A Perfect Crime: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ keeps viewers on edge

Displayed+on+the+screen%2C+Only+Murders+in+the+Building+has+been+captivating+viewers+on+Hulu+since+its+release+day+on+Aug.+31%2C+2021.+The+third+season+was+recently+confirmed+and+will+release+some+point+in+the+next+year.

Courtesy of Hulu

Displayed on the screen, “Only Murders in the Building” has been captivating viewers on Hulu since its release day on Aug. 31, 2021. The third season was recently confirmed and will release some point in the next year.

Cash Navarro, Staff Writer

In between work and money, life can get a little stressful. Sometimes, you need something to find a way to relieve that stress. Some people do this by collecting coins, others learn how to knit, but all I need is a good old murder mystery. 

Now, actual murders come with a number of moral implications when it comes to following, so instead I substitute it with the next best thing-fictional murder mysteries. Shows like “Psych” and “Murder She Wrote” made up a large part of my childhood. Unfortunately, a good murder mystery has become harder and harder to find as the years go on, so needless to say when Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” was announced I was ecstatic, and after watching the first season, I must say, it did not disappoint. 

The show follows a group of three characters including; failed broadway producer Oliver Putnam (played by Martin Story), former TV actor Charles-Haden Savage (played by Steve Martin) and mystery podcast lover Mable Mora (played by Selena Gomez). The three first meet after their building is evacuated after a dead body is discovered in one of the rooms. 

The death was ruled a suicide, but doubting the police’s official report and hoping to gain some lost fame, the trio then decides to create a podcast to find the corporate of this murder. What follows are undiscovered pasts, new friendships and the discovery web of lies. 

Don’t let the melodrama of the plot fool you, though. This show is first and foremost a comedy. Not only is it a comedy, but it’s one so funny it could knock you dead laughing. The show writing room is headed by SNL alumni Steve Martin, who is also credited as the series co-creator alongside John Robert Hoffman. Together, they create a witty and fast pace show that keeps you engaged with every murderest twist and turn. 

One of my personal favorite aspects of this series is the many side characters that briefly show up. For example, there is a character played by the great Tina Fye. She plays the host of a murder podcast that follows a true crime that happened in Oklahoma, a podcast that is cleverly named “All Is Not OK in Oklahoma.” If such jokes like this tickle your fancy, then I couldn’t recommend this show more. In fact, even if that type of humor is not for you, I would still recommend you watch this show as it will almost certainly find something to love here.

The show has already begun airing its second season, and even though I have not yet finished it, I have already found it to have even more of the killer plot and characters of the first. This only makes me more excited for the recently confirmed third season. If my opinion is worth anything to you, and you have a free weekend to binge watch, then I would not recommend this show more.