Murder in Successville (2015–2017) User Reviews (8)

Quirky, Interesting and Genuinely Funny

[mikeydoris · 7/10 · 17 May 2015]

'Murder in Successville', an interesting, original idea, to take a new "celebrity" each week and throw them into a staged murder mystery as a police detective. The show has a very quirky, odd, sense of humor, I felt being similarly to that of 'The Mighty Boosh' with both having the confusing yet intriguing jokes that leave you giggling, either because of the sheer stupidity of the situation/line or the hidden truth and intelligence behind the joke as it is and the uncomfortable cringing.

The show felt to me slow at first as the first episode seemed a little off despite having that charm I so much enjoyed later on but as episode two rolled around I thought why not give it a try and it had me genuinely laughing at the jokes and left me wanting more as the credits rolled.

One complaint I can see people having is the use of lesser known "celebrities" as the show calls them. This doesn't bother me and actually makes me more interested in the show, as it does have the pop culture references in the form of the characters being portrayed but without the overwhelming presence of some of the better known celebrities, as I can see those kinds of people taking the center stage to appeal to a wider audience and therefore killing lots of the charm in the show itself.

I have seen a lot of negativity surrounding this show and I have read what is being said, I'm not going to repeat criticisms but I will say this show really seems to appeal to a small group of people which is why it is hated on but I think this is a smart, funny show with a great deal of potential to be loved by many, I just think people need to open their mind a little to something different.

Original, funny, clever, simple, well produced.

[The_Critical_Eye · 9/10 · 2 June 2015]

This show is all about the concept - putting an unsuspecting TV celeb in the position of solving a murder mystery. Throw in exaggerated character impersonations, a bit of humour, a touch of awkwardness, a bit of improv (this is where it really comes to life), and great end credit songs, and you've got a gem.

Rarely do I feel the need to watch something twice when it comes out, but this programme has that affect as it is full of nuances and little bits of information that are good for a second viewing.

DI Sleet, the chief (Gordon Ramsay) and Ciarad Lloyd deserve special mention, though the celebs each play their part.

It's nice to see something different from the usual panel show/sitcom based comedy. Hopefully there's more to come.

Who is..

[Headturner1 · 7/10 · 5 August 2021]

This tom Davis? He's hilarious and talented! I was searching for hours last night scrolling I saw this and thought what the heck! I ended up watching 3 episodes ( first 2 were my fave) and it was 1am and I wanted to switch to something more light to watch. I was in the other room when it started so didn't know they used celebrities until the 3rd episode. I'll come back to it tonight. Obviously a lot of people don't know about it as there's so few reviews. It's not the type of humour for everyone but Davis is really funny!

Right Up My Street

[hibbert-94700 · 10/10 · 6 April 2017]

Murder in Successville is a brilliantly funny murder mystery series that i enjoyed immensely. Tom Davis plays his part superbly with an air of incompetence and vulnerability and being a very likable character to boot. The celebrities are the spark for the format to work and they deliver genuinely funny performances. The rest of the cast play their parts competently and with huge amounts of vigour and i really liked the pantomime type of delivery for the show. When unexpected moments happen it is hilarious to see the ad-lib between the celebs and Tom as it is scripted to the degree of the story being played out only, leaving plenty of room for comedy. Series 1 was good but series 2 got even better. I really hope this show runs for a long time as each and every episode is entirely different from the last, using clever use of props and locations. It really has the feel of a cityscape and is filmed and edited fantastically. Top marks........

It's new, fresh and funny

[pmcdeee · 23 August 2016]

I'm not a fan of giving these type of celebrities anymore airtime than they deserve, however, I do think this works well. I love the film noir styling, the concept of the show is great, ad lib to a certain degree makes the comedy genuine and you can't help but laugh. It's off the wall approach is fresh a mix of mighty boosh meets sin city... The lead guy (Sleet played by Tommy Davis) is great in his role an obscure giant of a character that keeps the celebs ticking along the process. The celebrity impersonations aren't great but I'm sure it's intentionally rough to keep it edgy. There is also the element of who done it, I know the plots are very random but it's still another element of intrigue and keeps you guessing. I would like to know how informed the celebs actually are, I do hope they are as in the dark as is made out. I'm hooked and hope it continues for a third series.

Funny,but not as funny as the cast thinks it is..........

[ianlouisiana · 6/10 · 14 May 2015]

"Murder in Successville" is reminiscent of an overlong sketch in a "Footlights" Christmas Panto.You laugh at first because it's quite funny in a clever - clever way,but people showing off their post - modern ironic grasp of current popular media trends can quickly become tiresome then bum - numbingly boring.At that stage I normally look around for the "Exit" signs and pop out for a fag - which is bit desperate because I don't actually smoke. However,last night at home,trapped on the sofa,short of turning the TV off,which would be a bit ungracious because I would have disturbed my sleeping Labrador,I fronted it out and stayed with it to the bitter and not very surprising end. It told me nothing I didn't already know about British comedy where,particularly in "stand up",it has become the norm for the performer to laugh more than the audience. Written by smart - arses for smart - arses just about sums it up.

Clever idea, usually funny but varies, mystery aspect is weakest part

[jimdbs · 7/10 · 9 July 2023]

I think the idea for this show is great. It's a mix of scripted and improv with the guest playing the role of the PC assisting the DI investigating a murder. The guest is on their own and tries to play the part without laughing at the numerous funny situations and dialogue, at the end they have to choose who they think the killer is. It's often funny but varies by episode, some barely are, others I laughed quite a bit. It's also fun seeing the same few character actors try to play a lot of different celebrities, often ones from the US. Overall, I enjoyed it and wish they made more episodes.

That said, a consistent flaw in the show is the murder mystery aspect. If you're hoping to be able follow along and try to figure out who it was, the guests often do not gather enough clues, getting distracted by the humorous parts and the DI, and little details in a scene are hard to notice due to the darkness (going for a classic crime noir look but went too heavy on it) and camera angles. The characters being investigated also tend to be overly eccentric and uncooperative though at least 1 thing will make it seem like it could be them. This results in the guests being wrong most of the time at the end when they have to choose the killer.

Find the clues

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 13 May 2015]

Murder in Successville is a silly mish mash of genres whose success depends on how much effort the celebrity of the week makes an effort to fit in and do some detective work.

Somehow each week a real celebrity is introduced as a new recruit at a police station where he is paired with hard boiled DI Sleet and investigate a murder of a celebrity. Last week it was Bruno Tonioli and this week it was Reese Witherspoon.

During the course of their investigations they come across celebrity crime scene investigators (Taylor Swift for example) and celebrity suspects. Last week we had the Carr twins (Alan and James Carr.) This week Gary Barlow was among the suspects.

There are shades of Stella Street here where we had celebrities living in an ordinary street and it was noticeable that Phil Cornwall was a celebrity impersonator here as well.

It is ridiculous and its more enjoyable if you know the C list celebrity of the week. There are actual clues when various suspects are questioned and it is up to the celebrity to call the suspect and we find out whether they are correct.

There is a lot of corpsing as DI Sleet put them in an absurd situation or the suspects make them do silly things. The giggles add a lot to the fun but it is also haphazard as well.