Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Review

Only Murders in the Building (2021-)
Season 4 - 10 episodes (2024)

Watch Only Murders in the Building on Hulu
Created by: John Hoffman, Steve Martin
Starring: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Molly Shannon, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy
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 4, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel investigate the murder of Charles's stunt double.

Verdict
This show has always been a lot of fun with Martin and Short stealing nearly every scene they're in. This season separates them more than I'd like. Since the second season the show has leaned on big guest stars and this season is no different, though it feels like they're used to fill time. This season could have been a concise seven or eight episodes, but it's stretched for more. It's still fun, but the show is relying more on name recognition and pedigree than story at this point. This has too many fake outs which again are just padding. The characters are fun and make this worth watching, but it might be the weakest story thus far.
Watch It.

Review
Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) are the main draw, hilarious as entertainers past their time. Mabel (Selena Gomez) is a foil for their comedy as well as their outdated view points. The first season leaned into podcasts while season two felt like more of the same. Starting in season two and becoming more prominent in following seasons are the guest stars. While the premise is wearing thin as these three keep discovering murders, the show is fun enough that it's easy to ignore. I did like the third season the most. While it left the podcast format, that was also becoming a constraint. Season three ended on a cliffhanger, though I wish it had concluded the story instead of adding an extra punctuation. At the end of season three, Charles's friend and stunt double Sazz (Jane Lynch) was killed. It seemed liked Charles might have been the target.

With each season, the premise gets more ridiculous as this trio keeps finding dead bodies. Each season also relies heavily on big name guest stars. This season the podcast story is getting turned into a movie. This provides a fun counterpart to each character with Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, and Zach Galifianakis playing versions of themselves that will play Mabel, Charles, and Oliver. It provides a fun dynamic as the characters often object at the portrayal of themselves.

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

In the first episode the trio discover what we saw in the last season; Sazz was killed. They determine the killer must have been in the adjacent building which leads to them investigating their neighbors. Charles is 'seeing things,' which creates a different dynamic as Mabel and Oliver wonder about him and it splits the group. It's an odd concept to separate the group for a show that works best when Martin and Short are together.

Instead the show pairs up the podcast trio with their movie star counterparts. It's comical and provides something new, though it does make this feel like a different show. As they try to find a murderer, we enter the underground world of stunt people. Possibly the funniest overarching joke is that the movie stars unravel the mystery based on what they've learned while preparing for various roles. The explanation for what actually happened, and who the podcast trio assumed did it, goes on for longer than I expected.

We get a number of twists, but the story isn't always as coherent as it should be. It really feels like this is pushing for an episode count and using guest stars to fill space. It's an interesting mystery that feels stretched thin. It's enjoyable though it feels like it's coasting at this point. As usual, the final episode provides the basis for next season's plot, and thankfully season five has been confirmed.