Netflix original Murderville “yes ands” into success

Since the dawn of television, one problem has been a constant wrench in the plans of people looking to relax worldwide: there’s nothing to watch. So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the delightful little gem that is Netflix’s Murderville. Based on the BBC Three program Murder in Successville, Murderville is a scripted police procedural starring Will Arnett as Terry Seattle, police detective extraordinaire. The catch though, is his partner; each week, a new celebrity guest fills the role of Rookie Detective and must solve the case– without a script. If an escape room was stretched into a television drama, this would be the result.

The formula is an interesting one; a sort of retooling of the classic tv mystery with obligatory guest stars and a splash of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” improv. The result is a sometimes boring, often hilarious half hour that hearkens back to a simpler time in television history while pumping reimagined energy into worn concepts. The show looks impressive too. I expected more of a game show style of shooting; instead Murderville uses a shooting style similar to Brooklyn 99. That being said, wide angle shots can be found in each episode, necessary to capture the reactions of the cast.

Will Arnett’s frenetic energy as he steers guests through these scenarios is delightful, and the fact that he does this in an obscure but cool 1980s Dodge Rampage pickup up is the cherry on top. Meanwhile, comedic talent from the likes of Annie Murphy and Marshawn Lynch among others causes episodes to play out like a game of Mad Libs: Detective Edition.

While a chunk of Murderville’s comedy is highly dependent on your opinion of the episode’s guest, the recurring cast of scripted characters with overarching development in contrast to a revolving, non-scripted star provides an almost uncanny valley effect that is highly entertaining in its own right. Some of the interactions between the cast and guest (particularly an exchange between Conan O’brien and a young girl at a crime scene) veer heavily into meta humor ; I found myself laughing at the sheer absurdity of a person dropped into a scripted police drama. The cases our heroes find themselves entangled in would make Angela Lansbury cringe, which only adds to the fun.

Unfortunately, the concept can grow stale, though a well-dropped joke usually comes in just in time to save the day. Other times, the “unscripted” illusion is broken slightly, such as in the second episode. The killer is one of a set of triplets played by Rob Huebel, and in the final reveal scene, separate takes were used so that it could appear all three triplets were in the room at once. However, the humor often outshines little complaints like these.

Murderville is a novel idea that throws quite a few things at the wall. While some ideas don’t stick, the ones that do make for a worthwhile distraction punctuated by moments of improvisational genius. Find it on Netflix for a few good laughs.