Does that house near the beach sound like a real steal? Well, there’s a solid reason for that rock-bottom price (it’s an abode where “a guy chopped his wife up”), and that’s something that Quibi (the upcoming service launched from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman) will soon explore in the Murder House Flip series. Yes, this show looks exactly like what one would assume: a twisted hybrid of an HGTV-type house-hunting-and-renovation show with a faux-procedural bent that borders on self-parody. It looks like there’s some haunted-house vibes tossed into the mix as well. Yep, this series might make the service’s $4.99 subscription fee worth it on its own.
The show, in which folks wonder aloud if they’ll discover previously overlooked evidence or even body parts during renovations, is so potentially gruesome but also the exact type of trashy, voyeuristic mess with a true-crime spin that people won’t be able to stop watching. Here’s part of the synopsis, after Murder House Flip promises to explore “mysterious murders” and “incredible intrigue” from these homes’ sordid histories:
“Homeowners turn to the colorful cast of forensic specialists, spiritual healers and high-end renovation experts to uncover the true crimes, shocking secrets and scandalous history of their homes. Then, cleansing renovations remove the stains of the past and take these homes from morbid to marvelous.”
Quibi launches on April 6 with a full slate of bite-sized content, which include movies-in-chapters and short-form TV series that range from 4-10 minutes for each episode. This service is pretty much geared toward smart-phone binging, and it might form the perfect distraction for the coronavirus-induced social distancing that the U.S. is settling into right now. Murder House Flip will drop at launch, and folks will definitely be talking.
