Only Murders In the Building Season 4 Offers the Same Mystery in Slightly Different Packaging
The post Only Murders In the Building Season 4 Offers the Same Mystery in Slightly Different Packaging appeared first on Consequence.
The Pitch: If there’s one trick the folks behind Only Murders In the Building love to employ, it’s a cliffhanger, and when Season 4 begins, it begins right after our core podcasting trio – Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) — were left in the dark, in a classic moment of dramatic irony.
In case you’ve forgotten where we left off at the conclusion of Season 3, our favorite amateur podcasters were ready to uncork a bottle of celebratory red after the launch of Oliver’s Broadway musical and another crime well solved, unaware that Charles’ longtime stunt double and friend, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), was in grave danger. As with previous installments of the Hulu original, Season 4 picks up moments after the previous entry left off, nudging the three amateur detectives toward yet another murder… in the building.
But simultaneously, Hollywood is calling — literally. A classically unhinged producer played by Molly Shannon has been badgering Charles, Oliver, and Mabel for their life rights, determined to bring their story from the smartphone to the screen. But even after they succumb, the fourth outing still remains focused on the familiar crime-solving dynamic of years past.
Lights, Camera: One of the most refreshing things about the somewhat lackluster third season of Only Murders was the way it shook up the format, taking us out of The Arconia and into the theater — a setting change that made things feel fun and fresh. Similarly, the trailers and promotional materials for this fourth outing promised a shift to Los Angeles, though this time the jaunt doesn’t last nearly as long as some may have expected, the show returning to our familiar New York block quite quickly.
Only Murders In the Building (Hulu)
However, Hollywood follows them back to the East Coast, and New York clashes with Los Angeles in some playful ways, most notably in the (re)casting of our core trio, easy fodder for meta jokes by actors playing themselves. This includes Eugene Levy as Charles, Zach Galifianakis reluctantly signing on to play Oliver, and Eva Longoria in an aged-up take on Mabel — much to Bloody Mabel’s chagrin. All three actors act as a collective breath of fresh air, and their chemistry — and varying degrees of self-involvement — offer a delicious foil to the dynamic that viewers have come to know and love between Martin, Gomez, and Short.
Calling Cut: In the battle between Los Angeles and New York, though, Only Murders ultimately finds itself better suited to offer commentary on the latter. Jokes about the theater felt stronger and more informed in Season 3 than the easy jabs at Ozempic and other actorly tropes featured here, as the film industry comes further and further into the spotlight.
Maybe it’s just the presence of Molly Shannon or maybe it’s the subject matter, but I found myself missing The Other Two while working through these screeners (Hulu offered the first seven episodes, of 10). It’s becoming clear that no one else can do Hollywood commentary these days quite as sharply as The Other Two did. (Shout out to Cary Dubek, who, in my brain, is now working on a daytime series on Chik-Fil-A-TV.)
Casting Call: Some of the best moments in the season stem from our secondary characters, like the returning Michael Cyril Creighton as fellow Arconia resident Howard, along with a slew of new faces. Cat Cohen is a droll delight as half of a directing duo known as The Brothers Sisters, and there’s a new crew known as The Westies, a group of tenants in the sequestered western tower of The Arconia that includes Richard Kind, Kumail Nanjiani, and Daphne Rubin-Vega.
Only Murders In the Building (Hulu)
Thankfully, even Meryl Streep is back as Loretta, now thriving on a television show in Los Angeles, a change that creates some long-distance anxiety for Oliver. Newly minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph also blessedly returns as everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed detective.
Such a star-studded affair sometimes feels like it outshines the main trio, but when everyone is still having such fun in the comfortable dynamics established across seasons, there’s little room to complain. And, unlike Season 3, Short, Gomez, and Martin remain together for almost the entire season, which is really why we’re all here. (All three are Emmy nominees for their work on Season 3, though Martin Short probably takes the prize for the original cast member having the best time in their role.)
A Brief But Critical Aside: Melissa McCarthy, in a guest spot, delivers the word “podcast” the way John Mulaney and Nick Kroll speak throughout the entirety of Oh, Hello, meaning she puts the emphasis on the unexpected half of the word – it’s not a podcast, it’s a p’dcast.
It’s the hardest I laughed the whole season.
The Verdict: I do think I’ll keep watching Only Murders as long as they’ll keep making it, but what is the line between a comfort show and a show that comforts me all the way into a nap? Are they one and the same? What I know for sure is that this show seems to leave me with a bit of amnesia when each season wraps. In digging back into my own past reviews, I started to remember plotlines my brain had completely erased — what has become of Charles’ daughter, a core component of Season 2? What happened to Nathan Lane’s character Teddy, again? Who is in jail, and who is dead?
Even if the show has found itself leaning on some familiar rhythms the longer it goes on, Only Murders knows its appeal. And at its core, it’s two veteran comic actors having a great time, and Selena Gomez happy, comfortable, and loving every minute of it. A year from now, I’ll probably be back reading this very text trying to jog my own memory about where we left off and wondering just how much juice Only Murders has left. And then I’ll tune in happily for another season.
Where to Watch: Only Murders in the Building Season 4 premieres Tuesday, August 27th on Hulu. New subscribers can get a 30-day trial by signing up here.
Trailer:
Only Murders In the Building Season 4 Offers the Same Mystery in Slightly Different Packaging
Mary Siroky
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