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Murder seems to be good for business, or we wouldn’t have Apple TV+’s hit murder mystery series The Afterparty returning with an all-new second season. And with that, you’ll also get to see the return of some of the fan-favorite characters, particularly Detective Danner, but more on that in a bit. First released in January 2022, the mystery comedy series became widely popular among fans and earned positive reviews from critics. The streaming service greenlighted a second season in March 2022. Created and directed by Christopher Miller, The Afterparty is designed as an anthology series. Each season explores a murder at a party setting, with a detective solving the case. The first season was set in the backdrop of a high school reunion and the upcoming second season will take place at a wedding. While other details of the plot are still under wraps, the second season will also see every guest as a suspect. Just like the format of the first season, each suspect, from the family members to friends and acquaintances, will recount their version of the case/incident from their perspective, which will also translate to a unique visual style for each testimony.Fans have been expecting and anticipating the second season of The Afterparty even before there was an official announcement. And now, as the second season is set to arrive this summer, you can get all the details about its release date, plot, cast, and characters in the following guide. So, get ready for another long night of mystery-solving with Detective Danner, and check out everything we know so far about The Afterparty Season 2.Editor's Note: This article was last updated on July 5.
The Afterparty
When a high school reunion's afterparty ends in a death, everyone is a suspect. A detective grills the former classmates one by one, uncovering potential motives as each tells their version of the story - culminating in the shocking truth.
- Release Date
- January 28, 2022
- Cast
- Ben Schwartz , Ike Barinholtz , Dave Franco , Tiffany Haddish , Sam Richardson
- Main Genre
- Mystery
- Seasons
- 2
When and Where Is The Afterparty Season 2 Releasing?
The Afterparty season 2 was initially set to release in April but got delayed to July. Now, as per the official update, the second season of the hit mystery comedy will premiere on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, exclusively on Apple TV+, with the first two episodes debuting together. While you wait, you can now catch up on the first season of this hit murder mystery show by clicking the button below (which is also where you'll find Season 2 when it arrives):
Is There a Trailer for The Afterparty Season 2?
On April 11, the streaming network released a teaser clip for The Afterparty Season 2 on its Twitter handle that can cue you into what’s coming in the all-new season of the hit murder mystery series. Captioned “A cast so stacked it needed 3 layers”, the clip shows a huge wedding cake with figurines of all the major cast members stacked on each layer, while Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” plays in the background. For those who have seen Grace and Frankie, The Afterparty Season 2 clip might be reminiscent of the Netflix comedy’s opening credit scene (which also features a wedding cake crumbling down with figurines of the lead characters).
In this Apple TV+ clip, the groom seems to be dead, which isn’t hard to figure from the season’s plot and the teaser. It is indeed a unique way to introduce the characters for the new season and the teaser definitely hints at another exciting adventure for Danner.
The official trailer for The Afterparty Season 2 was released on Apple TV+'s YouTube channel on June 7, 2023. Like the teaser before it, it's set to Lesly Gore's "It's My Party," and gives fans a look at the different "mini-movies" for this season, including send-ups to the films of Wes Anderson, film noir, costume dramas, and many more. On June 30, we at Collider shared an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette that combines interviews with the cast and creators with footage from the show. Roughly two minutes long, the video goes a long way to elevate the hype surrounding this much-awaited season. See it here:
How Many Episodes Is The Afterparty Season 2?
As announced in April 2022, The Afterparty Season 2 will have ten episodes, which is two more than the first season (which had eight episodes). The first two episodes will release at the same time on the day of the release, i.e., on July 12, 2023, after which each new episode will release weekly. The 10th and final episode will stream on September 6, 2023.
Check out the schedule of all episodes of The Afterparty Season 2 below:
Episode 1: “Aniq, The Sequel” - July 12, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller and Anthony King.
Episode 2: “Grace” - July 12, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 3: “Travis” - July 19, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 4: “Hannah” - July 26, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 5: “Sebastian” - August 2, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 6: “Danner’s Fire” - August 9, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 7: “Ulysses” - August 16, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 8: “Feng” - August 23, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller, Justin Shipley, and Jordan Shipley.
Episode 9: “Isabel” - August 30, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller.
Episode 10: “Zoe & Vivian” - September 6, 2023
Written by Christopher Miller, Justin Shipley, and Jordan Shipley.
Who Are the Creators of The Afterparty?
The Afterparty is created and co-written by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Christopher Miller, who conceived the series in the early 2010s. His narrative style of different perspectives of the murder witnesses is inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon. Miller works in collaboration with his friend and co-creator, Phil Lord, with the duo being best known for their animated work like writing and directing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Lego Movie. They have also directed 21 Jump Street, its sequel 22 Jump Street, and written for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the upcoming sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The duo also created, wrote, and directed the sci-fi sitcom Clone High, which was recently revived by the streaming service Max.
For the second season, Miller is joined by Anthony King as co-showrunner. King is best known for previously writing for shows such as Broad City, Silicon Valley, and Search Party, among others. Miller and Lord also serve as executive producers under the Lord Miller Productions banner, along with King. Aubrey Lee, Michael Cedar, and Bridger Winegar serve as producers for The Afterparty Season 2. Justin Shipley, Jordan Shipley, and Brenda Hsueh serve as co-executive producers. The music of the anthology murder mystery series is also an integral part of its production. Emmy-winning English composer Daniel Pemberton composes the background music for each character, with a different style for each based on their respective narrative style.
The Afterparty Season 2's episodes were directed by Miller, Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), Anu Valia (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Tamra Davis (Billy Madison), and Peter Atencio (The Machine). Miller previously directed all eight episodes of the first season.
Who's in the Cast of The Afterparty Season 2?
The ensemble cast is one of the highlights of this Apple TV+ original series. Tiffany Haddish, Zoe Chao, and Sam Richardson headlined the first season, along with the likes of Dave Franco, Ben Schwarz, and Ilana Glazer, among others. Haddish, Chao, and Richardson are reprising their roles for the second season, where Haddish plays the role of the eccentric Detective Danner, and Chao and Richardson play the roles of high school friends Zoe and Aniq respectively. Aniq is an escape room designer and had a crush on Zoe since high school. By the end of the season, Zoe also develops feelings for him, and they share a kiss. So, it’s possible that in the second season, they might be dating.
Joining the returning cast members, The Afterparty Season 2 will also have Ken Jeong (The Hangover) as Feng, John Cho (Star Trek) as Ulysses, Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds) as Isabel, Zach Woods (The Office) as Edgar, Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird) as Travis, Poppy Liu (Hacks) as Grace, Anna Konkle (Pen15) as Hannah, Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise) as Sebastian, and Vivian Wu (The Joy Luck Club) as Vivian.
Will Greenberg (Wrecked) and John Gemberling (The Great North) also appear in recurring roles as Judson and Jaxon, respectively. The last two characters seem like a new version of mean girls Jennifer #1 and Jennifer #2 from the first season, who were played by Tiya Sircar and Ayden Mayeri, respectively.
Additionally, Christopher May (Westworld) and Miracle Laurie (Dollhouse) also feature in the ensemble cast as Mr. Shapiro and Quiet Heather, respectively. Shapiro is a science teacher and Heather is his former student who is discovered to have intimate relations with him, and their story runs in the background as a continuous gag in the first season (and presumably the second as well).
When was The Afterparty Season 2 Filmed?
The filming for The Afterparty Season 2 began in May 2022, and continued through summer, with Miller returning as director/showrunner. Production ended in September 2022, as posted by season cast member Jack Whitehall on his Instagram.
What Is the Story of The Afterparty Season 2?
The Afterparty is essentially a whodunit mystery but with a millennial flair, told in a comedic narrative. Each season explores a new murder case, with the lead investigator remaining the same. The key feature of this series rests on storytelling, where each witness/suspect of the case gives their unique perspective to the incident and is told in a visual style that matches their personality and character.
In the first season, a murder happens at the after-party of a high school reunion and Detective Danner is assigned the case where she meets every guest present at the party and hears their versions of the case. The second season follows a similar narrative. There’s a wedding party and the groom is murdered. Danner returns to the crime scene to help Aniq and Zoe solve the mystery by questioning the family members, business partners, lovers, and other guests.
The official synopsis for the new season reads:
From Academy Award winners Chris Miller and Phil Lord, each episode of “The Afterparty” explores a different character’s account of one fateful evening, all told through the lens of popular film genres and unique visuals to match the storyteller’s perspective. In season two, a wedding is ruined when the groom is murdered and every guest is a suspect. Detective Danner (Haddish) returns to help Aniq (Richardson) and Zoë (Chao) solve whodunnit by questioning family members, star-crossed lovers and business partners, and hearing each suspect’s retelling of the weekend, each with their own unique perspective and visual style.