How ‘The Afterparty’ Sets Up a Season 3

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Afterparty Season 2.

The final episode of The Afterparty’s sophomore season was released Sept. 6. Apple TV+’s contemporary comedic whodunnit succeeded yet again in delivering an engaging mystery and uncovering its characters’ backstories over the course of its 10 episodes. When the renewal was first announced, only Tiffany Haddish’s Detective Danner was confirmed to be returning, making the audience doubt if this would be a sort of Benoit Blanc or Hercule Poirot anthology franchise in which the detective stayed put while the rest of the cast changed. The Afterparty put a spin on things by also bringing back Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Zoë (Zoë Chao) from the previous season, which dealt with a high school reunion murder mystery. Besides returning, they’re at the center of the mystery once again.

The season takes place during the wedding of Zoë’s sister Grace Zhu (Poppy Liu) and billionaire Edgar Minnows (Zach Woods). The day after the wedding, Edgar is found dead, prompting Aniq to summon Danner to help solve the mystery. Created by Christopher Miller, the genre-bending show upped the game by incorporating a unique view to the way each character told their story. The Afterparty’s essence is the same, but the dynamics are shifted completely, now dealing with family secrets and affairs that expose both the Minnows and the Zhus. Since the show is one of the streamer’s gems, it’s very likely it’ll be renewed but given everything ended nicely with no loose ends, how could The Afterparty return for a third season?

RELATED: This Character Is the MVP of ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2

How Does ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 End?

Each one of the second season’s episodes makes it clear everyone — either from the Minnows, or the Zhus, or the couple’s friends — had motive to kill Edgar. It could’ve been Hannah (Anna Konkle), Edgar’s adopted sister, because she was in a secret relationship with Grace. Sebastian (Jack Whitehall), Edgar’s business partner, could’ve wanted to kill him because of their disparaging views on how to handle their venture. Even Grace and Zoë’s dad, Feng (Ken Jeong), had a bone to pick with Edgar after he declined to invest in his baobing food truck.

In the end, blame was shuffled between Edgar’s mother Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), who thought he was trying to kill her and ended up accidentally switching the poisoned drink, and Ulysses (John Cho), the Zhu sisters’ funcle (fun uncle, yay!) and Feng’s half-brother. He was seen suspiciously shuffling around some glasses behind the bar at the time of the wedding’s afterparty, proof enough he could’ve poisoned Edgar. And that he did, but not intentionally. Ulysses was trying to take Feng out of the equation so he could finally be with Feng’s wife Vivian (Vivian Wu), his one true love.

‘The Afterparty’ Season 3 Could Follow Danner’s Cast

After solving the mystery, a one-year time jump shows Aniq and Zoë visiting ex-detective Danner at a Hollywood studio, now as the director of the adaptation of Xavier’s (Dave Franco) murder, aptly titled “X Marks the Murder Spot.” Cameo appearances in the episode’s final moments include Gemma Chan as herself playing Zhöe, Jaleel White (who’s engaged to Danner!) as Aniq (a nudge to him being called Urkel by Ike Barinholtz’s Brett), Elijah Wood depicting Ben Schwartz’s Yasper, Keke Palmer interpreting Danner herself, and a mention as well as an image of Daniel Radcliffe as Xavier.

Not only are the stars of Danner’s film fun surprise cameos, but they’re also spot-on casting — and they could be more than that. A third season focusing on fictionalized versions of these actors would be a genius move. It could make fun and at the same time serve as an homage of Scream 3, where the actors of the Stab franchise were roped into Ghostface’s schemes. The genre-mixing could be based on some of their previous acting experiences and the afterparty element could take the form of the wrap party that productions have after finishing filming. A murder taking place in it would force Danner back into the crime-solving business and would turn the tables on her now needing the help of Aniq and Zoë to solve the mystery.

Aniq and Zoë (Or Other Returning Characters) Could Again Be at the Center Of ‘The Afterparty’ In Season 3

Though having Season 3 take place in a Hollywood setting would be a creative delight, it could prove difficult given the stars’ schedules — if their appearances were cameos and nothing more, that is. Another way of continuing The Afterparty would be by following Aniq and Zoë again to see what bonkers situation they can get in to next. The couple got engaged in the season’s final chapter and, since using a wedding as a backdrop of a new mystery would seem repetitive, a murder mystery could happen in one or both of their bachelor and/or bachelorette parties. It could also make characters from both first seasons meet and cross over. It should be fun seeing Brett and Feng piling on Aniq.

Season 3 of The Afterparty could also put Aniq and Zoë on the sidelines and instead focus on another set of characters that we’ve already met. Maybe a corporate mystery involving Sebastian being exposed as a British wannabe and Travis (Paul Walter Hauser) as the incompetent detective who would inevitably have to summon Danner could be the way to go. Another pair of characters interacting could be Cho’s Ulysses and Schwartz’s Yasper in a prison-set whodunnit. With just two seasons under its belt, The Afterparty’s possibilities of character pairings to bring back is vast.

Defying the infamous “sophomore slump,” The Afterparty delivered an even better season the second time around. Miller, along with creative partner Phil Lord, have a five-year deal with Apple and that should favor the show getting another season. If given the opportunity for a third outing, The Afterparty would surely surpass itself one more time, and there are many ways this could be done. Here’s to hoping future plans of the show let Haddish’s Danner continue solving crimes from the kindness of her heart.

All episodes of The Afterparty Season 2 are available to stream at Apple TV+.