Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” reunites the incredible comedy duo of Steve Martin and Martin Short, whose prodigious talents are both a blessing and a curse to this murder mystery sitcom. On the one hand, they are both able to elevate thin material with such ease that the show is a pleasant, breezy watch. Just spending time with the stars of “Three Amigos” and “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life” can create more moments of amiable charm in one episode than most other shows produce in a season. On the other hand, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the final product should be better—the writing should be just a bit sharper, the characters should be richer, and the laughs should be bigger. “Only Murders in the Building” is a great example of a comedy that’s good enough to use for a much-needed escape from the real world while still not quite living up to the potential of its incredibly talented ensemble.
Created by Martin and John Hoffman (a writer on “Grace and Frankie,” another show that one could argue does just enough and allows the great cast to carry it), most of “Only Murders in the Building” takes place in a fancy New York high-rise called the Arconia, where three true-crime podcast fans will be drawn together on one fateful night. After a fire alarm is pulled, the three residents of the Arconia stumble on each other in a nearby restaurant, waiting for the building to be cleared, and eagerly listening to the new podcast by their favorite true crime host. When they return to the building, they discover that a body was found when they were checking the apartments. The authorities quickly determine that it was a suicide, but these podcast lovers are determined to prove that there’s more to it than that, creating their own podcast as they investigate. After all, some of the most popular true-crime podcasts have been a part of the investigation from the very beginning.
The trio of amateur podcasters is headed by Charles (Martin), a former actor in a clichéd ‘80s cop show called “Brazos,” for which he sometimes still gets recognized on the street but mostly in a “my dad loved you” kind of way. He’s joined by Oliver (Short), a former Broadway director who had a habit of pushing flops, including a fateful production of “Splash! The Musical!” (a recounting of the opening night is one of the series highlights for Short). Oliver has been having trouble paying the bills for his high-priced apartment for months now and he sees the podcast as a financial lifeboat, even going to one of his old Broadway financiers (Nathan Lane) for sponsorship. Finally, there’s the intriguing Mabel (Selena Gomez), who hides connections to the case that ultimately make for a few shocking episodes of the podcast. Amy Ryan also stars as a building resident who begins a cautious relationship with Charles (that’s really kind of sweet and makes for some of the season’s most charming scenes) and Aaron Dominguez appears as an old friend of Mabel’s who may be one of the keys to solving the case.
With a playful tone that recalls “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” Martin and Hoffman structure the 10-episode season of “Only Murders in the Building” like a podcast, ending each episode with a new twist or revelation. It will be an easy show to binge-watch as each cascading reveal pushes viewers to the next episode just to see its impact. But watching the eight episodes sent for the press in a short window of time also reveals the show’s flaws. “Only Murders in the Building” should be a show about ordinary people getting caught up in an extraordinary case, but it ties too much of its plotting back to the core trio. It’s hard to get into without spoiling, but the connections between these crime solvers and the actual crime crash some of the suspension of disbelief. There’s a stronger version of “Only Murders in the Building” wherein the murder mystery is more intriguing, and its resolution is more believable.
It doesn’t help that the disappointing mystery dominates in terms of plotting to a point that often smothers character. The writing reveals too little about these people, often choosing to repeat a few character traits for each of the three leads instead of developing them. Oliver and Charles are both haunted by decisions and mistakes they made that have led them to this point, and Martin and Short are more than capable of capturing how this pair would latch onto something exciting to break them free from living in their daily regrets, but the writing hits the same plot beats for them too often. The way the case brings them to life is the best element of the show, especially when these old friends are paired together comedically, bouncing ideas off each other in a way that makes them feel young again. And it was smart to round the trio out with Gomez, an actress who can easily shoot down their goofy ideas with a withering glance and highlight the generation gap in a way that doesn’t feel mean.
“Only Murders in the Building” is at its best when one can hear Martin’s voice in the writing. A duet between a bassoonist and a concertina across a Manhattan courtyard feels distinctly like the guy who wrote “L.A. Story,” and there are scenes every episode in which the “Roxanne” star and Martin Short reveal why they’re comedy legends, bouncing lines back and forth with perfect timing. It’s disappointing that they sometimes feel constrained by the writing that forces them to repeat the same character beats since they’re capable of so much more, but there are just enough times that they break through their confines and produce genuine, character-driven laughs. Every episode of “Only Murders in the Building” has just enough unexpected humor to keep it moving.
True-crime podcasts have become an incredibly profitable industry with hardcore fans often becoming part of the process, gathering on message boards to unpack clues and discuss theories that have sometimes actually solved cases. If “Only Murders in the Building” seems to have too little to say about a national obsession with violence (or even podcasts), it at least provides a buoyant comedy diversion before the real Charles, Oliver, and Mabels of the world move on to their next unsolved obsession. [B-]
“Only Murders in the Building” debuts on Hulu on August 31.