Mandy Patinkin to star in cruise ship murder mystery drama for Hulu

For as much as people love true crime these days, you’d think that would’ve translated into a bigger boom for detective stories. Oh sure, we got two big budget Agatha Christie movies in the last few years, Netflix paid a ton of money to expand Rian Johnson’s Knives Out universe, Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building was kind of a blend of the two genres, and Batman is sort of a detective, but… we want more! More quirky sleuths! More whodunnits! More locked rooms with no visible entry or exit point, meaning the killer must still be there and must be one of a select group of memorable individuals!

Luckily, Hulu has heard our cries (again) and granted a 10-episode pick-up to Career Opportunities In Murder Mayhem, a detective drama starring Mandy Patinkin as Rufus Cotesworth, “the world’s once-greatest detective,” and Violett Beane as his young detective protégée. That alone sounds good, but here are two additional hooks: The series takes place on an ocean liner “filled with the wealthy and powerful” where “everyone on board is hiding something,” and it aims to determine how you can “solve a murder in a post-fact world.”

That’s right: We’ve got Mandy Patinkin, we’ve got Harrison Wells’ alternate-universe daughter from The Flash, we’ve got a cruise ship full of reach people, and we’ve got fake news. Of course, Career Opportunities In Murder And Mayhem is also supposed to be a drama, so we’re probably overestimating how fun it will be, but that might also largely depend on what kind of detective affectation Patinkin decides to adopt. Kennth Branagh’s Poirot has that mustache, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc as that sweet syrup-drippin’ accent, and Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne dresses up like a bat at night. What will Rufus Cotesworth’s gimmick be?

He already has a ridiculous name, but a mustache/accent/bat suit are all probably off the table. Maybe he could wear a fun hat? Is there a famous detective who does that?