Only Murders in the Building Season 3 Review

Only Murders in the Building (2021-)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2023)

Watch Only Murders in the Building on Hulu
Created by: John Hoffman, Steve Martin
Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
Three strangers who live in the same New York City apartment building and share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves embroiled in a murder.
In season 3, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel investigate a murder behind the scenes at a Broadway show.

Verdict
This show has always been a lot of fun with Martin and Short stealing nearly every scene they're in. This season strays from the podcast basis slightly, but the story is just as good and the additions of Rudd and Streep as guest stars are even better. This manages to be a lot of fun while wading through different suspects in each episode. This season twist and turns plenty, and it's a step up from the second season.
Watch It.

Review
The first season leaned into jokes about podcasts, and it was clear the writers know the medium. Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) are the main draw, hilarious as entertainers past their time. Mabel (Selena Gomez) was a foil for their comedy as well as their outdated view points. While the season feels like a game at times, the actors and tone allow that to work well.

Season two tried to recapture the magic of season one. The comedy is still there, and while it wasn't bad, it just didn't feel as fresh. Tina Fey as guest felt like a ploy, and the reliance on the podcast medium seemed like a hindrance.

Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez play Charles, Oliver, Mabel

The premise for season three is a bit ridiculous. Charles, Oliver, and Mabel run into yet another murder, and the show doesn't gloss over that. The series is fun enough that the characters make that work. This starts as a murder that's not a murder during the rehearsal for Oliver's play. Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep do a great job chewing the scenery in every scene, only rivaled by Martin and Short.

Meryl Streep plays Loretta

This weaves quite the tale as to what might have happened with a rotating list of suspects that always seem credible, at least without studying every detail The season moves quickly with a new suspect nearly every episode, but it does more or less abandons the podcast to become a more traditional murder mystery. That frees the series, and season two is evidence on how that tie had become strained. There are plenty of clues and suspects, though I do miss when Charles, Oliver, and Mabel aren't together. That's when this show is at its best. They're apart often as this season wants to give each of them a love interest.

This is great, light comedy with silly characters, but it's also a clever show. While I was at first disappointed this left the podcast format, it removes the constraints that would be forced at this point in the series. I do wish this season ended the story instead of a preview for next season, but at this point it's to be expected. That kind of cheesiness works for the show, embracing over the top and silly. It's a nice punctuation for the season. This season might be the best yet.