Will Arnett
Detective Terry Seattle
Overview
A holiday-hating detective is forced to solve a murder — and save Christmas — with help from famous trainees who must improv their way through the case.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Improvised Nativity: How Who Killed Santa? Turns a Murder Mystery Into a Christmas Pageant Gone Wrong
I’ve seen Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery three times now, and each viewing leaves me with the same question: Is this a comedy, a crime procedural, or just an elaborate excuse for Will Arnett to wear a terrible sweater and gaslight his friends? The answer, of course, is yes.
All of it. At once. And somehow, that’s the point.
The premise is simple enough: Arnett plays Terry Seattle, a grumpy detective who hates Christmas and is forced to solve the murder of Santa Claus (Sean Hayes, looking like he raided a thrift store’s entire holiday section) with the help of a rotating cast of celebrity "trainees" who don’t know the script. The twist? The entire thing is improvised.
No one—except Arnett and his co-stars Maya Rudolph and Hayes—knows who the killer is, what the clues mean, or even what’s supposed to happen next. It’s like watching a group of very talented people play a game of telephone with a corpse.
What makes Who Killed Santa? work (when it works) is the way it turns the mechanics of improv into its own kind of storytelling. There’s a scene early on where Jason Bateman, playing a bumbling elf, is asked to describe the crime scene. Instead of giving a coherent answer, he launches into a rambling, increasingly absurd monologue about Santa’s "suspiciously rosy cheeks" and the possibility that he was "taken out by a reindeer with a grudge."
Arnett, deadpan, keeps prompting him: "And what did you see, Jason?" Bateman’s face cycles through confusion, amusement, and the dawning horror of realizing he has no idea what he’s supposed to say. It’s a masterclass in comedic timing, but it’s also something rarer: a moment where the artifice of performance becomes the story itself.
We’re not just watching a murder mystery; we’re watching people invent a murder mystery in real time.
Audience Opinions
Audience 6.5/10
"A loose, silly holiday whodunit powered by Will Arnett’s improv and Jason Bateman’s deadpan, undercut by uneven guest work and sketch-level roughness."
Improvised chaos, visible corpsing, and a playful mystery format create a goofy, easy-watch Christmas special that many find genuinely hilarious. Will Arnett’s quick-fire riffing and Jason Bateman’s timing get the most praise, with several comments calling the whole thing peak comedy, especially if you already enjoy the Murderville format. Others find the improv forced, complain that some guests just giggle or coast through scenes, latestnetflix.com contends, and feel the special never matches the stronger episodes of the main show.
What viewers praise
- Will Arnett carries His in-character improv, constant prompting, and ability to stay funny in every situation hold the whole special together.
- Jason Bateman standout Frequently singled out as one of the funniest parts, nailing the tone and getting big laughs from his reactions and bits.
- Genuine improv energy Actors trying not to laugh, breaking character, and reacting in real time give it a loose, infectious feel that many find hilarious.
- Fun dumb holiday vibe Short, stupid, and unserious in a way that works well as a light Christmas mystery you can just relax and enjoy.
Common complaints
- Weak Pete Davidson turn Often called out for barely engaging with the premise, breaking scenes, and coming off as too disengaged from the game.
- Inconsistent guest chemistry Some guest moments rely on childish giggles or overdone accents instead of sharp improv, dragging down otherwise strong setups.
- Feels like rough improv class Stretches of the special resemble try-hard improv exercises, with heavy prompting and jokes that do not quite land.
- Below series high points Those who like the main show often find this holiday outing not as tight or satisfying as the better regular episodes.
Recommended for
Improv comedy enjoyers Murderville completionists Will Arnett devotees Jason Bateman comedy fans Casual holiday mystery watchers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBateman walked in cold. Rudolph did too. Davidson was the third.
Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery landed on Netflix on 15 December 2022. FutonCritic's teaser went out 18 November and billed it as a 1 by 50 minute film. TMDB clocks 53 minutes, US date 15 December, rating R, comedy and crime. Netflix title 81629025. It is a holiday one-off after Murderville's six-episode first season, latestnetflix.com contends, which premiered 3 February 2022 with a guest list that already included Marshawn Lynch. 
, , ,
Will Arnett is Detective Terry Seattle, executive producer as well as star. Decider's Joel Keller finds him in a robe with pizza, about to watch a VHS of only the cool scenes from Die Hard, when vacationing chief and ex-wife Rhonda Jenkins-Seattle, played by Haneefah Wood, calls him onto a City Hall Santa event. Mayor Palmer is Tawny Newsome. The advertised celebrity trainees are Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph, and the catch Netflix printed is that they are not given the script. Decider says the holiday hour ups the UK-style special by throwing in a third clueless guest and refuses to name him in the recap. TMDB and the Netflix title page list Pete Davidson. Sean Hayes is Johnny Blaze, a quarterback in the Santa suit. Decider has Lynch walking back in wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chain saw. , , ,
Laura Murphy directed. Krister Johnson is showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Additional writers are Owen Burke, Marina Cockenberg, and Kerry O'Neill. The other executive producers are Marc Forman, Jonathan Stern, Peter Principato, and Brian Steinberg. Production companies are Electric Ave, Abominable Pictures, Artists First, and Sony Pictures Television. Netflix's media note says the format comes from the BAFTA-winning BBC Three series Murder in Successville by Tiger Aspect and Shiny Button. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X66T8f1Za5A
Keller's call is STREAM IT, with a warning to expect about 50 minutes of dumb laughs rather than a locked mystery. Bateman still gets surprised by Arnett, his Arrested Development co-star and SmartLess co-host. Rudolph tries a fake Bulgarian accent and a working-class British cop. The actor playing dead Santa keeps breaking. Eliza Coupe, as Donna Foccacia, curses through a collapsed restaurant deal. Kurt Braunohler plays sportscaster Jim Trentley. The official teaser is on Netflix's YouTube. ,
What did not follow is a second season. FutonCritic now files both Murderville and this special as canceled or ended. What's on Netflix, citing a late April 2022 Deadline interview with comedy chief Tracey Pakosta, already had the streamer undecided months before the Christmas tape. The Santa hour is the last thing they released. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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