The Afterparty Cast & Character Guide

Apple TV+’s original series The Afterpartytackles an exciting murder mystery supported by a comedic cast and compelling characters. The Afterparty is Apple TV’s exciting comedy-drama following in the footsteps of the streaming service’s hit series Ted Lasso, but trades in the football cleats and underdog team for knives and a room full of murder suspects. The comedic aspect of The Afterparty’s murder mystery also contributes to the slew of popular whodunits like Clue, Knives Out, and 2018’s Game Night movie.

The Afterparty follows a murder investigation led by Detective Danner when a celebrity, Xavier, is murdered at the afterparty for his class of 2006 high school reunion. Each character who was present at Xavier’s afterparty is deemed a suspect, with all being known to have disliked the murder victim for various reasons. Detective Danner then grills the classmates for motive, with each of The Afterparty’s episodes following the perspective of a different suspect/partygoer. By the end of the series, Danner uncovers the shocking truth of who killed Xavier.

The whodunit murder mystery series relies on a cast of notable comic actors, several of whom have previously led successful comedy TV shows and movies. With the various talents and comedic styles of The Afterparty’s cast, the path to Detective Danner discovering the true murderer will be all the more enjoyable. Here’s a breakdown of the actors starring in Apple TV’s original show The Afterparty and which characters they portray.

Tiffany Haddish As Detective Danner

Detective Danner, portrayed by comedian Tiffany Haddish, is an investigator who decides to take the lead on The Afterparty’s murder case of Xavier. Not backing down, Danner uses her talent as a detective to grill each and every suspect, strategically deriving various motives, slip-ups, and hidden details from the night in question as the former classmates recount all of their stories. Outside of her stand-up comedy performances, Tiffany Haddish is best known for her roles as Nekeisha Williams on The Carmichael Show, Dina in Girls Trip, Carrie in Night School, and Psychic in Disney’s upcoming Haunted Mansion movie reboot.

Sam Richardson As Aniq

The Afterparty’s character Aniq comes into the investigation after attending Xavier’s wild afterparty, which is a significant change from his nerdy and shy persona in high school. After Xavier is murdered, the sweet and reserved Aniq is ironically labeled the primary suspect by a number of his fellow party attendees. While trying to clear his name from Xavier’s murder, Aniq is also focused on admitting his romantic feelings for Zoe. Sam Richardson has previously starred in Veep as Richard Splett, Detroiters as Sam Duvet, and appeared in M.O.D.O.K. as the voice of Gary Garoldson. Sam Richardson also notably had a cameo in Apple TV’s Ted Lasso as Edwin Akufo and will star in the upcoming Disney+ movie Hocus Pocus 2.

Zoë Chao As Zoe

Actress Zoë Chao stars in The Afterparty as Zoe – a popular figure who catches the eye of multiple characters at the high school reunion and its titular afterparty. Zoe is a teacher and artistic individual, who initially wanted to use The Afterparty’s reunion as a way to let loose, until she becomes another one of the suspects for Xavier’s untimely death. Chao is best remembered for her role as Isobel on Facebook Watch’s series Strangers as well as her roles in Love Life, Amazon Prime’s Modern Love, and the mixed-reviewed Where’d You Go, Bernadette.

Ben Schwartz As Yasper

Apple TV’s series recruits comedian Ben Schwartz to portray Yasper, Aniq’s outgoing and supportive best friend from high school who desperately longs for a career in music rather than his line of work of security installation. The boldness of Yasper, who is always prepared to put on a show, has also landed him as yet another of The Afterparty‘s suspect line up in the murder case led by Tiffany Haddish’s character. Ben Schwartz is notable for playing the character of Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks and Recreation, Clyde Oberholt on House of Lies, Marvin in Night School (opposite Afterparty co-star Tiffany Haddish), and voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in the 2020 film of the same name and its 2022 sequel.

Ike Barinholtz As Brett

Brett is a twist on Ike Barinholtz’s typical comedy roles, with his The Afterparty character serving as the disgruntled, tough guy ex-husband of Zoe. Brett, who was popular back in high school, uses the high school reunion and Xavier’s afterparty as a way to try to win back Zoe, with plenty of action-heavy stunts along the way. Ike Barinholtz is known for his various roles on the sketch comedy show MadTV, portraying Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project, playing Jimmy Blevins in Neighbors (opposite The Afterlife star James Franco), as well as directing The Oath and starring alongside Tiffany Haddish in the film as Chris Montana.

Ilana Glazer As Chelsea

Comedian Ilana Glazer returns to television as Chelsea in Apple TV+’s streaming series The Afterparty. Chelsea is the former class president and popular student in high school who mysteriously lost her hold. As The Afterparty’s murder investigation continues and she becomes a suspect herself, Chelsea also harbors much paranoia while others discuss her alcoholism. Glazer (via PopCulture.com) described her Afterparty character as “a wounded trainwreck, who deserves a second look at why she is the way she is.” Ilana Glazer is best known for co-creating and starring in the series Broad City as Ilana Wexler, along with her roles in the films Rough Night and False Positive.

Dave Franco As Xavier

Dave Franco reunites with director Christopher Miller in The Afterparty through his starring role as Xavier, the rich and famous high school alum who is murdered at his titular afterparty. After being unpopular in high school, Xavier became an extremely well-known pop star and millionaire before reuniting with his old classmates. While Xavier is killed in The Afterparty’s first episode, he’s still featured prominently through flashbacks and retellings of the fateful night. Dave Franco’s previous acting roles include Eric Molson in the 21 Jump Street movie, Pete Regazolli in the Neighbors film series, Jack Wilder in Now You See Me, and the prominent character Cole Aaronson in Scrubs season 9.

Jamie Demetriou As Walt

English actor Jamie Demetriou plays Walt, a socially awkward alum who is frustrated that nobody at the reunion can remember who he is. A possible suspect for Xavier’s murder, Walt is a quiet presence in The Afterparty who is always around, but hardly acknowledged, even though he’s eager to make a lasting impression on his old classmates. Demetriou is best known for playing Bus Rodent in Fleabag, along with his acting credits in Stath Lets Flats, Sherlock Gnomes, and Cruella.

The Afterparty Supporting Cast & Character Guide

Genevieve Angelson as Indigo: A social activist with a very artistic personality whose story is also told in the investigation. Angelson has previously been seen in This Is Us season 5, House of Lies, and Good Girls Revolt.

Tiya Sircar as Jennifer #1: One of the Jennifers from the reunion and afterparty who is pregnant and married to Ned. Sircar is known for playing Vicky on The Good Place, Neha in The Internship, and voicing Sabine Wren on Star Wars Rebels.

Kelvin Yu As Ned: The husband of Jennifer #1 who also has a love for pranks. Better known for writing and producing Bob’s Burgers as well as his behind-the-scenes work on Central Park, Yu has also been seen in Milk and Master of None.

John Early as Detective Culp: The partner of Detective Danner who is a stickler for the rules and must watch the remaining party guests while Danner interrogates them. Early has appeared in HBO Max’s Search Party as Elliott Goss, 30 Rock as Jerome, and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising as Darren.

Everly Carganilla as Maggie: The young daughter of Brett and Zoe who gets brought along for the whodunit tale. Carganilla has been seen in Yes Day as Ellie and The Chair as Ju-Hee.

New episodes of The Afterparty release Fridays on Apple TV+.

About The Author

Jordan Williams
(809 Articles Published)

Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies.

Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.

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