Is Netflix’s Murderville Cozy?
At first glance, Netflix’s (2022 - ?) mystery series Murderville doesn’t hit any of the criteria to be considered cozy. We’re not following an amateur sleuth, but a hard-boiled albeit inept detective (Detective Terry Seattle played by Will Arnett.) It doesn’t take place in a small town, but rather as Detective Seattle says, “The Big City where only the strong survive, and the ruthless thrive. I just made that rhyme up, no big deal.” There are no adorable animal side characters and the only love story is Terry spiraling as his ex-wife boss (played by Haneefah Wood) does not seem interested in rekindling their romance. There is some cursing that is not found in the traditional cozy. However, there is something about this show that cozy mystery fans do love - humor.
Humor is a major part of cozy mysteries from excuses amateur sleuths give for why they are asking questions about the victim, to relationship misunderstandings, to unusual and whimsical murder methods. They are a staple of many cozies and make the mysteries all the more enjoyable.
There is also no shortage of laughs in Murderville. This series was developed by Krister Johnson and was based on a BBC Three series called Murder in Successville. The British and American versions have a truly unique take on a crime show, and it is one that elicits comedy from the get-go.
In each episode, the detective is paired with a celebrity rookie partner who is NOT given a script for the show.
They must improvise the scenes and investigation as they gather clues and in the end guess which suspect they think is the killer. The celebrities do not know what potential clues will be important and are often dragged into increasingly ridiculous situations by Terry Seattle, such as going undercover, walking into traps, or helping Terry avoid an emotional meltdown.
Who are these celebrities seen on Murderville?
Season 1 featured Conan O'Brien in "The Magician's Assistant", Marshawn Lynch in "Triplet Homicide", Kumail Nanjiani in "Most Likely to Commit Murder", Annie Murphy in "Murder by Soup", Sharon Stone in "Heartless", and Ken Jeong in "The Cold Case". The Christmas special "Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery" features Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph.
Some celebrities seem to enjoy their time as a rookie cop and enter their role with immense enthusiasm while others seem completely out of their element and somewhat miserable, but it’s always entertaining! It’s also interesting to see who is able to solve the case, and viewers are able to play along with the sleuthing to see if they picked up on the important clues and reached the correct conclusion in the end too.
Murderville might not be strictly cozy, but it is a mystery that might make cozy lovers crack up!
