Critic Reviews

There are a lot of moving pieces in The Afterparty and under the guidance of Miller, he makes it all look effortless. With its remarkably clever casting, its genre-jumping style, and hilarious comedy mixed with an exciting mystery, The Afterparty shows that nothing is too difficult for Lord and Miller to accomplish in what is already one of the best TV debuts of 2022.

The Afterparty is the best of the bunch. Apple TV+’s newest charmer exceeds even the loftiest of expectations as it delivers an uproarious, cleverly crafted murder mystery that’ll leave you wanting more.

It remains imaginative and ingenious in how it plays with what we expect from comedies and mysteries. Even if some of the ideas don’t entirely work as well as they did in the first season, The Afterparty takes interesting swings that continue to make this one of the most innovative and creative shows on today.

The show makes excellent use of physical comedy and visual gags throughout its run, and the scripts are filled with lighthearted shenanigans that at times feel reminiscent of Psych, the long-running USA series that also experimented with style and excelled at bringing humor to the murder mystery genre while examining its lead’s arrested development.

With this must-watch series, Chris Miller and Phil Lord prove once again that they're amongst the most exciting storytellers working today.

Television is often discussed as a collaborative medium, but few programs take full advantage of each employed artist. Like any good shindig, “The Afterparty” depends on every person involved to bring their best stuff, and then together, they turn it out.

There’s satisfying dexterity to the conceit, though “The Afterparty” still reads as subdued compared with other productions bearing the Lord & Miller name.

It’s smart, with thoughtful ideas to offer those who feel like engaging with them — but it’s concerned first and foremost with having a good time.

Lord and Miller are among the most reliable names in the business for whip-smart meta-comedy, and this playlist-on-shuffle of genres so far seems to be up there with their best work — with a head-scratcher of a murder mystery to boot.

The mystery’s at least fun to unpack along the way as each character lets slip something new. And for as much as the format trickery forms the spine of “The Afterparty,” the show becomes more intriguing and much funnier than it might’ve been thanks to the sharp actors embodying each different genre.