SUMMER’S SNEAKY HOOK: Netflix just dropped a murder mystery so addictive it’s already the #2 movie in the U.S. 😱✨

The Thursday Murder Club pairs Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan & Celia Imrie in a whodunit full of charm, twists, and irresistible chemistry.

Fans are calling it “too good for just one film” — the demand for a sequel is already louder than the reveal of the killer. 🕵️‍♀️🔥

Currently sitting as the second-most watched movie in the U.S., Netflix has a bona fide hit on its hands with The Thursday Murder Club. The breezy, lighthearted British whodunit boasts such enchanting chemistry between four iconic lead actors — Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie — that it would be foolish not to continue spotlighting their amateur sleuthing together in an official sequel.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’s Cozy Mystery

The club stands outdoors in The Thursday Murder ClubNetflix

A cozy whodunit film based on the first bestselling book in Richard Osman’s novel series, The Thursday Murder Club, was released on Netflix on August 28, 2025. Instantly reaching the top of the most-viewed movie charts, the pitch-perfect tonal blend of light humor and gripping intrigue makes for an ideal family watch.

The story centers on four retired pensioners who reside in Cooper’s Chase assisted living facility, including former spy Elizabeth (Mirren), psychologist Ibrahim (Kingsley), union organizer Ron (Brosnan), and ex-nurse Joyce (Imrie), a plucky quartet of true-crime enthusiasts who spend their downtime solving old cold cases. However, the Thursday Murder Club’s amusing hobby becomes all too real when a genuine murder occurs at Cooper’s Chase, prompting the sleuthing foursome to put their pretend investigative playtime to good use.

Currently sitting as the second-most watched movie in the U.S., Netflix has a bona fide hit on its hands with The Thursday Murder Club. The breezy, lighthearted British whodunit boasts such enchanting chemistry between four iconic lead actors — Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie — that it would be foolish not to continue spotlighting their amateur sleuthing together in an official sequel.

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‘The Thursday Murder Club’s Cozy Mystery

The club stands outdoors in The Thursday Murder ClubNetflix

A cozy whodunit film based on the first bestselling book in Richard Osman’s novel series, The Thursday Murder Club, was released on Netflix on August 28, 2025. Instantly reaching the top of the most-viewed movie charts, the pitch-perfect tonal blend of light humor and gripping intrigue makes for an ideal family watch.

The story centers on four retired pensioners who reside in Cooper’s Chase assisted living facility, including former spy Elizabeth (Mirren), psychologist Ibrahim (Kingsley), union organizer Ron (Brosnan), and ex-nurse Joyce (Imrie), a plucky quartet of true-crime enthusiasts who spend their downtime solving old cold cases. However, the Thursday Murder Club’s amusing hobby becomes all too real when a genuine murder occurs at Cooper’s Chase, prompting the sleuthing foursome to put their pretend investigative playtime to good use.

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The central mystery revolves around the murder of Tony Curran (Geoff Bell), a land developer who opposes a new plan to raze Cooper’s Chase and turn it into luxury apartments. As the Thursday Murder Club works to identify a culprit, they turn to local police officer Donna De Freitas (Naomi Ackie) for help and encounter a slew of suspects, including Ian Ventham (David Tennant), Bobby Tanner (Richard E. Grant), Ron’s son, Jason (Tom Ellis), and more.

‘The Thursday Murder Club’ Is an Immediate Hit

Liz uses a magnifying glass in The Thursday Murder ClubNetflix

Thanks to Chris Columbus’s skillful blend of humor and mystery, and the sublime ensemble cast, The Thursday Murder Club has achieved more than enough critical success and commercial appeal to warrant a sequel. The acclaimed murder mystery reached #1 on Netflix’s most-watched movies in the U.S. until it was recently supplanted by Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. The film even knocked the global hit, KPop Demon Hunters, from the top spot at one point.

Still holding the #2 spot five days after its release, The Thursday Murder Club‘s steady viewership is supported by glowing critical reviews. The film has a 77% Certified Fresh RT rating, with many critics lauding the slick direction, excellent ensemble, and lighthearted tone that never takes itself too seriously. Most importantly, the central murder mystery is neither predictable nor easy to solve, making for a truly riveting engagement as viewers work to crack the case as the story unfolds.

While Columbus and the cast members deserve credit for preserving the culprit’s identity until the end, the unpredictable story ultimately falls at Richard Osman’s feet. The Thursday Murder Club was Osman‘s debut novel, which has spawned four sequels and counting. With Osman honing his storytelling craft with each progressive novel, fans should expect more challenging whodunits if and when Netflix inevitably greenlights a sequel.

Chris Columbus Plans To Continue ‘The Thursday Murder Club’

Netflix

Although Netflix has yet to announce a sequel, Chris Columbus has already begun prepping The Thursday Murder Club 2. When asked if a sequel was on the cards, Columbus told Film Stories that “all signs seem to point [to] a sequel or the next chapter.” Columbus also told The Mirror that, “Time will tell. It depends on how many people see this film.”

Chronologically speaking, the next chapter in Osman’s novel series is the 2021 story, The Man Who Died Twice. Conceived as a direct sequel to The Thursday Murder Club, the story would dovetail naturally into the hit Netflix series without missing a beat. Plot-wise, The Man Who Died Twice concerns Liz’s ex-husband, Douglas Middlemiss, who becomes the suspect of a fatal diamond heist. From there, Osman wrote the 2022 novel The Bullet That Missed, the 2023 novel The Last Devil to Die, and the upcoming 2025 novel The Impossible Fortune. Theoretically, each novel could serve as the basis for a Netflix whodunit. With plenty of source material and Columbus willing to return, the only people left to convince are the original cast members and Netflix.

Fortunately, Oscar-winner Helen Mirren has expressed enthusiasm for a sequel, telling Radio Times that she’d sign up “in a nanosecond.” Reflecting on her time making the first movie, Mirren beamed: “It would be the team getting back together, which would be great. We did have a wonderful time shooting this. So all of us would jump at the chance, quite honestly.”

Indeed, it’s the enchantingly effervescent tone that makes the movie such a refreshing delight. Despite the high stakes of identifying the murderer, the low-stakes vibe of the entire film allows viewers to luxuriate in the atmosphere and get to know the characters. The consequences of the story may be dire, but the way they’re told enables the audience to engage and enjoy the movie without being lost or confused.

That’s a hard balance to strike. But with Chris Columbus succeeding in the first film, Osman’s source novels at the ready, and Mirren’s willingness to return, it’s only right that Netflix continue The Thursday Murder Club moving forward.