Only Murders on the Ocean? ‘Death and Other Details’ EPs Preview Fabulous High-Seas Mystery (VIDEO)

While half of TikTok is talking about this insane nine-month world cruise situation, we need to talk to you about a cruise heading to our screens in January because it is killer.

Premiering on January 16, Hulu‘s Death and Other Details is the first great escape of 2024, a stylish, smartly crafted, and wickedly clever murder mystery set aboard a Mediterranean ocean liner awash with gorgeous sets, costumes to die for, and a guest list of unusual suspects. Imagine Ellery Queen on a high-seas vacation with Agatha Christie at the helm and Sherlock Holmes in the brig.

The story centers on Violett Beane (God Friended Me) as Imogene Scott, an enigmatic young woman who must partner with “world’s greatest detective” Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin) after becoming the key suspect in a passenger’s death. But like all of the great murder mysteries, Imogene is not the only one who may have wanted this particular person dead. There’s a whole boatload of ’em, thanks to Imogene’s adopted family chartering the ship and filling it with friends, family, and possible foes. But only show creators Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams know who actually dunnit. So of course, we had to ring ’em up as soon as we devoured this visually decadent page-turner for some clues about how they did it.

“We knew the big-big-big arc from the beginning,” reveals Weiss in the video interview above. “But in terms of the red herrings and the twists and the shifts in dynamics, those got worked out a little bit more [through production]. It’s really hard to build a really solid murder mystery if you don’t know whodunnit, who their confederates were…”

“…and all of that stuff that’s really important to a murder mystery,” adds McAdams. “The plotting stuff was right there from the beginning.”

Michael Desmond/Hulu

And they have nailed it. The pacing is perfectly calibrated and the frequent misdirects never feel forced. But most of all, the whole thing is macabre fun, which makes sense seeing how it’s been made by actual friends. “This started because we were looking for something to collaborate on together,” notes Weiss.

“We had worked in a few different writers’ rooms on other people’s shows together,” continues McAdams. “And [on those jobs], you learn ‘This is someone I want to work with more…how do we do this?'”

Turns out, you do it by sharing a mind of sorts. As the two discussed their interests, “we realized it was a stylish murder-mystery,” says Weiss. Before long, they were meeting with director Marc Webb, ABC Signature Productions and Hulu — “they just understood our show from the first pitch and got right behind it,” raves McAdams — and boom, the duo was setting sail (figuratively) on a 10-episode locked-room thriller that’s as addictive as it is unexpectedly emotional at times.

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To explain why that is would be to spoil the thrill of discovering who’s connected, who’s a con, and which passengers will cross paths (or cross boundaries!), but as McAdams and Weiss point out, casting is key. Beane and Lauren Patten are phenomenal as sisters-by-fate who may not entirely trust each other, and the relationship provides the heart of the story, beyond the investigation and various side plots. Other standouts to keep an eye on are, of course, Patinkin, all rumpled perfection and Rahul Kohli, delivering an undeniable leading-man flex after his stellar performances in Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher. But don’t trust anyone you meet on this trip, because everyone is hiding something and the reveals are a blast.

TBH, if you’re not hooked on this polished and so-sharp puzzle by the time the DOA is revealed, you too may be dead.

Death and Other Details, Series Premiere, Tuesday, January 16, Hulu