Badgley Returns to Prime Video for Hemingson’s Vermont Murder Mystery

Key points

• Prime Video has placed a series order for the adaptation of Benjamin Stevenson’s 2022 novel, 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.'
• Penn Badgley will star as Ern Cunningham, a mystery-writing expert who returns to Vermont for a family reunion to welcome his brother home from prison.
• David Hemingson, known for 'The Holdovers' and 'Whiskey Cavalier,' is attached as showrunner and executive producer.
• The series is produced by Fifth Season and Made Up Stories, with executive producers including Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Jeanne Snow, Molly Allen, Badgley, and Stevenson.
• The plot involves a snowstorm trapping the family, leading to a series of deaths, with the premise that every family member has killed someone at some point.

Background

This marks the second collaboration between Badgley and Amazon MGM Studios, following the upcoming rom-com 'You Deserve Each Other.' The project had previously been in development at HBO in 2022 but did not move forward at that time. Badgley is best known for his role as Joe Goldberg in the Netflix series 'You,' which concluded in 2025. The novel is the first in the Ernest Cunningham Mysteries series, with four other books published and a fifth currently in progress.

How outlets are covering it

All four outlets, The Hollywood Reporter, TVLine, Variety, and Deadline, confirm the core facts of the series order and casting. The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline emphasize the creative team’s enthusiasm, quoting Hemingson and Stevenson. Variety highlights the previous HBO development attempt and the track record of Fifth Season and Made Up Stories with book adaptations like 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and 'Anatomy of a Scandal.' TVLine frames the news within a broader casting roundup, noting Badgley’s return to the 'killing game' after 'You.' No significant disagreements exist among the sources, though Variety provides the most detailed background on the production companies' history.

Why it matters

The series represents a significant bet by Prime Video on a darkly comedic murder mystery, leveraging a proven star and a bestselling book series. It also signals the continued strength of the Fifth Season and Made Up Stories partnership in adapting literary properties for major streaming platforms. For Badgley, it is a high-profile return to a leading role in a thriller after the conclusion of 'You.'

What to watch

Production details, including filming locations and a release date, have not been announced. The series is expected to be produced by Fifth Season and Made Up Stories for Amazon MGM Studios. Badgley is also set to appear in the film 'You Deserve Each Other' and the thriller 'NDA.'