. The second season occurs the day after a wedding, repeating the format with each guest's perspective on the after-party and the events that led up to it.

Cast and characters

Tiffany Haddish plays Detective Danner, a police detective who investigates Xavier's murder and later returns as a private detective to solve Edgar's murder. Sam Richardson portrays Aniq Adjaye, an escape room designer and primary suspect who uses his skills to clear his name. Zoë Chao is Zoë Zhu, Aniq's high school crush and later his girlfriend. Ike Barinholtz plays Brett, a volunteer firefighter and Zoë's ex-husband. Ben Schwartz appears as Yasper E. Lennov, Aniq's best friend and Xavier's former bandmate. Ilana Glazer plays Chelsea, a veterinary clinic receptionist. Jamie Demetriou is Walt Butler, a partygoer no one remembers. Dave Franco plays Xavier, a pop icon and murder victim whose real name is Eugene Xavier Duckworth, Jr. John Cho portrays Ulysses Zhu, Grace and Zoë's absentee uncle. Paul Walter Hauser plays Travis Gladrise, Grace's ex-boyfriend. Ken Jeong is Feng Zhu, Grace and Zoë's father. Anna Konkle plays Hannah Minnows, Edgar's adopted sister. Poppy Liu is Grace Zhu, Zoë's newlywed sister. Elizabeth Perkins plays Isabel Minnows, Edgar and Hannah's mother. Jack Whitehall portrays Sebastian Drapewood, Edgar's childhood friend and best man. Zach Woods plays Edgar Minnows, Grace's billionaire husband and murder victim. Vivian Wu is Vivian Zhu, Grace and Zoë's mother. Season 1 also includes John Early as Detective Culp, Tiya Sircar as Jennifer #1, Ayden Mayeri as Jennifer #2, Genevieve Angelson as Indigo, Kelvin Yu as Ned, and Everly Carganilla as Maggie. Christopher May and Miracle Laurie appear as Mr. Shapiro and Quiet Heather in a running gag.

Production

Christopher Miller conceived The Afterparty in the early 2010s, wanting to make a murder mystery showing different perspectives of the murder, inspired by his love of the genre and Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon. He added the high school reunion aspect after attending one himself. Miller initially wrote it as a feature-length screenplay while making Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. In June 2013, the project was set up at Sony Pictures as a film titled The Reunion, with Miller as sole writer and director, but it never materialized due to commitments with The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street. Miller later decided to make it as a mini-series, allowing him to develop characters and present each version as a separate genre. On June 24, 2020, Apple TV+ gave the production an eight-episode straight-to-series order. Miller is showrunner and executive producer alongside Lord; Aubrey Lee is a producer. Production companies include Sony Pictures Television and TriStar Television. The second season, consisting of ten episodes, was announced on March 2, 2022, with Anthony King serving as co-showrunner.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, season one received a 90% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10 based on 69 critic reviews; the critics consensus called it a "worthwhile nightcap" despite sometimes straining for laughs. Metacritic assigned a score of 72 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Season two holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 38 reviews; the consensus praised its "enduringly clever Rashomon-style format." Metacritic gave season two a score of 74 out of 100, also indicating generally favorable reviews.