Apple TV Plus isn't just the home field of Ted Lasso, it's also got great binge-worthy shows. And the latest entry to that list is a series that I didn't binge — but I loved nonetheless.
I love to watch shows one week at a time. The wait, the shared conversation as we wait for the next episode. It all adds up to a better experience than what a marathon can provide (in my honest opinion, at least). But I know a show that would be great to binge when I see it.
- You can watch all of The Afterparty with Apple's 7-day free trial
And this is the case with a recently-concluded Apple TV Plus series that you could devour in a single day, especially if it's the weekend. Meet The Afterparty, the Apple TV Plus Original that you can finish in less than 5 hours.
Why The Afterparty is worth watching
While Severance stole my heart and won my vote for the best new show right now, The Afterparty isn't far behind it. Debuting on January 28th, with its first three episodes released at once, The Afterparty is a comedy crime series that almost seemed too good to be real.
Not only is The Afterparty from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the braintrust behind the 21 Jump Street revival movies, the animated classic Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Mitchells vs. the Machines, one of the best family movies on Netflix), but its cast is sublime.
Check out the trailer to sample it for yourself:
Sam Richardson stars as Aniq, a mild-mannered escape room designer, and he's one of those actors you may have seen somewhere before, but can't easily identify. He played the hilariously confident billionaire Edwin Akufo on Ted Lasso, and also appeared in Netflix's I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (which is one of the best shows on Netflix), but this is the show that will truly bring him closer to leading man territory.
That said, Richardson is supported by one of the best ensembles this side of Netflix's Human Resources. Tiffany Haddish (whose agent seems to be very busy right now) is the other top-billed name, and plays Detective Danner, who is investigating a murder where Aniq just happens to be the prime suspect.
I'd explain more about the rest of the characters, but I'd risk spoiling the show in one way or another. Instead, let's drive through this cast of unusual suspects. Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) is Aniq's best friend, Ilana Glazer (Broad City) has a lot of baggage, Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) has anger management issues and Dave Franco (Neighbors) is a successful rapper.
If that's not enough reason to get you to hit play, and let it ride? Well, there's one more thing that I think will convince you to binge The Afterparty.
Why you should binge The Afterparty
You know how most shows have a style, and stick with it? With the exception of shows like Community, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and other genre-benders, most shows just do the same thing. Law and Order episodes are intentionally similar, and so is any episode of Peaky Blinders or South Park. The Afterparty breaks in the other direction, with each edition told in a different format.
One week you get a romantic comedy, the next you get a faux-action movie. After that? A musical comedy, followed by a thriller. Each episode continues the overall murder mystery, but fleshes out each major cast member by showing how they see the world.
This is what makes The Afterparty almost the perfect binge-watch. The series doesn't let you get too comfortable, so you could zone out and not realize you missed something (the cardinal sin of Netflix shows, if you ask me, is that they can all blur together). The Afterparty has no such issue at all.
Instead, The Afterparty's eight-episode long murder mystery, and its constant tone changes will keep you engaged and guessing throughout. You might prefer one episode over the other (the action movie and animated kids show episodes didn't quite match the others for me), but this is a perfect time to binge-watch The Afterparty on Apple TV Plus.
When you're done bingeing The Afterparty, check out all the new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend. Looking for something else to watch? There's a new Hulu show with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes that looks awfully tempting. In other news, a new Netflix reality show is so maddening it makes one of our writers wish he could cancel Netflix. And check out how to watch American Song Contest online and without cable.
