WHO KILLED SANTA: A MURDERVILLE MYSTERY: The Holidays Are For Hilarity

After loving the first season of Murderville and being a fan of Will Arnett and Jason Bateman’s podcast Smartless (heavily recommend), I was very excited about this holiday special. While it wasn’t quite what I had expected, it’s still a fun 50-ish-minute venture. If you’re a fan of comedians being put in unexpected situations, you will find yourself delightfully entertained.

The Mystery

We are back in Murderville, so we’re in a similar situation as before. It’s a scripted story with a murder mystery at the center, with Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) bringing on a celebrity partner who has no idea what will happen for a bout of steered chaos, with Arnett as our captain.

This special starts off with the always over-the-top Terry, the disgruntled detective, hoping to avoid working on the holidays. When the Mayor calls asking him to head to City Hall with his newest partner: Jason Bateman, he begrudgingly agrees.

One of last season’s stars is back for a cameo, a former trainee Marshawn Lynch, just to test our newest recruit’s threat awareness, to hilarious lengths. It settles this special into the random as-hell comfortable place that it loves.

Not long after arriving at City Hall and trying to steal a present from the orphan toy drive, a murder occurs. Santa, a Hall of Fame quarterback John “Johnny” Blaze is killed (by a licked deadly candy cane) so the two are put on the case. Another guest star plays Santa, with some hilarious moments of breaking character, that I won’t spoil. You should unwrap this present unknowing what will pop out.

While this features some of the same improv and beloved moments of the leads being overcome with laughter and reactions (some of my favorite elements) this is a bit tamer than its previous entry. I think the familiarity of these two leads made the surprises less impactful. It doesn’t make it any less amusing though, and this is perfectly timed for a holiday night of levity. 

The Mayhem

When Maya Rudolph is introduced, as an additional detective, the special does have some injection of energy, but even then, it’s an experiment of familiar performers. There’s a terrific scene with some bad cop good cop where Arnett throws some really unexpected curveballs and these two are absolutely game. It’s a rapid-fire line of improv that only talents of this caliber could handle. 

There are a few potential suspects, sportscaster Jim Trentley (Kurt Braunohler), Blaze’s assistant Mia Briggs (Courtney Parchman), and Dona Foccacia (Eliza Coupe) who had a deal with Blaze to open a restaurant that fell through. But who is it? Part of the fun of this show is guessing yourself.

I am still very much a fan of this medium and storytelling, it provided me with some of the biggest laughs with its previous season, and I can’t wait for the next. Because I could literally watch Bateman and Arnett jokingly riff on the dictionary, I’m the target audience here. However, I do feel this special had better ideas than it did execution.

It’s a push-and-pull sort of scenario because I would have literally watched another hour of this, with continued possible suspects, completely invested. As it is, it’s an opportunity to watch some celebrity friends have some fun, and in the season’s spirit, there are some great moments of writing.

Conclusion:

Everyone is game, and Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery proves once again that it knows how to utilize some of the most intelligent and hilarious comedians working in Hollywood. Was it as funny as some of its predecessors? No. But it’ll warm you up during the holidays with some much-needed belly laughs.

Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery is currently streaming on Netflix. 

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