Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building is a new comedy and crime show that stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as they attempt to discover what they think to be a murder in their apartment building.

The 3 investigators interrogate a potential suspect

I say “what they think…” because the original diagnosis on the death of their neighbor, Tim Kono, was suicide. Was it actually, though? That’s what the 3 ask themselves as they set out to find answers, not giving up until they find them. One night, the fire alarm in the apartment building was set off, and as everyone was rushing down the stairs to get out of the building, Charles-Hadin Savage, played by Steve Martin, notices what ends up being the “first lead” if you want to call it that. He had his eye caught by a mysterious, hooded person walking up the stairs, and no, this person was not a firefighter. He dismisses it and continues on down the stairs and out the building. This is the first of many clues or hints that lead to deep, eye-opening investigations.

The investigations continue throughout the whole season, each one seemingly more interesting and shocking than the last. One thing that has to work well for an investigation to go well, however, is cooperation from every party involved. This is one thing that I found very pleasing about the show. All 3 of them, Gomez, Short, and Martin, all worked extremely well together. It was almost as if they fed off of each other’s energy and made each other better. It’s like a team, you strive to make each other better at what you do, and that’s what these 3 do for each other.

Throughout the season, one might begin to notice a growing trend. That trend being that it almost seems as if Charles and Oliver kind of break off on their own and work vigorously together. Now, I’m not saying that Selena isn’t apart of the picture anymore. She plays a big part in all of the investigations, but it almost seems as if the duo that didn’t even know each other 1 week are quickly becoming best friends the next.

Oliver on his way to an audition

I started noticing this trend within the first 2 or 3 of the 10 episodes in season 1. It was one of the things that jumped out at me the most due to the huge differences the two have in their personalities. Oliver is an actor at heart. He is the Broadway man and loves the spotlight and makes that obvious through his leadership and extreme confidence. Charles on the other hand, he is a much more chill, laid-back man who keeps to himself unless approached. These are the 2 types of people one would least expect to become best friends, but here we are, watching it all unfold as they attempt to solve a death case of a neighbor they barely even know.

As I mentioned early on, there were many eye-opening discoveries leading to investigations throughout the season. Starting in the very first episode with the suspicious man walking up the stairs to the mysterious death of a cat, this show has it all. If you have ever thought about going into an investigation type lifestyle, such as the FBI or detective agent, this show is for you no questions asked. In my opinion, it gives great insight as to what it is like to be a detective, going through all the steps necessary in order to solve a crime.

There are a few things that were surprising, or they caught me off guard, I should say, during investigations. For example, why was it necessary for the 3 of them to interrogate someone who’s cat had just passed away so intently? Or why do you need to find an engagement ring if you are planning on killing yourself? Questions like these that you would think would be irrelevant to an investigation that turn out to be key turning points in them are the reason that I find shows and movies like Only Murders in the Building so interesting.  

Charles walking the streets outside his apartment

All in all, the show received an 8.1/10 rating from critics. Some saying that they really enjoyed the ending, calling it “satisfying,” and saying that it “gives an interesting lead into a new story.” I agree with them. I think that the show is definitely a must watch if you are someone who loves investigations and crime. It shows just how much work really goes into conducting a thorough investigation.

You can check out the new hit on Hulu. Season 2 is set to drop in June of this year. So on a lazy summer night if you’re getting bored with nothing to do, here you go! Who knows, maybe you’ll get hooked and discover a new favorite genre of TV!