Penn Badgley is returning to the world of murder mysteries with a new dark comedy series at Amazon MGM Studios.
Prime Video has officially ordered Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, an adaptation of Benjamin Stevenson’s bestselling thriller novel. Badgley, best known for his acclaimed performance as Joe Goldberg in Netflix’s You, will lead the cast as Ern Cunningham.
The series will be written and executive produced by David Hemingson, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind The Holdovers. Hemingson will also serve as showrunner, bringing Stevenson’s twisted family mystery to the small screen.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone centers on Ern Cunningham, a mystery-writing expert who travels to Vermont to reunite with his family and welcome his brother, Michael, home from prison. Ern’s connection to Michael’s imprisonment is complicated — he was the person who helped send his brother to prison in the first place.
Things quickly take a deadly turn when a frozen body is discovered and a powerful snowstorm leaves the entire family trapped together. As more bodies begin to pile up, Ern finds himself caught in a bizarre mystery where virtually everyone has a motive — and every family member has already killed someone, whether intentionally or by accident.
The role marks another intriguing thriller project for Badgley, who earned widespread critical recognition and award nominations for his portrayal of Joe Goldberg in You. His previous film credits also include the 2009 thriller The Stepfather and the 2011 financial drama Margin Call.
Meanwhile, Hemingson brings an impressive television and film résumé to the project. Over the years, he has written for popular shows including How I Met Your Mother, Black-ish, and Family Guy. His biggest recent success came with The Holdovers, the 2023 Christmas comedy-drama that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Hemingson expressed his enthusiasm about adapting Stevenson’s novel, saying he was thrilled to work with Fifth Season and Made Up Stories to bring the “heartfelt and darkly hilarious” mystery to life.
He also praised Badgley as the perfect choice to play Ern, highlighting the actor’s ability to capture the character’s intensity, intelligence, and dry sense of humor.
With Badgley leading the cast and Hemingson behind the series, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone promises to blend murder-mystery suspense with dark comedy and dysfunctional family drama.
