Series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman
Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Series premiere August 31 on Hulu

by Emily Maesar, Staff Writer

Y’all are in for a treat with this one, let me tell you what! Only Murders in the Building truly lends itself to the fun nature of its marketing and promo material in a way that seems kind of rare. Especially since the hybrid nature of the story, a comedy and a murder mystery, can walk a very thin line. In fact, this series reminds me of an older NBC sitcom that walked a similar line: Trial & Error. It even has a lot of the “true crime” kind of elements that made Trial & Error so much fun. Except, unlike the NBC series, Only Murders in the Building isn’t a sitcom - it’s a comedy. A pretty solid distinction, I think.

Because while “comedy” is the “com” part of “sitcom,” Only Murders in the Building is a half-hour series that functions much more like a drama than a broadcast situational comedy. Which is very much an asset here, and allows all three leads to be funny and emotional in equal measures, without it feeling out of place. Created by Steve Martin (who also stars) and John Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building is about three true crime podcast fans who find themselves playing armchair detectives when someone dies in their New York apartment building. Charles (Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) come together when a fire alarm forces everybody out of their swanky building just as they’re all gearing up to listen to their favorite true crime podcast (one that’s modeled after Serial, with Tina Fey playing a Sara Koenig-type). Fueled by their true crime obsession, and some secrets, the three of them team up to try and figure out if their neighbor Tim Kono actually committed suicide the night of the fire alarm… or if something more sinister is at play in their building. And they might as well start their own podcast along the way, right?

Filled with twists and turns, Only Murders in the Building also delivers some good (albeit a bit underdeveloped) thoughts on the commodification of true crime in our modern society. The characters have a small reckoning with the idea that these aren’t just fun and interesting stories for them to noodle around in. No. They’re actively part of someone’s trauma, someone who doesn’t deserve the type of gawking that often comes with true crime. I do wish, however, that this season did more with this concept as a whole. I’m hopeful that any future seasons might delve even deeper into this concept.

Despite those issues, I do find the series to be a delightful mystery. It’s the type of story I want more of - the kind that doesn’t seem like it will cower at the altar of internet guesses, changing its path when online sleuths inevitably figure out the final destination. It clearly knows where it’s going and you’re welcome to come for the ride, regardless of whether you figured it out first or not. And what a ride it is! I can’t say much else about the plot of the season, but I’m excited to yell with everybody about it… after the finale, of course!