Sure, one could argue that murder mystery TV shows are oversaturating the market. That same person could also persuade one that true crime podcasts are a dime a dozen, covering every case from Jon Benet to your mom’s cousin’s friend who was almost a victim to a serial killer back in 1963 (like how everyone from Chicago knows someone who knows someone who met John Wayne Gacy). But murder mystery TV shows about true crime podcasts? Only Murders in the Building might be creating an entirely new market — an incredible feat!
Only Murders in the Building, co-written by John Hoffman and Steve Martin, wrapped up this past Tuesday, and because there was a great lead-in for a second season, it only seems reasonable that I step up to the plate and become the Burbs correspondent for the show from this point forward. OMITB stars Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez (what a great jump for Gomez from Hotel Transylvania back to live-action), an unlikely trio bonded over their love of true crime only to find themselves solving a mystery when one of their apartment neighbors winds up dead.
The group start a murder podcast and open an investigation into what is the seemingly open and shut suicide case of neighbor Tim Kono. He is found dead in his apartment after the fire alarm unexpectedly goes off one night, and the cops dismiss the case. Our trio, however, manages to convince themselves that there is more than meets the eye, and thus, "Only Murders in the Building" (the podcast) is born. I’ll stop there, content-wise, lest I ruin even one surprise from the series — and there are a lot of them.
There are several twists and turns throughout the season’s 10 episode run, and each hour-long segment is more than enough to keep the viewer engaged. When compared to weekly shows like Succession and Ted Lasso, a new series has a lot of weight to pull to keep people coming back — OMITB can do just that. Certainly, part of the explanation for that is that I (and I’m sure others) simply wanted to know who the murderer was. But it was also an absolute pleasure to see Martin and Short reunited on screen, and Selena Gomez pulled her weight, too. There was something unique and almost addicting about the more old-fashioned comedic senses of Martin and Short in a show where the writing and topics were so modern. The showrunners played into that a bit — with Martin having issues learning how to text and Short deploying the old and nosey neighbor gimmick — but the younger cast members pulled them into the 21st century and everything held up quite nicely.
There are several delightful guest stars in the show as well, which only adds to its charm. Tina Fey is first and foremost, and although her screen time is minimal, I will never not be excited to see her face. Sting (yes, that one) shows up for a bit to play himself, and he even sings! Jane Lynch features delightfully in an episode that I enjoyed despite still being scarred by Sue Sylvester from Glee, and finally, more seasoned Twitter users will be surprised to see Jaboukie Young-White in the flesh. He was delightful!
At the end of the day, yes, Only Murders in the Building is really just another whodunnit. But there is also something delightfully refreshing about a murder mystery that is so clearly, truly, a comedy, and a comedy that features two of the best comedians of all-time at that. There is never not a good reason to support Martin Short’s career. Literally never. So, now that it’s done, and the second season is, I’m sure, going to be a treat, all my fellow Hulu supremacists should be sure to tune in for a (relatively) quick binge.
Comments