Only Murders in the Building is a pleasant surprise, although, it really shouldn’t be, seeing as it features long-time collaborators and friends Martin Short and Steve Martin working their magic. Sticking Selina Gomez in with them to form a trio might sound strange on paper, but it’s partly this strangeness that makes their misadventures enticing to watch.
Recluses Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are drawn together by their love of true crime as they investigate the apparent suicide of another recluse, Tim Kono (Julian Cihi). They encounter a colorful cast of characters as they start a true crime podcast. These include a neighbor mourning the death of his cat, the musician Sting and eventually, Oliver’s long-time investor and the sponsor of his podcast. There are plenty of red-herrings and redirections, including Mabel’s mysterious past.
The series stands out because of the whimsical humor. It’s not always sharp, but the commitment of the main three actors pushes it over the finish line. There’s a whole plot thread about Charles finding a dead cat in her owner’s freezer and breaking off a leg to help with the investigation. Then there’s Oliver running behind on his rent, which fuels his motivation to make the podcast a success as soon as possible.
Only Murders in the Building also has a meta aspect to it, as Oliver guides the team through the nuts and bolts of making a podcast. The characters are the best part of the show. There’s of course, the main three, who are all dealing with isolation, and then more fantastical characters such as a father and son duo who run an elaborate grave-robbing operation. Even Mabel’s ‘hardy boys’ characters, such as Zoe, get enough characterization to make you empathize with them.
The show also has a surprising amount of sentimentality. It starts with Mabel as she explores her past in the Arconia building, but soon, we also get a look into Charles’ loneliness and his struggles with past relationships. For the finale, the victim narrates the episode. An earlier episode is entirely silent, as it begins from the perspective of a deaf person, and even when he isn’t in a scene, characters barely talk to each other, if at all.
The show does a good job of keeping you guessing, and the finale ramps up the comedy while still keeping things tense. Just as it seems that our heroes have prevailed, loose ends come back to bite them in the ass and they end up in a bad predicament that sets up the second season.
Only Murders in the Building is a breath of fresh air where all parties involved are firing all cylinders.
It isn’t spectacular, but it doesn’t have to be, and it’s already a success. According to Parrot Analytics, it’s viewership grew by 135% during its release, landing among the top 0.2% of shows that the firm tracks. It might not be Squid Game, but it’s definitely a must watch.
