The second season of “Only Murders In The Building” was undeniably entertaining, but it felt a bit like treading water after the breakthrough success of the freshmen year, especially in its disappointing final few chapters. Perhaps understanding that the Emmy nominee needed a jolt of creative energy from outside the building, the producers have really turned up the star quality in the upcoming third season, casting two household names in major roles: Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd. Getting arguably the most acclaimed actress of all time to play a struggling performer who never got her break and one of the most genuinely well-liked actors to play an egocentric jerk is a funny bit of meta-casting, using their own public personas in a comedically effective manner. Of course, Rudd and Streep are expectedly great, and their presence—along with other great guests like Jesse Williams and Andrea Martin—seems to elevate the writing this year, a notable step up from last season. Most importantly, ‘Only Murders’ is funny again, playing most of all to theatre kids and Broadway fans who will love this year’s playful setting.
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Don’t worry—Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are still living in the Arconia, but they’re spending a lot of time on Broadway this year too. Oliver is finally making his triumphant return to the bright lights of the stage after the disaster that was “Splash! The Musical.” Oliver’s description of that pricey disaster in season one remains a series highlight, and so it makes sense that a season of “OMITB” would lean into its prominent theater roots. This is a show that has always been aligned with the New York theatre community—including casting stage legends like Jackie Hoffman and Nathan Lane—and so it’s nice to see the writers really lean into that aspect of the production, giving it rich new alleys for humor outside of the podcasting and true crime worlds.
The season opens where the last one ended—the death of Ben Glenroy (Rudd) on the opening night of Oliver’s Broadway show, “Death Rattle.” The premiere then flashes back to explain how the production came together and offer up a few likely suspects in the crime, including castmates like Loretta (Streep), Bobo (Don Darryl Rivera), Kimber (Ashley Park), and Ty (Gerald Caesar). Or could it be the producer (Linda Emond) looking to recover her investment? Or the documentarian (Williams) trying to spice up his biography of the troublesome star? In flashbacks, Rudd plays Glenroy like an egocentric force of nature, one who thinks it’s downright hysterical to yell, “Who farted?” when he shows up late for the first table read as if getting a laugh will make all of his flaws disappear. It’s a fun performance, a reminder that Rudd doesn’t always have to play likable.
If you’re wondering how a murder on Broadway satisfies the podcast goals only to cover “murders in the building,” the premiere has some nice twists up its sleeve. After settling into the actual mystery of the season, the writers this year deftly unpack some nice character beats for the leads in between shocking reveals and false accusations—there’s a great joke about how often the ‘Murders’ trio does the latter. Once again, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are trying to manage their own identity crises while solving the case of the year. Mabel is considering finally leaving the Arconia and seems disappointed that Charles and Oliver have something in the play that she’s not really involved with directly. She also gets a nice romantic subplot later in the season, allowing Gomez to play different beats. In many ways, it feels like her most confident season.
Of course, the show is still primarily about the perfect comic timing and chemistry of Martin Short and Steve Martin. There’s an arguable imbalance in their pairing this season. The narrative naturally forces Oliver into the spotlight more than the other two characters, but this isn’t really a problem, given how wonderful Short is in every single episode. He’s arguably been the MVP since the beginning, and season three pretty much confirms that fact, giving him alternately hysterical and even moving dramatic material. Oliver knows he won’t get a third shot at Broadway, so Short has the added urgency of trying to hold his dreams together while solving this year’s case. It’s not just a fun mystery in the building—it’s everything that Oliver has ever wanted.
While Short may stand out in season three, that’s no criticism of Martin, who remains perfectly committed to this increasingly rich character. Charles is also in Oliver’s show, and Martin gets to have some serious fun playing a guy who isn’t used to the instant stress level of the stage. There’s a recurring mid-season bit about Oliver basically having an out-of-body experience every time the pressure gets too high for him. That’s phenomenal. He also gets a nice arc by finally dating longtime friend Joy, played by the always-excellent Martin.
Finally, there’s Meryl Streep, who is playfully introduced as a long-suffering actress who never got her big break and then develops into an interesting character and even a potential suspect from there. Streep is having a blast, particularly in excellent scenes with Short as her director.
The buzz of something new may not be as strong as it was in the first season, but “Only Murders In The Building” remains one of the sharpest comedies on television in a third outing that feels less harried and inconsistent than the sophomore season. There’s always been a joy to be had in just watching Martin, Short, and Gomez do their thing, but the addition of great guest stars this year gives each of the leads new character beats to explore. Even the case this season feels less made-up as it goes along than it did in season two, which ended with something of a thud in its final reveal. Most of all, season three doesn’t feel like a repeat of the first two, amplifying the strengths of those seasons in a way that allows the performers to shine again. [B+]
