Homicide victims in the new Netflix series Murderville are in less than dependable hands as Will Arnett’s Senior Detective Terry Seattle recruits scriptless celebrity guests to help solve the murder mystery of the day.
Premiering with six full episodes on Feb. 3, the first season of Murderville features Annie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch, and Sharon Stone as Detective Seattle’s partners.
In the first official trailer, Jeong’s victim is already a total lost cause. At the instruction of a chaotic Detective Seattle, the comedian tampers with the crime scene by fitting his body to the fresh chalk outline for a live-action replay complete with sound effects. With Arnett’s help (if you can call it that) and the clues at the crime scene, the guest cast improvise their way through catching their suspect.
From these glimpses of Murderville, it seems the unsuspecting trainees are breaking characters left and right. Without a script to guide them, they’re left at the will of Arnett’s unpredictable direction and completely obscene suggestions — like when O’Brien is made to introduce himself as Todd Carring and then seconds later as Todd Carrington then very shortly after as Todd Carringtonbergsonfield.
“I do think people liked the idea that they could come in, they didn’t have to learn any dialogue and they could be themselves and just go for a ride,” Arnett told The Hollywood Reporter. “And I have to give these people credit because it’s freakin’ scary as shit.”