Only Murders in the Building Review

Everything that Only Murders in the Building does well (and to be clear, most of what the series does, it does well) it does very well. In fact, it’s so good at smoothing over any rough edges that it’s hard to see them when they do pop up. If you’re a true crime podcast junkie – or a fan of the comedy stylings of Steve Martin and Martin Short – there’s something for you to love about this fun, funny, and incredibly well-acted series. I just wish the story was a touch stronger and a bit more focused, especially considering how well drawn the characters at its center are.

Let’s start at the beginning. Only Murders in the Building takes place in a tony Upper West Side apartment building that houses a colorful array of characters, most of whom keep to themselves and rarely interact beyond your perfunctory hellos in the elevator. When a young man dies in his apartment, the building is thrown into a tizzy. Tim Kono, the dead man, was not particularly well-liked among his neighbors, which prompts three of them – Charles (Martin, playing the mostly straight man), a former police procedural star who doesn’t care much for socializing, Oliver (Short, allowed to let loose a bit, but still keeping his performance under check and believable), a washed up failed Broadway director who has fallen on hard times, and Mabel (Selena Gomez, who has the hardest job – making her mysterious character pop without too much in the way of early characterization), a young woman whose presence in the building doesn’t seem to fit – to dig in and see if Kono committed suicide like the police believe or if something more nefarious was involved. What draws these three very different people together? Well, that would be their love of a Serial-like true crime podcast. Before long, Oliver is suggesting the trio create their own podcast, telling the story of who killed Tim Kono – assuming he was, in fact, murdered.

It’s a long set-up, but the episodes fly by as red herrings emerge, suspects are cleared, new characters are introduced, and we get to learn more about our three protagonists and their links to the apparent victim, the suspects, and each other. What makes the series work, first and foremost, is the sensational chemistry between Short, Martin, and Gomez. For those who have followed Martin and Short’s careers – and their collaborations in that time – it’s no surprise that the duo are on fire in their scenes together. But it’s Gomez, who more than holds her own alongside these two legends, who is the real surprise star of the piece. Without giving anything away, her role within the piece requires her not only to have deft comedic chops (and verbally spar back and forth with two comedy legends) but also show her dramatic skills, as she represents the emotional heart of the series. For someone with a rather limited acting portfolio, it’s a real breakout performance that will move her beyond the pantheon of “Disney Star” and into more adult acting work.

Joining the trio in the series are a bevy of guest stars – many pulled from the world of Broadway – although the two that get the most screen time are Amy Ryan putting in a strong performance as a nerdy musician who finds a romantic spark with Martin’s Charles and Nathan Lane as a former producer of Oliver’s failing Broadway shows. Lane, in particular, is great, playing the straight man against Short in a number of scenes.

If there’s one issue with the series, it comes in the way the mystery itself is laid out. Yes, going in we all know that the story won’t be solved quickly and efficiently, but the pacing of when we learn key clues as to what might have happened to Tim Kono is full of stops and starts. Just when the show feels like its settling into a groove, something happens to stop the forward momentum and take the story down a tangent. Now, some of these work – we get a deeper dive into the life of the detective who declared Kono’s death a suicide mid-season that helps flesh out her character and how things work within her precinct – but others are just additional color that could have been presented in far less depth for just as much payoff. With a clearer grasp on the story, the series would rise above the pretty great murder mystery and into the echelon of the truly great limited series hall of fame.

So, is Only Murders in the Building worth giving a look? Absolutely. You will be charmed by the performances at the center of this tale, even if the story isn’t as strong as it could be. Ultimately, it’s a fun distraction in the early fall television landscape and I suspect this series will stick with folks for a while.

Only Murders in the Building premieres on Tuesday, August 31 on Hulu with its first three episodes. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly. Eight of the show’s ten episodes were provided for review.