Quibi's Mapleworth Murders could've been so much better

Chicago Sun-Times

Paula Pell and John Lutz's Quibi sendup of Murder, She Wrote that they also star in "has its laugh-out-loud moments of inspired lunacy, the broad tone and highly exaggerated characters seem better suited for an SNL sketch than a continuing series," says Richard Roeper. "So many of the jokes in Mapleworth Murders, including many too racy to repeat here, sound like they’re in need of a rimshot from a nearby drummer," adds Roeper. "Some of my favorite comedic humans in the world, including Patton Oswalt, Tina Fey, Andy Samberg, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, make cameo appearances, but their respective shticks range from the mildly amusing to borderline terrible. (A storyline involving a sibling singing group with incestuous leanings and deep-seated jealousies is profoundly unfunny.) With an intriguing enough premise and some fantastically gifted comedic minds driving the vehicle, Mapleworth Murders could have been so much better than all the double-entendre jokes, flatulence humor and high-decibel yelling. Alas, the town of New Woodstream might just have another lifeless body on its hands." ALSO: John Lutz calls Mapleworth Murders "a little bit of a homage to Angela Lansbury in the best way."