Despite the rapid rate in which television had outpaced film as the premiere medium for thoughtful entertainment, sitcoms have begun to disappear. This isn’t just a result of the irrelevancy of network programming, but a consequence of the strange release patterns brought upon by streaming services. Netflix, HBO Max, or Prime Video doesn’t need to fill a time slot in their calendar, and has faced less incentive to release their most popular shows on a yearly basis. Although it’s understandable why a big-budget “blockbuster show” like Andor or The Last of Us may require an extended production window, it’s counterintuitive for half-hour comedy shows to be so inconsistently scheduled.
Although it’s not a multi-cam sitcom in the vein of How I Met Your Mother or The Big Bang Theory, Only Murders in the Building is far more traditionally “funny” than some of the major Emmy winners of the last few years. Without the technical wizardry of The Bear or the psychological tension of Hacks, Only Murders in the Building is humorous for its own sake.
The success of Only Murders in the Building can be chalked up to its mix of modernity and nostalgia. This is most evident in the cast; Steve Martin and Martin Short are the retired entertainment industry legends Charles-Haden Savage and Oliver Putnam, respectively, but it’s former pop star Selena Gomez who was cast as their young neighbor, Mabel Mora. The premise of three strangers that solve mysteries in their shared apartment complex could’ve been lifted out of an Agatha Christie classic, but Only Murders in the Building is framed around its characters’ attempt to start a crime podcast. Even if it has worked within a familiar register, Only Murders in the Building could only have existed in which controversial criminal cases could inspire their own online fandoms.
The structural brilliance of Only Murders in the Building is also to its advantage because few comedy shows have figured out an appropriate episode count. Narrative-based shows like Ted Lasso often have “filler” installments, whereas conceptual programs like What We Do In The Shadows are burdened by their limited episode-count. Each season of Only Murders in the Building is a complete story; 10 episodes is the appropriate length needed to introduce a case, point to a few potential suspects, and pull off a surprising reveal. Even if there’s one season with a less compelling investigation (for Only Murders in the Building, it’s season two), the story is reset at the beginning of each new season.
It’s impressive to see Only Murders in the Building play with its form to avoid being derivative. The show has incorporated the style of a Broadway musical, a Hollywood film production, and a romantic thriller to distinguish individual seasons. This level of invention could’ve made the show a bit too high on its own supply, but the fifth season is a refreshing case of “back to basics.” The mob may be the premiere villain of most crime sagas, but this is the first time in which Charles, Oliver, and Mable have found themselves in the middle of an Italian gangster plot.
The show’s success is undoubtedly linked to its array of guest stars. There’s the potential that a show that’s so carefully plotted could be weighed down by the baggage of a well-known guest actor, but the series has interwoven its ensemble without any hindrance to the narrative. A romantic fling between Oliver and the aspiring actress Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep) added a heartfelt subplot to the show’s third season, but has been used only sparingly since to keep the focus on the main trio. Similarly, Richard Kind’s amusing performance as the cantankerous neighbor Vince Fish is guaranteed a few great scenes each season without ever having overstayed his welcome.
The fifth season introduced two more Academy Award winners to the cast, with Chrisopher Waltz and Renee Zellweger as the tech moguls Sebastian Steed and Camila White, respectively. Although every summer film from Superman to Eddington had its version of an Elon Musk-inspired villain, the inclusion of ruthless business tycoons in Only Murders in the Building has added a more grounded alternative to the rest of the season’s mafia satire. Waltz may have been typecast as villains in the aftermath of Inglorious Basterds, but Only Murders in the Building has allowed him to be hammy in a way that his failed performances in The Legend of Tarzan, The Three Musketeers, and Spectre did. As for Zellweger, her role as a pretentious Manhattan billionaire is more nuanced than her Oscar-winning performance in the overrated biopic Judy.
Only Murders in the Building may have initially been framed as a comeback vehicle for Martin and Short, but over the course of five seasons it’s become the best of their collaborations. While the two comedians are often associated with one another, their previous work together peaked with the Father of the Bride remake, in which their scenes together were few and far between. There’s a few nods to the notion that Charles and Oliver are somewhat washed-up and in search of a new direction, but their work in Only Murders in the Building has avoided the type of “inside baseball” references that would make it more insular. A sizable segment of the viewing audience for Only Murders in the Building has likely never seen (or even heard of) The Jerk or Three Amigos, but that doesn’t mean the work by Martin and Short has resonated with them any less.