Will Arnett and a group of celebrity guests bring humor to homicide investigations in this improvisational comedy series that's surprisingly satisfying.
Series that rely heavily on celebrity guests can be risky — and even more so when the show leans on their improvisational talents. Fortunately, with the right host, a clever premise, and just the right amount of structure to keep things moving along, all of those risky elements can create something wonderful, which is the case with Netflix’s latest original series, Murderville.
Genre mashing Over the course of the series’ first six episodes, Murderville manages to be part celebrity improv session, part “escape room”-esque adventure for Arnett and his partners, shifting its weight between the more scripted, structured narrative of its central mystery and its guests’ freeform investigation of the murder.
Staying on the tracks Although every episode of Murderville unfolds within some narrative guardrails and follows a relatively simple, similar structure, Arnett’s charisma and his improvisational abilities — as well as those of the actors playing each episode’s suspects — never fail to keep things interesting, even when a celebrity guest seems disinclined to take the bait or fully buy into a particular activity.