The Afterparty Season 2 Reveals New And Returning Cast Members

After a season of genre-bending delights, "The Afterparty" is poised to make its grand return with both newcomers and a crop of familiar faces. Hopefully, you got a chance to watch the mystery unravel when the show arrived on Apple TV+ earlier this year, because the series perfectly hits the comedy and murder-mystery sweet spot we've all been craving since Benoit Blanc first monologued about donut holes. The series is produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (yes, the same Lord & Miller who gifted us with "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse"). Miller directs, they both co-write and along with an incredible team of writers and comedians, they tackle the whodunit subgenre with a "Rashomon" twist.

The first season revolves around a high-school reunion afterparty that ends with a body. Megastar Xavier (famous for his pop career and acclaimed role in a "Hungry Hungry Hippos" adaptation) is murdered at a gathering of his former classmates, and a detective played by Tiffany Haddish arrives to find answers. Each episode is told from the perspective of a different character, in the style of the film to TV genre that best represents their imagination — whether that be a sweet rom-com or a full-blown action caper. It was already confirmed that Tiffany Haddish would be returning. Now we know season 1 stars Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao are back as well. And some new folks are joining them. 

The second season once again sees Haddish's Detective Danner investigating a murder, but this time takes place at a wedding. Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao will reprise their roles as Aniq and Zoe, and they'll be joined by a new group of hilarious suspects. Judging by this lineup, "The Afterparty" is staying true to its trend of hilarity with a cast that includes "The Office" and "Silicon Valley" star Zach Woods as Edgar; Elizabeth Perkins ("Sharp Objects," "Weeds") as Isabel; Poppy Liu ("Dead Ringers," "Hacks," "Better Call Saul") as Grace; Paul Walter Hauser ("Black Bird," "Cruella") as Travis; Anna Konkle ("Pen15") as Hannah; Jack Whitehall ("Clifford The Big Red Dog," "Jungle Cruise") as Sebastian; and Vivian Wu ("Away," "Dead Pigs") is very aptly playing Vivian.

Other than character names, details on the new cast members' roles are being kept under wraps. The second season is set to run for 10 episodes — which is two more than the first. What else do we know? Speaking at the Emmy's FYC event earlier this month, Christopher Miller let a certain detail slip:

"There will be returning actors beyond Tiffany [Haddish] and a whole bunch of new folks as well. A whole new murder. Different shenanigans. Different film styles. We do have a dog in it — that's a spoiler, but there is a dog."

They really buried the lede here — has the dog been cast?! Is it a TV dog we've seen before? Perhaps the titular Dog from Channing Tatum's latest directorial effort? Or maybe the pizza-loving doggo from Hawkeye's Christmas adventures? More importantly, do we need to worry about this dog's well-being in the story? Or *gasp* is the dog one of the suspects?! Fingers crossed that we get an episode from the dog's perspective. Honestly, there's no telling what may happen on "The Afterparty," so tuning in is a must.