Only Murders in the Building season one, two and three spoilers below
Murder mystery fans have been on tenterhooks waiting for the new season of Only Murders in the Building, which lands on Disney+ on August 27.
True to form, season three ended on a huge cliff-hanger: Charles’ stunt double Sazz Pataki was fatally shot through a window just moments before it concluded. The finale generated a number of tantalising questions – was Charles the intended victim? And who was the assassin? Fans have had to wait months to get answers.
Now all that’s about to change: the upcoming fourth chapter has a teaser trailer (which we’ve popped at the top of the page), new key art (see below) and its cast are doing the rounds on America’s evening talk shows, whipping up excitement about the new season.
If you’ve been meaning to jump on the OMITB bandwagon for a while, here’s everything to know to bring you up to speed.
What’s Only Murders in the Building about?
The series was created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman and stars Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short as three neighbours, generation apart, who start their own podcast after a suspicious death takes place in their New York apartment building.
If the comedy sounds like perfect Sunday night viewing, you’d be right. It’s been heralded for being, as The Independent put it, “a comfort blanket, a lovely, warm chicken soup, if you will, that offsets the bleak news cycle”. It was a surprise hit when it was released in 2021, with its first season earning a whopping 17 Emmy nominations, becoming Hulu’s most-watched original comedy.
Who is in Only Murders in the Building?
The first two seasons really focus on Martin, Gomez and Martin Short’s characters, Charles, Mabel and Oliver – although there are a host of additional cast members.
These include Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, Capote) who stars as Charles’ sort-of girlfriend, Jan; Cara Delevingne, who stars as Mabel’s love interest; Aaron Dominguez (Gossip Girl 2023) who plays Mabel’s friend Oscar; Tina Fey who plays podcast host Cinda Canning, and Ryan Broussard (The Big Short) who stars as Oliver’s son Will. There are also cameos from stars including Amy Schumer, Jimmy Fallon and Sting.
Then in season three the starry cast gets even more starry, with Meryl Streep joining to play struggling actress Loretta (who, excitingly, ends up being Oliver’s love interest). And there’s a cameo from Paul Rudd.
In the fourth season, the trio head are set to head to Los Angeles, and there is a whole host of new cast members: Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, Melissa McCarthy, Molly Shannon, Jane Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Kind, Michael Cyril Creighton and Da'Vine Joy Randolph will all feature.
What’s happened so far?
Only Murders in the Building tells the story of Charles, a semi-retired actor, Mabel, an artist, and Oliver, a financially-strapped Broadway director, who all love true crime podcasts. Their unfriendly neighbour, Tim Kono (Julian Cihi), is found dead in their Upper West Side apartment building, and so, naturally, they decide to set up their own podcast to try and work out whodunnit.
In season one, the show follows the trio as they try to work out who killed Kono. The police think he died by suicide, but the motley crew have other ideas. It’s revealed that Kono was a childhood friend of Mabel’s, which adds an extra level of intrigue.
So who did it? Look away now if you don’t want to know. The killer was Jan, a classical bassoonist who dated Tim and then started to date Charles. They work it out after they find a bassoon-cleaning tool hidden with Tim’s sex toys. Silly, yes, but very fun.
The season ends on a massive cliffhanger: just as they are celebrating their sleuthing skills, the trio stumble across a new body – also in the building – of none other than the chair of the building’s resident board, Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell). The police break in at that very moment and arrest the amateur detectives.
In season two, the tables have turned and Charles, Mabel and Oliver become the subjects of a new crime podcast, run by podcast host Cinda Canning (Tina Fey).
The trio are released, but are still under police investigation – which gives them even more reason to find Bunny’s real killer. There are a lot of intriguing clues: a missing painting, the importance of the number 14, a talking parrot, and a zig-zagging plot which culminates in a Miss Marple-style gathering where all of the potential killers assemble in one room for the big reveal.
In season three, the first episode sets the scene for the following drama: Oliver is putting on a murder mystery play titled Death Rattle. His lead actor, Ben Glenroy, appears to die while on stage during a performance. Awful bad luck for the trio who seem to find death everywhere they go. Mabel proposes that Ben was poisoned and a new podcast series is born. Confusingly, Ben reappears – turned out he didn’t die after all. But then, his body falls from a lift. This time he really has been murdered and the game's afoot.
In subsequent episodes Mabel and Charles are kidnapped – saved just in the nick of time by the police. Trying to work out who killed Ben, the three friends get in further trouble. But eventually, by cleverly narrowing down possible suspects, they realise that it must have been wealthy producer Donna (Linda Emond) who committed the crime.
What will season four be about?
Only Murders in the Building is coming back for Season 4! Let the investigating begin... 🕵️♂️🕵️♂️🕵️♀️ #OMITB pic.twitter.com/VwQWsx5r8s
— Only Murders in the Building 🕵️♀️🕵️♂️🕵️♂️ (@OnlyMurdersHulu) October 3, 2023
In season four, Charles, Mabel and Oliver are juggling trying to work out who killed Sazz, with becoming Hollywood producers: a film studio wants to make a movie of their podcast, and so the trio head to LA to try and cash in.
Haphazard, quirky and lovable as ever, the three friends aren’t brilliant at business negotiations and find life in LA – with pool parties and celebrities aplenty – bewildering.
Is there a trailer for Only Murders in the Building season four?
Yes. A teaser landed in May, launching fans right back into the drama. We’ve popped it at the top of the page.
Is Only Murders in the Building season three available to watch now?
Yes. The new season dropped on Disney+ in August last year. It’s still available to watch on Disney+, as are the first and second series.
What has Gomez said?
By all accounts Selena Gomez seems thrilled by the show’s success, and by the opportunity to work on such a heart-warming project.
Speaking to The New York Times in 2021, Gomez said: “They’re like my crazy uncles. They were wonderful with giving advice, even just about my personal life. I’d ask them all the questions that girls ask, like, ‘So, when did you guys first fall in love?’ I’d ask them about boys and dating. They’d be like, ‘Well, make sure he’s kind.’ They were just so sweet.”
In 2022, speaking on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, Gomez explained that didn’t expect Only Murders in the Building to become such a large part of her life: “I’m not sure I was looking for a series, I was just looking for something in general,” she said. “This was just honestly a wonderful surprise.”
In a post shared on Instagram in April 2023, when the filming of season three wrapped, Gomez added: “I’m not sure I have enough words to explain just how beautiful this season has been. It has been deliriously hilarious, challenging and for me, an absolute dream.”
What did reviewers say about season three?
Most publications praised the last season, though the Standard said the show was “lacking that crucial lightness of touch”.
The Telegraph gave the third chapter four stars, calling it “splendid fun”: “There is something delectably arch about the whole thing, a piece of well-worked stagecraft that nonetheless feels unorthodox at a time when so much TV takes itself so very seriously,” it said.
Similarly, ScreenRant described the season as “hilarious”, saying, “There’s a lot to enjoy here, whether it be Charles’ oddly-manifesting stage fright, the delightful returns of multiple characters, or just watching Martin, Short, and Gomez banter with each other.”
Other reviewers have said much the same: Mashable called it “delightful”, while United Press International called it “still full of surprises”.
