Roush Review: Curtain Up on a Theatrical Season of ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Review
Only Murders in the Building
“Why does murder always have to be such a dreary business, anyway?” wonders fountain of mirth Martin Short in the third season of Hulu’s hit mystery spoof Only Murders in the Building. As comeback-seeking theater director Oliver Putnam, he hopes to capitalize on the death of his marquee movie-star leading man (Paul Rudd in gleeful jerk mode) by turning a gloomy warhorse (Death Rattle) into a splashy Broadway musical (Death Rattle Dazzle.) Don’t laugh.
OK, laugh already.
We’re in a boom time for whodunits that balance comedy with suspense, smartly delivering punchlines with each shocking twist. The Knives Out franchise (including the Netflix sequel Glass Onion) helped popularize the mystery-comedy hybrid, and Peacock’s terrific Poker Face refined the format with its funky human lie detector Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) bringing back Columbo vibes. Already well underway is Season 2 of the Apple TV+ puzzler The Afterparty, where each murder suspect’s backstory is illuminated by a clever genre parody (as familiar as Hitchcock and Bridgerton, and as art-house specific as Wes Anderson and the Chinese romance In the Mood for Love).
Only Murders, of course, is more of a team effort, and the new season struggles at times with a split focus between putting on a show and solving a crime. The backstage shenanigans are great fun, though — only Short could pull off a bit like entering a shuttered theater to name drop, “It smells like Jerry Orbach‘s laundry basket … which I once had a nap in … long story.” And this season’s guest casting rises to a new level with Meryl Streep merrily playing along with comedy masters Short and Steve Martin (a droll delight as insecure has-been Charles-Haden Savage, struggling for much of the season to master a tricky patter song).
Streep is poignantly cast against type as Loretta, a forlorn never-was actress about to get her big break. (It’s always a pleasant surprise to rediscover her way with a song.) While excitable Oliver is understandably attracted to his discovery, the genre dictates that she is hiding secrets that could make her a prime suspect.
And where does this leave the clowns’ third wheel, young podcaster Mabel (deadpan Selena Gomez)? Too often on the periphery, chasing clues with new partners — most significantly Grey’s Anatomy’s Jesse Williams as a hunky videographer weirdly named Tobert — and missing her older buddies, while they toil on a show that screams Producers-level flop.
Unlike Only Murders, which will likely be even more popular with the star power of Streep and several other surprise celebrity cameos too good to spoil. It’s easy to understand why anyone would want to spend time with this company of cut-ups. Now that the show has tackled Broadway, maybe a film crew can set up shop at the fabled Arconia apartment building next season. What’s George Clooney up to next year? If it’s good enough for Meryl …
Only Murders in the Building, Season 3 Premiere (two episodes), Tuesday, August 8, Hulu
