Quick verdict: Murderville is one of the funniest and most unusual comedies on Netflix. Will Arnett plays a hopeless homicide detective, and each episode his new partner is a celebrity who has not been given the script — they have to improvise their way through the case and then name the killer. There are six episodes plus a Christmas special, each about 30 minutes, so you can finish the lot in an evening. It all streams on Netflix.
Murderville arrived in February 2022 and found a cult following that has kept growing, partly because nothing else on streaming works quite like it. Here is how the show works, who the guests are, which episodes are best, and whether there will ever be more.
How Murderville Works
Will Arnett plays Senior Detective Terry Seattle, a gravel-voiced, self-pitying cop in the city’s homicide unit. In every episode a new celebrity shows up as his trainee partner, playing a version of themselves. The supporting cast — suspects, victims, witnesses and the police chief — all have scripts. The guest does not.
That gap is the whole joke. The guest has to react in character to whatever Terry and the suspects throw at them, from fake accents and awkward interrogations to absurd tasks that Arnett springs on them mid-scene. Along the way they collect clues. At the end, the guest has to name the killer for real, using only what they noticed during the episode. Sometimes they get it right. Often they do not.
The format comes from the British series Murder in Successville, which ran on BBC Three. The US version, developed by Krister Johnson, drops the original’s celebrity-impersonation gimmick and plays it more like a straight parody of TV police procedurals.
The Guests
The first season’s six episodes feature:
- Conan O’Brien — the premiere, and a showcase of how hard Arnett can push a guest who loves to break.
- Marshawn Lynch — the former NFL running back, whose total, unbothered calm is its own kind of comedy.
- Kumail Nanjiani — one of the strongest improvisers in the run, and one of the most committed to solving the case.
- Annie Murphy — the Schitt’s Creek star, who leans into every ridiculous scenario.
- Sharon Stone — a genuine surprise. She plays it straight-faced and takes the mystery very seriously.
- Ken Jeong — all chaos and big swings, as you would expect from the Community and Hangover star.
A holiday special followed in December 2022, Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery, with Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph as the guests. Bateman and Arnett’s long friendship from Arrested Development makes it one of the warmest entries.
What Makes It Work
Will Arnett’s control
The show depends almost entirely on Arnett. He has to stay in character as a ridiculous detective while also steering the plot, setting up jokes for the guest and keeping the clues on track. He is very good at it. He knows exactly when to throw a guest a curveball and when to let a scene run, and his straight-faced misery as Terry is funny even when the guest is struggling.
Real stakes, of a sort
Because the guest really does have to solve the case, there is a genuine game underneath the jokes. You can play along at home, and the final reveal is more tense than you would expect from a comedy. When a guest picks the wrong suspect, Terry’s disappointment is half the fun.
Watching people break
Much of the pleasure is seeing famous people trying, and failing, not to laugh. Arnett regularly ambushes guests with tasks they could not prepare for, and the episodes keep the moments where everyone loses it.
Where It Falls Short
The format is only as strong as its guest. Comedians and experienced improvisers thrive; others can slow scenes down, and a couple of episodes have long stretches that depend entirely on Arnett carrying them. The scripted procedural parody between the improvised bits is also thinner than the comedy around it. If you dislike cringe humor or watching people struggle on camera, it may not be for you.
The Best Episodes to Start With
- Conan O’Brien — the episode that sets the template, with a guest who clearly loves being tortured.
- Kumail Nanjiani — a great example of a guest playing the game well and still being very funny.
- Sharon Stone — funny precisely because she refuses to treat it as a joke.
- The Christmas special — Bateman and Arnett’s chemistry carries it.
The episodes stand alone, so you can watch them in any order.
Will There Be a Murderville Season 2?
Nothing has been announced. Netflix released the six-episode first season in February 2022 and the Christmas special that December, and there have been no new episodes since. Netflix has never formally announced a second season. Arnett and the producers have spoken warmly about the format over the years, but after this long the show is best treated as complete.
Where to Watch Murderville
Murderville is a Netflix original, so every episode, including the Christmas special, streams only on Netflix. Netflix plans in the US start at $8.99 a month with ads.
Shows Like Murderville
- Arrested Development — Will Arnett at his best, as Gob Bluth.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine — a warm, very funny police-workplace comedy.
- Only Murders in the Building — a gentler comedy-mystery with real whodunits.
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? — for pure improvised comedy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Murderville improvised?
Partly. The celebrity guest gets no script and improvises; Will Arnett and the supporting cast follow a scripted story.
Do the guests really solve the murder?
Yes. At the end of each episode the guest names the killer based only on the clues they picked up.
How many episodes of Murderville are there?
Six in Season 1 (2022), plus the Christmas special Who Killed Santa?
Who are the guest stars?
Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone and Ken Jeong, with Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph in the special.
Is Murderville based on another show?
Yes, the British series Murder in Successville.
Is there a Season 2?
No second season has been announced, and there have been no new episodes since December 2022.
Where can I watch Murderville?
Only on Netflix.
How long are the episodes?
About 30 minutes each.