Sam Richardson crushes it throughout the entirety of The Afterparty and deserves every accolade for his performance.
Chicago improvisers have a few routes. They can stay in Chicago or move to New York or Los Angeles. Comedians moving to New York are the ones who take gigs at Saturday Night Live or the late night talk shows. But for those moving to LA, it’s to try to make it in film or television. After appearances in The Office and Arrested Development, Richardson ended up on Veep where he stole the show as Richard Splett as a recurring character in season 3 before being a series regular for seasons 4-7. Casting Sam Richardson on Veep is going to go down in history as one of the best things to happen in television.
Veep and Detroiters were only the beginning. The Second City alumnus had quite the year last year. His 2021 credits include:
- Werewolves Within
- The Tomorrow War
- M.O.D.O.K.
- HouseBroken
- Q-Force
- I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
- Ted Lasso
This year is already off to a busy start for the actor. In addition to The Afterparty, Family Squares was just released last weekend in theaters and VOD. Both Senior Year and Hocus Focus 2 are expected to be released later this year. And these are just the projects that have been announced! What’s more is that Richardson’s performance in Werewolves Within has earned him a Critics Choice Super Awards nomination for Best Actor in a Horror Movie.
The Afterparty takes full advantage of Richardson’s range as episodes focus on different genres. This series is a true ensemble comedy with everyone playing their part. Having numerous improv comedians certainly helps with both chemistry and performances. However, Richardson is one of the bigger players in the series. If he isn’t nominated for an Emmy Award later this year, it would be a real shame. Obviously, the series will be going up against both Ted Lasso and Only Murders in the Building. Looking ahead to this fall’s awards season, The Afterparty should be a strong contender for everything. Voters should definitely consider Sam Richardson for his work!
Apple TV+ made the season (series?) finale available last weekend on the press site. I watched it on Saturday night knowing it would be a nice distraction. Once again, Richardson is one of the most valuable performers in the episode. While the episode focuses on Maggie, it must also resolve all lingering plotlines. What happened to Jennifer #2? Who killed Xavier? I think it’s going to be very satisfactory for the audience. Will it be surprising? This depends on who has been paying attention! Overall, it is a solid conclusion and I can’t wait for more.
But after this past year, Sam Richardson is clearly leading man material and I can’t wait to see what he has to show Hollywood. All of us who know him from the Chicago improv scene already know this!
