Penn Badgley to Star in Amazon MGM’s Darkly Comic Murder Mystery Series Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Amazon MGM Studios has officially ordered Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone to series, with Penn Badgley set to lead the highly anticipated adaptation of Benjamin Stevenson’s bestselling murder-mystery novel. The project is being developed for Prime Video and will combine classic whodunit elements with dark comedy, family secrets and a distinctly unconventional protagonist.
The announcement marks Badgley’s latest major television project following the conclusion of his five-season run as Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You. However, his new role will put him on the other side of a murder investigation. Rather than playing a serial killer at the center of the story, Badgley will portray a mystery writer who finds himself surrounded by suspicious relatives and a growing number of deaths.
Penn Badgley Takes on the Role of Ern Cunningham
Badgley will play Ern Cunningham, a mystery-writing expert whose knowledge of murder mysteries becomes particularly useful—and potentially dangerous—when his own family reunion takes a deadly turn.
Ern travels to the mountains of Vermont to attend a family gathering and welcome his brother Michael home from prison. The situation is already complicated by the fact that Ern was instrumental in helping Michael get convicted.
Things become considerably more sinister when a frozen body is discovered in the snow.
A powerful snowstorm then traps the family together, leaving them isolated while the number of deaths begins to rise. The central mystery becomes even more complicated because the Cunningham family has a disturbing history: every member of the family has killed someone before, whether intentionally or accidentally.
That premise gives the series a particularly unusual spin on the traditional murder mystery. Instead of asking simply who could have done it?, the story begins with an entire family full of people who already have questionable histories.
A Murder Mystery With a Darkly Comic Twist
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone isn’t being positioned as a conventional straight-faced crime thriller. Amazon MGM describes the project as a darkly comedic murder mystery, with the story expected to play with many of the familiar conventions of the whodunit genre.
The original novel is known for its self-aware approach to mystery storytelling, with Ern serving as a particularly knowledgeable narrator. His familiarity with the rules and conventions of murder mysteries becomes part of the appeal, allowing the story to examine the genre while simultaneously telling its own murder case.
The book was published in 2022 and became the first installment in Benjamin Stevenson’s Ernest Cunningham mystery series. The series has since expanded, with Stevenson currently working on a fifth installment.
The premise of the original novel centers on a simple but incredibly effective question: if everyone in a family has killed someone, what happens when a new murder occurs?
For the television adaptation, that concept provides plenty of room for shifting suspicions, family conflicts, unexpected revelations and dark humor.
David Hemingson Will Lead the Adaptation
David Hemingson has been appointed showrunner and executive producer for the series. Hemingson is known for his work on The Holdovers, among other television and film projects, and will be responsible for bringing Stevenson’s unusual mixture of mystery and comedy to the screen.
The creative team has already expressed considerable enthusiasm about Badgley being cast as Ern.
Hemingson has praised Badgley as an ideal fit for the character, particularly because Ern requires a combination of intensity, intelligence and a dry comedic sensibility. Stevenson has similarly expressed his approval of the casting, saying Badgley captures the character’s cleverness and personality.
That combination could make the casting particularly interesting for viewers who know Badgley primarily from You. Joe Goldberg and Ern Cunningham occupy very different positions within a murder story, even though both characters exist in worlds filled with death, secrets and deception.
Benjamin Stevenson’s Bestseller Comes to Television
The series is based on Stevenson’s Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, the first book in the Ernest Cunningham series.
The novel has developed a strong reputation for taking familiar crime-fiction conventions and turning them on their head. It combines a traditional murder mystery with comedy and a self-aware narrative style, while keeping the central investigation at the heart of the story.
The book has also been praised for its inventive approach to the genre, with comparisons to stories such as Knives Out and classic Agatha Christie-style mysteries.
Stevenson will also serve as an executive producer on the television adaptation, giving the author a direct role in bringing his creation to Prime Video.
Fifth Season and Made Up Stories Behind the Series
The adaptation is being produced by Fifth Season and Made Up Stories, with both companies serving as the studio partners on the project.
Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jeanne Snow of Made Up Stories are among the executive producers, alongside Hemingson, Badgley and Stevenson.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the property has been developed for television. Fifth Season and Made Up Stories previously worked on an adaptation for HBO in 2022, but that version ultimately did not move forward. The project has now found a new home at Amazon MGM Studios.
What Can Viewers Expect?
While Amazon MGM has not revealed the full cast or episode count yet, the premise suggests a series built around an increasingly complicated mystery.
The setting is particularly important. Ern’s family reunion takes place deep in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where a snowstorm leaves the characters effectively cut off from the outside world. Once the frozen body is discovered and the deaths begin mounting, the isolated setting creates the classic closed-circle mystery setup.
But there is a major difference: the suspects aren’t simply people who might have killed someone—they are people who have already done so.
That gives the series the opportunity to constantly challenge the audience’s assumptions. A character’s suspicious behavior doesn’t necessarily mean they are responsible for the latest murder, while a seemingly innocent family member could potentially have far more to hide than expected.
The combination of a confined location, a dysfunctional family, multiple deaths and a protagonist who literally writes murder mysteries could make the series particularly suited to viewers who enjoy puzzle-box television.
Penn Badgley’s Next Chapter After “You“
The casting is also an intriguing career move for Badgley.
After spending five seasons portraying Joe Goldberg in You, Badgley has become closely associated with dark psychological stories and morally complicated characters. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone allows him to remain within the broader murder-mystery space while giving him a considerably different character to play.
Here, Badgley isn’t the person viewers are supposed to fear. Instead, Ern is the person viewers will follow as he attempts to understand what is happening around him.
His character’s expertise in mystery writing could also provide an opportunity for Badgley to combine dramatic performances with a more comedic tone than audiences may be accustomed to seeing from him.
When Will Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone Premiere?
There is currently no confirmed release date for the series. Amazon MGM has only recently given the project its series order, and additional information regarding production, episode count and the wider cast is still expected to be announced.
For now, Badgley is the only officially announced cast member.
With a bestselling source novel, a distinctive murder-mystery premise, David Hemingson at the helm and Badgley returning to the world of crime fiction in a completely different role, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone could become one of Prime Video’s more unusual mystery offerings.
And considering the title, one thing is already clear: When the next murder happens, trusting the family is probably the last thing Ern should do.
