Aniq (The Afterparty episode)

Last updated
"Aniq"
The Afterparty episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Christopher Miller
Written by
  • Christopher Miller
  • Kassia Miller
Featured music Daniel Pemberton
Cinematography byCarl Herse
Editing by
  • Joel Negron
  • Nick Olah
Original release dateJanuary 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Running time67 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
Next 
"Brett"

"Aniq" is the series premiere of the American murder mystery comedy-drama television series The Afterparty . The episode was written and directed by series creator Christopher Miller, and co-written by Kassia Miller. It was released on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2022, simultaneously with the second and third episodes. [1] [2]

Contents

The series follows the events following a high school reunion after-party ending in murder, where everyone is a suspect, as Detective Danner interviews the suspects present, having her tell them their "mind-movies" about the night in question/the events leading up to it. The episode follows Danner as she interviews the main suspect, escape room designer Aniq Adjaye, who simultaneously begins his own investigation to clear his name alongside his best friend Yasper. [3]

The episode received a positive critical reception.

Plot

In Marin County, California, prominent pop music icon Xavier (Dave Franco) is found dead, having been pushed off of his cliffside home to his death the after-party of his high school reunion, held at his home. Against the advice of her superior, Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) takes on the case, questioning Aniq Adjaye (Sam Richardson), an escape room designer and the current main suspect, who tells his story of the night in the style of a romantic comedy: he was in pursuit of his high school crush Zoë Zhu (Zoë Chao) at the reunion, but faced competition from both Xavier and Zoë's ex-husband Brett, ultimately threatening Xavier seemingly seconds before his murder. Following his interview, believing that he will be blamed for the crime, Aniq begins his own investigation alongside his best friend Yasper E. Lennov (Ben Schwartz).

Production

Development

Series creator Christopher Miller wrote and directed the episode, co-written by Kassia Miller. Chris Miller (16863625108).jpg
Series creator Christopher Miller wrote and directed the episode, co-written by Kassia Miller.

Christopher Miller conceived of The Afterparty in the 2010s, wanting to make a murder mystery showing the different perspectives of the murder from its witnesses, inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon . The high school reunion aspect was added after Miller attended such a reunion himself, thinking it would be a unique setting for such a concept. [4] Miller initially wrote the project as a feature-length film, by June 2013 set to be produced as su at Sony Pictures as The Reunion, with Miller as sole writer and director. [5] However, the film never came to fruition due to commitments with The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street . [6] Over subsequent years, Miller reworked his screenplay as a mini-series. [7]

On June 24, 2020, it was announced that Apple TV+ had given the production an eight-episode straight-to-series order, now titled The Afterparty, created by Miller, serving as the series' showrunner. [8] [9] [10]

Casting

In November 2020, the cast was announced, including Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer and Dave Franco. [11]

Filming

On November 11, 2020, Miller confirmed filming for the series had begun. [12] Miller directed all eight episodes in the series. [13]

Reception

"Aniq" received a generally positive critical reception, [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] with Sam Richardson's performance drawing particular highlight. [20] [21] [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cho</span> American actor (born 1972)

John Cho is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar films, and Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek rebooted film series, the Asian-American film Better Luck Tomorrow, the film Columbus, and Searching, which made him the first Asian American actor in history to headline a mainstream thriller film in Hollywood. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his performance in Searching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ike Barinholtz</span> American actor and comedian (born 1977)

Ike Barinholtz is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), and History of the World, Part II (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Haddish</span> American comedian and actress (born 1979)

Tiffany Cornilia Haddish is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Her breakthrough came in with a leading role in the comedy film Girls Trip (2017), which earned her several accolades and was included on The New Yorker's list of the best film performances of the 21st century. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2018, and The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment in both 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Henshall</span> Australian actor (born 1982)

Daniel Edwin Henshall is an Australian actor. Following his film debut in Snowtown (2011), for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Henshall appeared in films such as These Final Hours (2013), The Babadook (2014), Acute Misfortune (2018), and Catch the Fair One (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joby Harold</span> British film director and screenwriter

Joby Harold is an English screenwriter, producer and director who runs Safehouse Pictures with his producing partner, Tory Tunnell. The company was co-founded in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Woods</span> American actor

Zach Woods is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as a series regular for three seasons as Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office, as Jared Dunn on the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley, as Zach Harper on the USA Network sitcom Playing House, and as Matt Spencer on the HBO comedy show Avenue 5. He also recurred on the HBO series Veep as Ed Webster, and starred as billionaire Edgar D. Minnows in the Apple TV+ murder mystery series The Afterparty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Lord and Christopher Miller</span> American filmmakers

Philip Anderson Lord and Christopher Robert Miller are American filmmakers. They are the creators and co-stars of the adult animated sitcom Clone High, and the writers and directors of the animated films Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Lego Movie (2014), as well as the directors of the live-action comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel, 22 Jump Street (2014).

Acorn TV is a British-American subscription video streaming service offering television programming from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, other Commonwealth countries, and Spain. In other countries, it is available on a variety of devices including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, and Roku.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Richardson (actor)</span> American actor and comedian

Sam Richardson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Richard Splett in the HBO political comedy series Veep (2012–19), co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central comedy series Detroiters (2017–18) alongside Tim Robinson, and for playing various characters in the Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019–present), Aniq Adjaye in the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty (2022–23), and Norville Rogers in the Max series Velma (2023–24). In 2022 and 2023, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Edwin Akufo in Ted Lasso, winning the 2023 award in this category.

<i>The Last O.G.</i> American comedy TV series (2018–21)

The Last O.G. is an American comedy television series created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri that premiered on March 31, 2018, on TBS. The series follows a convict released after serving fifteen years who returns to Brooklyn to find his old neighborhood has changed, and his ex-girlfriend is raising their children with another man. It stars Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, Allen Maldonado, Ryan Gaul, Taylor Christian Mosby, Dante Hoagland, and Cedric the Entertainer.

Zoë Carroll Chao is an American television and stage actress and screenwriter, principally known for her roles as Isobel in Strangers and Zoë in The Afterparty.

<i>Tuca & Bertie</i> American adult animated comedy television series

Tuca & Bertie is an American animated sitcom created by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt for Netflix. It began streaming on May 3, 2019. It stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, with a supporting cast including Steven Yeun, John Early, Richard E. Grant, and Reggie Watts. The first season received positive reviews, and was cited as one of the best shows of 2019 by several publications. The show's central characters are two anthropomorphic female birds: Tuca the toucan and Bertie the song thrush. Episodes mainly focus on the two's relationships with each other and with their peers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Phil Lord and Christopher Miller projects in roughly chronological order. During their career, film-making duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under their direction. Some of these projects are officially cancelled or fell in development hell.

<i>Ted Lasso</i> American sports comedy-drama television series

Ted Lasso is an American sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly, based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series of promotional media for NBC Sports's coverage of England's Premier League. The show follows Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is hired to coach an English soccer team whose owner secretly hopes his inexperience will lead it to failure, but whose folksy, optimistic leadership proves unexpectedly successful.

The Afterparty is an American comedy murder mystery anthology television series created by Christopher Miller that premiered on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2022. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 12, 2023. In October 2023, it was announced that the series would not return for a third season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Haddish filmography</span>

Tiffany Haddish is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and author. Her breakthrough came in 2017, when she garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the comedy film Girls Trip. Haddish has won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work as a host on a Saturday Night Live episode, and she has published a memoir, The Last Black Unicorn. She starred in the TBS series The Last O.G., and executive produced and voiced Tuca in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series Tuca & Bertie. In 2021, she won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for her comedy album Black Mitzvah, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986.

<i>Shrinking</i> (TV series) American comedy series

Shrinking is an American comedy drama television series created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, and Brett Goldstein. The series stars Segel as a grieving therapist who decides to become drastically more involved in his patients' lives. Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, and Lukita Maxwell also star.

"Yasper" is the third episode of the American murder mystery comedy television series The Afterparty. The episode was written by Jack Dolgen and directed by series creator Christopher Miller. It was released on Apple TV+ on January 28, 2022, alongside "Aniq" and "Brett".

"Maggie", also known as "WhoDannert?", is the eighth episode and first season finale of the American murder mystery comedy television series The Afterparty. The episode was written and directed by series creator Christopher Miller, and was released on Apple TV+ on March 4, 2022.

References

  1. "Apple TV+ sets worldwide premiere of highly anticipated murder-mystery comedy series The Afterparty for January 28". Apple TV+ Press (Press release). November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  2. Kubicek, Joan (January 28, 2022). "The Afterparty Series-Premiere Recap: Meet Cute". The Review Geek. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. Porter, Rick (June 24, 2020). "Phil Lord, Chris Miller Land Murder-Mystery Comedy at Apple". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. Meszaros, E.L. (January 19, 2022). "The Afterparty: Lord & Miller's Murder Mystery Comedy Series Was Almost a Movie". CBR.com .
  5. McNary, Dave (June 27, 2013). "21 Jump Street Directors, Sony Reunite on New Comedy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  6. Sampson, Mike (February 5, 2014). "Block Party: Talking The LEGO Movie With Writer/Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller". ScreenCrush . Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  7. Weintraub, Steve (January 29, 2022). "Chris Miller and Phil Lord on The Afterparty and Having Every Episode Tell the Story Using a Different Visual Format and Genre". Collider .
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (June 24, 2020). "Apple Picks Up The Afterparty Murder Mystery Comedy Series From Phil Lord & Chris Miller". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. Otterson, Joe (June 24, 2020). "Chris Miller, Phil Lord Set Murder Mystery Comedy Series at Apple (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. Nakamura, Reid (June 24, 2020). "Lord and Miller Murder Mystery Comedy The Afterparty Gets Series Order at Apple TV+". TheWrap . Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. Petski, Denise (November 11, 2020). "Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao Among 9 Cast In Apple's The Afterparty". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  12. Miller, Chris [@chrizmillr] (November 11, 2020). "The Afterparty! Been working on this one for a decade. Now it's finally happening, with the best cast imaginable. @tiffanyhaddish @thesamrichardson @zchao @rejectedjokes @ikebarinholtz @ilana @jamiedemetriou @bejohnce Dave Franco and more!". Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020 via Instagram.
  13. Miller, Chris [@chrizmillr] (February 17, 2021). "That's a season wrap on The Afterparty. Coming to AppleTV+ soon. Here is a knit version of the film clapper @jamiedemetriou had made for me" . Retrieved April 27, 2021 via Instagram.
  14. OC Movies (January 20, 2022). "The Afterparty — Episode 1, Aniq Review". OC Movie Reviews. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  15. Valero, Richard (January 18, 2022). "The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 1 Recap: Aniq". The Music City Drive-In. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  16. Littlejohn, Mary (January 28, 2022). "The Afterparty Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Aniq". The Review Geek. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  17. Wheeler, Greg (January 28, 2022). "The Afterparty – Season 1 Episode 1 "Aniq" Recap & Review". TV Fanatic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  18. Caruso, Nick (January 28, 2022). "The Afterparty Premiere Recap: A High School Reunion Hangout Turns Deadly, But Whodunit? Plus, Grade It!". TVLine . Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  19. Fraser, Emma (January 28, 2022). "The Afterparty Premiere Review – "Aniq," "Brett," and "Yasper"". IGN . Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. Hubbard, Christian (January 27, 2022). "'The Afterparty' Ep. 1–3 Recap/Review: "A Modern Day 'Clue' Featuring The Clueless"". Full Circle Cinema. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  21. Welch, Alex (January 27, 2022). "The Afterparty Review: You've Never Seen A Whodunnit Like This". Inverse . Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  22. Tayshete, Shirley (January 28, 2022). "'The Afterparty' Episode 1–3 Review: Mix of genres and cast make a great comedic stew". Meaww. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  23. Allen, Erin (January 29, 2022). "The Afterparty Review: Aniq, Brett, and Yasper (Season 1 Episodes 1–3)". IGN . Retrieved January 29, 2022.