The Afterparty stars Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao say 'buckle up' for 'bigger, bolder' season 2

The Afterparty season 2 is here, and it's taking "speak now or forever hold your peace" to a whole new level.

The first season of the genre-hopping Phil Lord and Chris Miller joint staged a whodunnit after a murder was committed at a party. Season 2 takes that conceit to a wedding. Aniq (Sam Richardson), Zoë (Zoë Chao), and Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) all return for the murder-mystery shenanigans, and this time are joined by wedding attendees played by John Cho, Ken Jeong, Paul Walter Hauser, Poppy Liu, Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Jack Whitehall, and more.

Without further I dos, Richardson and Chao open up to EW about the new "bigger, bolder" season, which genres they got to tackle this time around, whether or not they lurk on the show's subreddit, and which of the cast is the best real-life detective.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's start at the beginning. To start the new season, where do Aniq and Zoë find themselves?

SAM RICHARDSON: So the end of season 1, we see Zoë and me come together, and they finally start the relationship. So beginning of season 2, they are a year into the relationship and we're going to Zoë's sister's wedding, and it's going to be Aniq's first time meeting Zoë's parents and meeting her family. And unbeknownst to Zoë, Aniq is really wanting to impress her family because he wants to get their approval, because he really wants to propose to Zoë. But of course, the worst thing happens. The groom, Zoë's sister's husband, is murdered, and now the whole weekend is no longer about romance and cuteness, but it's about solving a mystery.

Of course, one of the best parts of season 1 was that each character's story got its own genre. What genres did you guys get to play in this season?

ZOË CHAO: We kick off the season in Aniq's rom-com sequel. We've got a film noir, Hitchcock, a Wes Anderson, a Jane Austen episode, a found footage. Another one that's like Ocean's 11.

RICHARDSON: The heist, yeah. There's a sweeping epic. There's a lot of genres we get to play with. There are 10 episodes this season, and the scale is much larger than it was the first season.

As sort of the old guard, having done season 1, did you have any advice for the new cast in tackling this material?

CHAO: Oh, man. I mean, this whole new cast is comprised of such pros and comedic geniuses, who all loved the show, which was really wonderful. For us, it was really special, because we got to return — I got to hang out with Sam and Tiffany [Haddish]. And so there was that trust that had been established in season 1, but then we also got to make all these new friends.

RICHARDSON: I think from season 1 to season 2, there's such a difference in how the show is — the scale is so much bigger. And while season 1 takes place over the course of a night, this one, it takes place over, first of all, the weekend of the wedding, but also it spans generations and decades. So, while we did have the experience of shooting the first season, the second season is so different, that it's certainly not apples to apples. So any sort of advice we give is only kind of personal, like, "Hey" —

CHAO: — "It's gonna be four months. Your face will be tired from laughing every day."

And what are your own personal relationships to whodunnits? When you watch, are you trying to figure it all out or are you just along for the ride?

CHAO: I'm a more along for the ride type of gal. I do alternate — I'll read a literary work of fiction and then I will read an Agatha Christie book to cleanse the palate, and then go back to something a little bit more challenging, and then another Agatha Christie book. So I do love mysteries. I've loved them since I was a teenager, but I never know who did it. But [pointing at Richardson] he's great.

RICHARDSON: I feel that I do enjoy the mystery genre, because it's so participatory. You know what I mean? You can try to solve the mystery. There's a reward if you do, and there's a reward if you don't, because then you're either like, "Oh, you got me!" or "Oh, I got it!" So I think that's the fun of it. And it's the fun of this show as well, is that you can follow along, and you can solve it if you are Sherlock Holmes. And if not, you're just —

CHAO: You're a Zoë. [Both laugh.]

Did you know who the killer was all along or was it kept a secret til the end?

RICHARDSON: Well, we got all 10 scripts when we started. So we were able to read from beginning to end. So we knew who it was while filming. Which also allows us in our performances to sort of know, and calibrate what we're trying to obfuscate and what we're trying to highlight, and where the clues are, so that you can really make it fair for the end. Like what are the red herrings, what are the true little very subtle clues, what are the very bold clues…

CHAO: But with that said, both seasons, I read them, and then I knew, but then when we got to shooting them, you get so wrapped up in these different worlds and invested and these characters become now people to you, that every time we got to the finale — in season 1 and season 2 — I realized I forgot and then was gutted when I had to remember.

On a logistical level, do all the different worlds and perspectives make it more difficult to portray or understand these characters?

RICHARDSON: Yes, but that's also the fun challenge of it, because it's very specifically about recreating moments, but in these very different genres and styles and perspectives, and also we're shooting this out of order. But I guess all that is contingent on the creative team being there, and really making sure they have the macro view of it. And they are very good about knowing where we are, where we're coming from, where we're going, and what we are feeling so that anytime you're sort of lost, they're like, "Oh, well, this is where you were," and you're like, "Oh, that's right. Yes. Thank you very much."

CHAO: But it's fun mental gymnastics, you know? And the result is you get to study your character in ways you never have in any other project, which is great.

Yes, and it's like that for the audience as well — it provides a deeper perspective on all of the characters. Speaking of the audience, do you guys follow along with the theories and predictions on the subreddit? Will you be paying attention to it this season?

RICHARDSON: I'm a fly on the wall of Reddit. So I will be there.

CHAO: Well, Sam has been saying it's a fair play mystery, you know? So if you're doing the homework and really keeping a keen eye out, you can solve it. Not me, but someone out there can.

Season 1 was a murder at a party. Now we have a wedding. What's next, a funeral?

CHAO: Oh at a funeral. "He's doubly dead."

RICHARDSON: I mean, there's certainly a lot of places where people gather and people die all the time. So you put the two together, you have this show. It's limitless.

CHAO: Yeah. I go wherever they want us to go.

RICHARDSON: Exactly.

What genres do you want to see Zoë and Aniq live in next?

CHAO: I'd love to be in a western. That would be fun. I'd love to meet Zoë in a western.

RICHARDSON: I'd want to be in a kung fu movie.

CHAO: He studied martial arts. He's very proficient.

RICHARDSON: I studied taekwondo and Jiu Jitsu.

CHAO: Hey, oh!

Who in the cast is most likely to solve a real-life murder mystery?

CHAO: I would think Sam Richardson or John Cho.

RICHARDSON: I mean... I think it's true.

What was your favorite part of making this season? What did you take away from the experience?

RICHARDSON: Getting to play with such a brilliant cast was really a gift. And getting to do that first season, and then getting to have lightning strike twice and do that a second time. The first time we were bubbled [because of the pandemic]. So it was like family and we were locked in and we loved each other, and that's great, but I thought we weren't going to have that the next time. But then, we got so close still [in season 2], which is a great experience to work in.

CHAO: What's so cool is you show up to work — the fact that it is even work blows my mind because it's basically recess like on the best playground ever. And every day is different. The worlds are literally different. And I would think about like younger me, and just how that was the dream. I loved playing so much and we just really got to play so hard, and take big swings and make big choices, and we're supported in doing that. I'm excited for people to get to see season 2 and that we get to share it and I'm grateful for every day.

If you could tell all of the fans one thing about season 2, what would it be?

CHAO: Buckle up.

RICHARDSON: Buckle up, boys, because here we go. Things are bigger, bolder, and two episodes longer.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

The first two episodes of The Afterparty season 2 are streaming now on Apple TV+.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Mystery solved! The Afterparty cast and producers break down the whodunit's twists and turns
• Phil Lord and Chris Miller clue you into their decade-in-the-making whodunit The Afterparty
• See Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, and more as high schoolers in exclusive The Afterparty clip