Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building
Genre	Comedy-drama Mystery thriller
Created by	Steve Martin John Hoffman
Starring	Steve Martin Martin Short Selena Gomez Aaron Dominguez Amy Ryan Cara Delevingne Adina Verson Michael Cyril Creighton
Music by	Siddhartha Khosla
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	30
Production
Executive producers	Dan Fogelman Jess Rosenthal Jamie Babbit Steve Martin Martin Short Selena Gomez John Hoffman
Producers	Thembi Banks Jane Raab Nick Pavonetti Kristin Bernstein Madeleine George Sas Goldberg Tess Morris
Cinematography	Chris Teague Dagmar Weaver-Madsen Kyle Wullschleger
Editors	Julie Monroe JoAnne Yarrow Matthew Barbato David L. Bertman Shelly Westerman Peggy Tachdjian Payton Koch
Running time	26–38 minutes
Production companies	Rhode Island Ave. Productions Another Hoffman Story Productions 40 Share Productions 20th Television
Original release
Network	Hulu
Release	August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31) – present (present)

Only Murders in the Building is an American comedy mystery television series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. The plot follows three strangers, played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, with a shared interest in true crime podcasts who become friends while investigating suspicious deaths in their affluent Upper West Side apartment building and producing their own podcast about the cases. Its three 10-episode seasons premiered on Hulu in August 2021, June 2022, and August 2023. In October 2023, it was renewed for a fourth season.

The series has received critical acclaim for its comedic approach to crime fiction, as well as the performances and chemistry of the lead cast. It has received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Martin and Short have gained comedy acting nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards, and Gomez has also been nominated for a Golden Globe.

Cast and characters

Main

• Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage, a semi-retired actor who was the star of a popular 1990s crime drama, Brazzos
  • Matthew Lamb as young Charles
• Martin Short as Oliver Putnam, an ambitious but financially struggling Broadway director who spawns the idea of the podcast and becomes its director
  • Samuel Farnsworth as young Oliver
• Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora, a young artist who is living alone in her aunt's unit and who was friends with the first season's murder victim, Tim Kono, through her childhood and teenage years
  • Madeleine Valencia (season 1) and Caroline Valencia (season 2) as young Mabel
• Aaron Dominguez as Oscar Torres (season 1), a friend of Mabel and Tim who was wrongly convicted of the murder of their friend Zoe ten years earlier, has recently been released from prison, and dates Mabel for a while
• Amy Ryan as Jan Bellows (season 1; recurring, season 2), a professional bassoonist who begins dating Charles
• Cara Delevingne as Alice Banks (season 2), an artist and Mabel's love interest
• Adina Verson as Poppy White (season 2; guest, season 1), Cinda's ambitious but abused assistant. She later reveals her true identity as Becky Butler, the subject of the All Is Not OK in Oklahoma crime podcast.
• Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris (season 3; recurring, seasons 1–2), a cat-loving resident of the Arconia whose cat died the same night as Tim Kono

Special guest

• Paul Rudd as Ben Glenroy (season 3; guest, season 2), a Hollywood actor who is murdered on the opening night of his first Broadway play
• Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin (season 3), a struggling actress and Oliver's love interest, who stars in his Broadway show

Recurring

• Julian Cihi as Tim Kono (season 1), a resident of the Arconia who dies in the first episode. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his death spur Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to do their own investigation.
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Donna Williams, a detective on the Kono murder case who initially closed the case but becomes interested again after her wife starts listening to the podcast
• Tina Fey as Cinda Canning, the host of the true crime podcast All Is Not OK in Oklahoma, a parody of Serial
• Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller, an ornery Arconia resident
• Jayne Houdyshell as Bunny Folger, the iron-fisted board president of the Arconia whose murder is investigated in the second season
  • Houdyshell also voices Mrs. Gambolini (season 2), Bunny's pet parrot.
• Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas (seasons 1–2), an old friend and patron of Oliver's family, who has ties to organized crime and agrees to sponsor the podcast
• James Caverly as Theo Dimas, Teddy's son
• Ryan Broussard as Will Putnam, Oliver's son
• Teddy Coluca as Lester, the Arconia's doorman
• Vanessa Aspillaga as Ursula (seasons 1–2), the Arconia's building manager
• Russell G. Jones as Dr. Grover Stanley (seasons 1–2), a therapist who lives at the Arconia
• Jaboukie Young-White as Sam, Daniel Oreskes as Marv, Ali Stroker as Paulette, and Orson Hong as Grant (seasons 1–2), enthusiastic fans of the Only Murders in the Building podcast
• Zainab Jah as Ndidi Idoko (season 1), Tim Kono's next-door neighbor
• Maulik Pancholy as Arnav (season 1), Charles' next-door neighbor
• Olivia Reis as Zoe Cassidy (season 1), a friend of Mabel, Tim, and Oscar who died ten years earlier after falling from the roof of the Arconia
• Jane Lynch as Sazz Pataki, Charles' stunt double
• Zoe Colletti as Lucy (season 2), the teenage daughter of Charles' ex-girlfriend, with whom Charles has a tenuous father–daughter relationship
• Michael Rapaport as Detective Kreps (season 2), a police detective investigating Bunny's murder
• Christine Ko as Nina Lin (season 2), Bunny's protégée and the Arconia's new board president
• Ariel Shafir as Ivan (season 2), a server at Bunny's regular diner
• Andrea Martin as Joy Payne (seasons 2- 3), Charles' longtime makeup artist and love interest
• Jason Veasey as Jonathan Bridgecroft (seasons 2-3), Howard's neighbor and love interest, and an actor in Oliver's show
• Linda Emond as Donna DeMeo (season 3), a Broadway producer who funds Oliver's return to Broadway
• Ashley Park as Kimber Min (season 3), a young actress and influencer who plays Ben's love interest in Oliver's show
• Jeremy Shamos as Dickie Glenroy (season 3), Ben's adopted brother and manager
• Wesley Taylor as Clifford "Cliff" DeMeo (season 3), Donna's clingy son who co-produces Oliver's play
• Jesse Williams as Tobert (season 3), a camera operator hired by Ben to make a documentary about his Broadway debut

Guest

• Adriane Lenox as Roberta (season 1), Oliver's ex-wife
• Sting as a fictionalized version of himself (season 1), an Arconia resident
• Roy Wood Jr. and Jacob Ming-Trent as Vaughn and Lucian (season 1), hosts of a horticulture podcast who give Charles and Oliver a ride
• Jimmy Fallon as himself (season 1)
• Mandy Gonzalez as Silvia Mora (season 1), Mabel's mother
• Amy Schumer as a fictionalized version of herself (season 2), who moves into Sting's former apartment and proposes a TV series to Oliver based on their podcast
• Ben Livingston as Charles' late father (season 2)
• Shirley MacLaine as Rose Cooper (season 2), who is Charles' father's lover and painter, pretending to be Bunny's mother, Leonora Folger
• Mark Consuelos as Mabel's late father (season 2)
• Noma Dumezweni as Maxine (season 3), a theater critic
• Adrian Martinez as Gregg Rivera (season 3), an obsessed fan of Ben's
• Peter Bartlett as Jerry Blau, a washed-up director (season 3)
• Matthew Broderick as a fictionalized version of himself (season 3), who is briefly cast in Oliver's show as Charles' replacement
• Mel Brooks as himself (season 3)

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	10		August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31)	October 19, 2021 (2021-10-19)
2	10		June 28, 2022 (2022-06-28)	August 23, 2022 (2022-08-23)
3	10		August 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)	October 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)

Season 1 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code
1	1	"True Crime"	Jamie Babbit	Steve Martin & John Hoffman	August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31)	1DWB01
Charles-Haden Savage, a misanthropic former television actor; Oliver Putnam, a struggling Broadway director; and Mabel Mora, an apartment renovator, live at the Arconia. By chance, the three meet on an elevator, joined by Tim Kono, who enters talking on his phone. Later, after evacuating the building for an alarm, they bond over their shared love of a certain true crime podcast. They learn that there was a death at the Arconia and sneak back inside, where they see Tim, dead. The investigators believe it was suicide, but the three think otherwise; they find more and more evidence, such as Tim's frantic phone call on the elevator and a package addressed to him that contained an engagement ring. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles with his relationship with his son, Charles discusses his need for solitude, and Mabel expresses her fear of getting personal with people. They start a podcast titled Only Murders in the Building as they continue to investigate. An old photo is shown of Mabel and the friends she dubbed "My Hardy Boys", which includes Tim. Note: The episode begins with a flash-forward set two months after the trio's first meeting, in which Charles and Oliver find Mabel kneeling over a dead body.
2	2	"Who Is Tim Kono?"	Jamie Babbit	Kirker Butler	August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31)	1DWB02
Charles and Oliver try to learn more about who Tim was, and along with Mabel they attend a memorial service for him. It is revealed that he was unpopular among many Arconia residents and had several complaints filed against him. The trio go into Tim's apartment to find more clues, but their lack of trust in one another makes things tense. Mabel privately records a video that reveals she has known Tim since they were children, bonding over The Hardy Boys books and solving pretend mysteries together. As they grew older, they added new friends Oscar and Zoe. One night, 10 years earlier, the four attended a New Year's Eve party on the roof of the building, and Zoe was later found dead. As he and Zoe had been arguing earlier in the evening, Oscar was arrested for her murder, but Tim told Mabel that he had seen someone else fighting with Zoe before she died. He did not disclose this to the police, causing a rift between him and Mabel. Later, Mabel revisits Tim's apartment and finds a cache of jewelry and some of her old drawings.
3	3	"How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?"	Gillian Robespierre	Ben Smith	August 31, 2021 (2021-08-31)	1DWB03
Oliver uses his theater director skills to find the prime suspect in the investigation, which leads them to their cat-loving neighbor, Howard. They find his cat's paw prints in Tim's blood, but upon a visit they discover he has vasovagal syncope, making it impossible for him to be a cold-blooded murderer. Board president Bunny Folger threatens to evict Oliver if he does not pay his building fees. He goes to his old associate Teddy, begging for money; after initially refusing, Teddy agrees to sponsor the podcast. Charles meets Jan, a professional bassoonist, and Mabel suggests that he ask her out. Oliver sees Sting in the elevator, and thinks he may also be a suspect. Mabel comes across a note from Tim detailing a meeting in one week with somebody identified only as "G.M.". Oliver discovers a threatening note on his door and that Winnie, his bulldog, has been poisoned, presumably by the same perpetrator.
4	4	"The Sting"	Gillian Robespierre	Kristin Newman	September 7, 2021 (2021-09-07)	1DWB04
Oliver suspects that Sting poisoned Winnie and enlists the help of Charles and Mabel to prove he is guilty of both Winnie's poisoning and Tim's murder. After consulting Cinda Canning, the host of their favorite podcast, the trio present Sting with a turkey and question him about Tim, revealed to be Sting's former stockbroker. Sting guiltily confesses that, after Tim lost a substantial sum of his money, he angrily fired Tim and told him to kill himself, but is relieved when the trio announce that they believe Tim's death was murder, not suicide. Meanwhile, Charles goes on a date with Jan. It is a disaster, but she agrees to a second date when Charles later shares a personal story with her. Mabel finds out that "G.M." is actually a place called "Montrose Gems", and Oliver's son, Will, reveals that he remembers Mabel from their youth and her connection to Tim. A flash forward to a few months later reveals that Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are the subject of Cinda Canning's new podcast, Only Murderers in the Building.
5	5	"Twist"	Don Scardino	Thembi L. Banks	September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14)	1DWB05
Mabel is being followed by a mysterious person, who turns out to be her old friend Oscar, recently released from prison after he was wrongly convicted of the murder of Zoe. He offers to drive her wherever she is going, and Mabel directs him to Bayport, New York, on Long Island. Charles and Oliver see Mabel leaving the Arconia with a stranger, so they follow her with the help of a horticulture podcast's hosts, who have heard about their podcast. Charles and Oliver catch up with Mabel, who finally admits that she knew Tim. The place she was trying to track down turns out to be a tattoo parlor that was a contact point of a black-market jewelry dealer named "Angel". They learn that Tim had been trying to take Angel down for years, which is why he collected the jewels in his apartment. Oscar admits that he is "Tie-Dye Guy", someone Charles saw during the evacuation of the building, but claims that he did not murder Tim; he was, however, outside Tim's door when he heard a gunshot.
6	6	"To Protect and Serve"	Don Scardino	Madeleine George & Kim Rosenstock	September 21, 2021 (2021-09-21)	1DWB06
Oscar and Mabel appear to have feelings for each other. Mabel's mother does not want her involved in Tim's murder investigation, but Mabel asserts her independence on this matter. Meanwhile, Detective Williams discovers the growing popularity of the Only Murders in the Building podcast and starts having second thoughts about closing Tim's case so quickly. While dealing with the pressure of the arrival of her and her wife's first child, she decides to send Tim's phone to Mabel to help their investigation. Cinda Canning appears on Jimmy Fallon's show, openly mocking the podcast, but Teddy is thrilled that his business is mentioned on Fallon's show. He writes Charles and Oliver a check for $50,000 for more episodes. Charles notices that the check is drawn from an "Angel" account, making Teddy the black market dealer Tim was after.
7	7	"The Boy from 6B"	Cherien Dabis	Stephen Markley & Ben Philippe	September 28, 2021 (2021-09-28)	1DWB07
Teddy's son Theo spies on the trio and breaks in to take photos of their board of suspects, relaying to his father that the podcast is on to them, but Teddy dismisses the concerns. Charles and Mabel break into Teddy's apartment and discover a secret room of urns from a funeral home. Later, Oliver and Mabel leave to investigate the funeral home, while Charles has a date with Jan. At the funeral home, the two discover a secret room with jewelry. Theo is working there and stealing items off the bodies, and soon notices Oliver and Mabel. Flashbacks reveal that Theo had a crush on Zoe, who communicated with him in ASL. Theo saw Zoe stealing a ring from Teddy's apartment, which Teddy noticed during the New Year's Eve party. After an argument, Theo accidentally pushed Zoe off the roof. Tim was the only witness, but an implied death threat from Teddy silenced him. Back in the present, Theo has kidnapped Oliver and Mabel, driving them to an unknown location, but not before they send texts to Charles telling him the password to Tim's phone might be "Theo". Note: There is no audible dialogue throughout, showing scenes from Theo's perspective, whose deafness prevents him from hearing dialogue.
8	8	"Fan Fiction"	Cherien Dabis	Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky	October 5, 2021 (2021-10-05)	1DWB08
Teddy returns Mabel and Oliver to the Arconia on the condition that they end the podcast and absolve the Dimas family of suspicion. Back at the building, Mabel and Oliver are swarmed by fans of the podcast calling themselves "the Arconiacs". Detective Williams suggests the trio release all their evidence on the podcast. Oscar shares that Tim already had Zoe's green ring when he died and was planning on using it as evidence, although its whereabouts are unknown. Oliver invites the Arconiacs to help the group solve Tim's murder in time for their abrupt series finale. Charles is distracted by Jan, so Mabel and Oliver force her out of the investigation. Jan returns to her apartment, where she finds a note on the door that reads: "I'm watching you". The podcast finale premieres, complete with evidence of the Dimases' crimes. Williams doubts the Dimases' involvement in the murder when Tim's autopsy reveals death by poisoning. Security footage also proves Teddy and Theo were not in the building at the time of Tim's murder. Charles visits Jan's apartment, where he finds her unconscious and bleeding.
9	9	"Double Time"	Jamie Babbit	John Hoffman & Kristin Newman	October 12, 2021 (2021-10-12)	1DWB09
On their podcast, the trio retract their accusation of Teddy and Theo in Tim's murder. Jan survives her stabbing and Charles helps with her recovery. Charles' former stunt double, Sazz Pataki, shows up and immediately jumps into helping the trio investigate, much to the dismay of Charles and Jan. Later, a building meeting is called to address the podcast and the building votes to evict the trio, even after Charles says the podcast is done. Oliver and Mabel try to find a new lead to convince Charles to stay on the investigation and speculate that Tim might have had a secret girlfriend, a theory seemingly confirmed by Tim's neighbor. Charles goes to Jan's concert at Sazz's urging and sees a young female bassoonist who has replaced Jan at first chair. At the same time, Oliver and Mabel find a bassoon cleaner among Tim's stash of sex toys.
10	10	"Open and Shut"	Jamie Babbit	John Hoffman & Rachel Burger	October 19, 2021 (2021-10-19)	1DWB10
The trio realize that Jan is the murderer. She was romantically involved with Tim, but killed him a day after they broke up. Mabel and Oliver break into Jan's apartment and find evidence, including a poison bottle, Zoe's green ring, and a bloody knife she used to stab herself to deflect suspicion. As Charles confronts Jan, he realizes she has poisoned him. Jan tries to gas the whole building via the newly open fireplaces, but the trio run to the basement and stop it. In the basement, Jan appears and threatens to shoot them. A scuffle ensues, and Mabel knocks Jan out with the emerald ring. Jan is arrested. Later, as the trio celebrate, Mabel goes to get more champagne, and Oliver and Charles receive a mysterious text message telling them to leave the building immediately. The scene that opened the series is repeated, as Oliver and Charles run to Mabel and find her hunched over Bunny's dead body, covered in blood. The trio is led out of the Arconia in handcuffs while the Arconia tenants and others, including Detective Williams, Oscar, and Cinda, watch.

Season 2 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code
11	1	"Persons of Interest"	John Hoffman	John Hoffman & Noah Levine	June 28, 2022 (2022-06-28)	2DWB01
Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are arrested and interviewed by Detective Williams and Detective Kreps before being released due to lack of evidence. Mabel suggests they follow the police's advice and stay away from the case. Later, a woman named Alice invites Mabel to an art show at a local gallery and encourages her to pursue art again. Oliver runs into Amy Schumer as she moves into Sting's apartment; she wants to turn the podcast into a TV series. Meanwhile, Charles is approached to play "Uncle Brazzos" in a Brazzos reboot. The trio discovers that Cinda has started a podcast on the three of them, encouraging them to investigate to clear their names. Mabel reveals Bunny said "14" to her before she died. The trio breaks into Bunny's apartment and discovers her pet parrot mimicking Bunny. When Howard and Uma walk in, the three hide and overhear them panic over a painting missing from Bunny's apartment. Sneaking through a back elevator, they return to their apartments, and Charles discovers the missing painting on his wall.
12	2	"Framed"	John Hoffman	Kristin Newman	June 28, 2022 (2022-06-28)	2DWB02
Charles realizes one of the people in the painting is his father, while Mabel reveals Bunny also said "Savage" to her before she died. At Howard's invitation, the trio attends a memorial for Bunny, planning to return the painting to Bunny's apartment. There, they meet Leonora Folger, Bunny's mother and the owner of the painting. Oliver and Mabel sneak the painting up the elevator into Bunny's apartment, planning to meet Charles outside by the elevator, but Charles accidentally lets the door close, locking them out. In a panic, they stash the painting near a dumpster but later find it missing. Mabel returns to the art studio, where Alice encourages her to smash art to release her emotions, and they eventually kiss. Oliver meets with Amy in her apartment and discovers that she found the painting by the dumpster and hung it on her wall. Leonora talks to Charles about the painting, causing him to remember a day from his childhood when his father was arrested. Leonora learns the painting is at Amy's but upon inspection, declares it is a fake. Bunny's parrot is delivered to Oliver as per Bunny's will, and the bird says "I know who did it."
13	3	"The Last Day of Bunny Folger"	Jude Weng	Ben Smith	July 5, 2022 (2022-07-05)	2DWB03
The trio tries to find out what Bunny's last day was like before she died. In a flashback, it is revealed that on Bunny's last day as board president she considered moving to Florida after her retirement. She received a phone call from a mysterious person who wanted to buy her painting, but she rejected it. She also gave present money to her regular café server, Ivan, and easily fixed the elevator when she, Charles, and Mabel got stuck in it. At the end of the day, she realized how much the Arconia meant to her and decided not to retire, upsetting her successor, Nina Lin, who openly threatened her to step down. Later, Bunny visited Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, offering a bottle of champagne in hopes of joining their celebration, but they thought she was just stopping by and did not invite her in. A masked and gloved figure attacked her when she returned to her apartment. The trio feels guilty that they could have saved Bunny's life "with a simple act of kindness." They realize Nina had enough motive to kill Bunny, making her the prime suspect in the investigation.
14	4	"Here's Looking at You"	Jude Weng	Valentina Garza & Rachel Burger	July 12, 2022 (2022-07-12)	2DWB04
Lucy, the teenage daughter of Charles' ex-girlfriend, unexpectedly shows up at his apartment. She reveals to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel that there are secret tunnels inside the walls of the Arconia that she discovered years earlier. As they walk through the tunnels, they overhear Nina and her husband agreeing that Bunny had to go so that the Arconia could be modernized. Oliver also witnesses an argument between Teddy and Theo Dimas, who have been released on parole, which makes Oliver reevaluate his relationship with his son. Later, the trio and Lucy visit Nina to get her to confess to Bunny's murder, but she goes into labor and asks them to find Bunny's killer. Lucy confesses to Charles that she ran away from home after her mother remarried. Though touched by Lucy's words that he is the best stepfather she ever had, Charles insists she go home. Before leaving, Lucy warns Charles that he is in danger, but she does not tell him that she came to the Arconia on the night of Bunny's murder and saw the killer escaping through the tunnels. Charles visits Jan in prison to ask for her help.
15	5	"The Tell"	Cherien Dabis	Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky	July 19, 2022 (2022-07-19)	2DWB05
Jan tells Charles that the killer is possibly an artist since they composed the crime scene to frame Mabel. Charles and Oliver learn that Mabel is dating Alice, who is an artist, and they become suspicious of her. At a party Alice hosts for an eclectic art crowd, Oliver proposes a murder game called "Son of Sam." By the end of the game, he declares Alice the murderer and asks a multitude of probing questions, forcing her to reveal that she lied about her background and her studies so people would think she is a legitimate artist. Later, they learn that Bunny had met someone in her regular diner the day before she died, and the person might be the killer. Alice apologizes to Mabel for lying to her, and the two reconcile by sharing personal secrets. Meanwhile, Will takes a DNA test for his son's school project, which reveals that he has Greek ancestors despite Oliver's Irish heritage. Oliver sadly speculates that his ex-wife may have had an affair with Teddy, who might be Will's biological father.
16	6	"Performance Review"	Cherien Dabis	Ben Smith & Joshua Allen Griffith	July 26, 2022 (2022-07-26)	2DWB06
The trio wants to ask Detective Williams' help with a fingerprinted matchbook they recently found, but she is on maternity leave. When they receive a text message in her name to leave their evidence in a public place, they fear this is the killer trying to get their hands on the evidence. They decide to leave a glitter bomb instead to catch the killer, but their personal problems distract them during the waiting until they miss their opportunity. Meanwhile, Cinda finds a man from Mabel's past who falsely claims that Mabel cut off one of his fingers, and she wants to use this in her podcast. Cinda's assistant, Poppy, however, has second thoughts about it, and reveals some hidden truths about Cinda to Mabel. Mabel later goes to Alice's art studio where she finds Alice recreating the crime scene of Bunny's murder for an art exhibit. Heartbroken, Mabel runs off, but sees a glitter-bombed person in her subway car. Later, Charles and Oliver see an Internet video of Mabel seemingly stabbing that person.
17	7	"Flipping the Pieces"	Chris Teague	Stephen Markley & Ben Philippe	August 2, 2022 (2022-08-02)	2DWB07
A series of flashbacks details Mabel's relationship with her father before his death from cancer. Following the subway incident, Mabel wakes up in Theo's apartment with no memory of the attack and her bag missing. Theo explains to her that he was in the subway car too, saw what happened, and brought Mabel home after she passed out. He shows Mabel an employee badge from Coney Island that her assailant had dropped, so they go there to investigate. Mabel recovers her bag before her assailant discovers her, but finds the matchbook gone. Meanwhile, Detective Williams visits Charles and Oliver, who reveal that they have the murder knife, which they give her for analysis. After fleeing Coney Island, Mabel forgives Theo for Zoe's death and remembers the night of Bunny's murder, realizing she saw someone escaping from her apartment. Reuniting with Charles and Oliver, Mabel shows Charles a picture of Lucy that she found in her bag. Fearing Lucy is the killer's next target, Charles tries to call her, but the call is cut off when a blackout hits the city.
18	8	"Hello, Darkness"	Chris Teague	Madeleine George	August 9, 2022 (2022-08-09)	2DWB08
Knowing that Lucy is alone in Charles' apartment, the trio races back to the Arconia to save her from the killer. Meanwhile, the blackout forces the Arconia's residents to make new connections. Howard hangs out with one of his neighbors, whom he has a crush on, and eventually asks him out, despite the man's lethal allergy to cats. Concurrently, Lester, the doorman, helps Nina assemble a baby swing, during which Nina evaluates Lester's job and gives him a promotion. The trio discover that someone broke into Charles' apartment and chased Lucy through the secret tunnels. They later encounter Marv in the tunnels, believing he is the killer, but in reality Marv wanted to help the trio catch the killer yet unintentionally scared them away with his presence. At Marv's request, Oliver agrees to record him for a podcast episode while Lucy finally tells Charles what she saw on the night of Bunny's murder. After the power returns, the trio meets Detective Kreps in the building. Mabel notices some glitter on his neck and realizes he was her former assailant.
19	9	"Sparring Partners"	Jamie Babbit	Kirker Butler	August 16, 2022 (2022-08-16)	2DWB09
Mabel tries to confront Detective Kreps about his involvement in Bunny's murder. He denies everything, but mentions his admiration for Cinda's podcasts, heightening Mabel's suspicion. Meanwhile, Charles and Oliver discover the original Rose Cooper painting hidden under the cage of Bunny's parrot. Charles further discovers that Leonora is Rose Cooper herself. She reveals to Charles that she and his father were lovers for years and he was arrested as a result of trying to defend her from her enraged husband. She also shows Charles another painting hidden in the canvas, picturing young Charles and his father. Elsewhere, Oliver learns that Teddy is indeed Will's biological father, but, for Will's sake, they both decide to keep this a secret. Alice gives Mabel a jigsaw puzzle as a peace offering, and with the help of that, Mabel realizes one of Cinda's podcasts mentioned a restaurant with the logo she saw on Kreps' backpack. When she questions Poppy about this, she reveals herself as Becky Butler, the subject of the podcast, and that Kreps is Cinda's lover who helped Cinda provide evidence. Mabel concludes that Cinda is the true mastermind behind Bunny's murder.
20	10	"I Know Who Did It"	Jamie Babbit	John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky	August 23, 2022 (2022-08-23)	2DWB10
The trio stages a killer reveal party where they endeavor to induce Bunny's killer into confessing. After failing with Cinda, Mabel declares Alice the killer, which seems to be true when Alice stabs Charles in the stomach. Cinda praises Mabel for solving the case, which makes Becky so frustrated she unwittingly reveals information only the killer would know. As Charles wakes up unharmed, all the guests reveal the party was an act to expose Becky as the real killer. Detective Williams found out the murder knife had Becky's DNA on it and Mabel realized Bunny said "14 Sandwich" to her, which was Becky's favorite meal at Bunny's regular diner. Becky is arrested along with Kreps, who is revealed to be Becky's lover and accomplice. Their motive was to become famous by making their own podcast about the murder investigation. With the case closed, Charles gets a proper role in the Brazzos reboot; Mabel and Alice resume their relationship; and Oliver reconciles with his son, who already knows they are not biologically related. One year later, on the opening night of a Broadway play Oliver directed, the lead actor, Ben Glenroy, suddenly collapses on stage during his performance.

Season 3 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code
21	1	"The Show Must..."	John Hoffman	John Hoffman & Sas Goldberg	August 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)	3DWB01
At an audition for Oliver's murder mystery play Death Rattle, a struggling actress, Loretta Durkin, amazes him with her performance. Four months later, at the play's read-through, the cast and crew meet for the first time, including Howard as Oliver's assistant, Charles in a supporting role, and Ben Glenroy in the lead role. Loretta fails to deliver her lines convincingly, so Ben urges Oliver to fire her, but Oliver is convinced of Loretta's talent. In the present, Ben is pronounced dead by the authorities after collapsing on stage. At the play's planned after-party, Mabel floats the theory to Oliver that Ben was poisoned and proposes a new podcast. A revived Ben appears at the party, attributing his clinical death to food poisoning. He gives a phony apology to everyone for his arrogant behavior over the last few months, but veiledly insults Loretta again. Afterward, Mabel tells Charles and Oliver that her aunt sold her apartment, so she is moving out of the Arconia in a month. As they take the elevator, Ben's dead body suddenly crashes down in front of them.
22	2	"The Beat Goes On"	John Hoffman	Ben Smith & Joshua Allen Griffith	August 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)	3DWB02
At Ben's funeral, Mabel and Charles meet Gregg, who claims to have worked for Ben as a security guard. Instead, Gregg is revealed to be an obsessed fan of Ben's, and kidnaps them. In Gregg's custody, Mabel tells Charles that Ben's murder is personal to her because one of his shows helped her overcome her father's death, while Charles reveals that the tension between him and Ben stemmed from when he unintentionally got Ben fired from Brazzos years earlier. Gregg intends to torture the pair into confessing to Ben's murder, but Detective Biswas arrives with the police and arrests him as Ben's killer. Mabel theorizes that since Gregg had Ben's handkerchief from the play and the body was found holding an identical one, Gregg could not have committed the murder. She and Charles agree to begin a third podcast to find Ben's real killer, about which Oliver is reluctant. Following a minor heart attack he suffered after encountering a critic who was planning to pan his play, he becomes inspired to turn the show into a musical.
23	3	"Grab Your Hankies"	Adam Shankman	Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky	August 15, 2023 (2023-08-15)	3DWB03
Charles attempts to find out which cast member lost their handkerchief, believing that one could be the killer. Concurrently, Mabel goes to Ben's apartment looking for clues and meets Tobert, Ben's documentarian. They are forced to hide when Dickie, Ben's brother and manager, enters the apartment, during which Tobert reveals he intends to make a documentary about Ben's murder and that he has footage of Ben before he collapsed on stage. Meanwhile, Loretta tells Oliver she has won a television series role in Los Angeles that begins shooting next week. Not wanting to lose her, Oliver reminds her that she is under contract, but later agrees to let her go if she performs her character's lullaby to the producers, Donna and Cliff. Amazed by her performance, they agree to fund Death Rattle Dazzle, prompting Loretta to stay as well, and she and Oliver kiss. Tobert shows Mabel footage of Ben in his dressing room talking to someone off camera. At the same time, Charles discovers that cast member Kimber, who plays Ben's love interest, lost her handkerchief.
24	4	"The White Room"	Adam Shankman	J. J. Philbin	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)	3DWB04
The trio suspects that Kimber killed Ben due to an affair gone awry between them. However, Kimber tells Mabel she only wanted Ben to promote her beauty products, but he backed out at the last minute, angering her into selling her handkerchief. She also reveals that Ben was upset on opening night about a red mark on his face until someone in his dressing room fixed it. Charles and Oliver break into Ben's dressing room, finding "Fucking Pig" written on his mirror with lipstick. Later, Cinda approaches Mabel with a job offer, but Mabel turns it down. Meanwhile, Charles has to perform a patter song in the play, but every time he rehearses it, he enters "The White Room", a comforting place inside his mind, while his body acts disturbingly without his knowledge. Oliver thinks this is caused by the pressure of his girlfriend, Joy, moving in with him, which Charles is not ready for. When he attempts to tell her that, Charles enters The White Room again, reemerging to discover he has proposed to Joy, while she recognizes the lipstick from Ben's dressing room as her own.
25	5	"Ah, Love!"	Chris Koch	Tess Morris & Noah Levine	August 29, 2023 (2023-08-29)	3DWB05
While Oliver goes on a date with Loretta, Mabel meets with Tobert at a restaurant to observe Jonathan, Ben's understudy and Howard's boyfriend. They see him exchanging something with a man, whom Tobert identifies as Ben's doctor. Meanwhile, following a fight between Charles and Joy about the lipstick, Charles is visited by Sazz, who gives him an impromptu therapy session about his relationship problems. Oliver and Loretta take a ferry cruise, but Oliver is surprised when Loretta calls Ben a "fucking pig" and confesses to him that she had a scuffle with Ben on opening night. Joy explains to Charles that she simply left her lipstick at Ben's dressing room after she fixed a mark on his face, which Charles reveals was because he punched Ben for his scuffle with Loretta. Charles also reveals that his proposal was accidental, causing Joy to break up with him. Mabel takes Tobert back to her apartment to show him her board of clues, and they kiss. Oliver and Loretta sleep together in her apartment, where he later finds a scrapbook full of news clippings about Ben.
26	6	"Ghost Light"	Chris Koch	Madeleine George	September 5, 2023 (2023-09-05)	3DWB06
After Howard claims to have seen the ghost of a deceased actor at the theater, the trio goes there to investigate. Mabel and Tobert confront Jonathan about his meeting with Ben's doctor; he confesses that he obtained the same cocktail of medications Ben used to cope with the pressure of being the lead, a role he never wanted. Oliver discovers that his former director friend, Jerry, pretended to be the ghost to hide that he has been living in the theater's attic for months. He also tells Oliver about the fight between Ben, Loretta, and Charles, which he witnessed firsthand. Despite growing increasingly suspicious of Loretta, Oliver chooses to hide his suspicion from Charles and Mabel, who find him trying to scrub the lipstick. An argument erupts, in which Oliver accuses Charles of not being forthcoming about the fight, frustrating Charles into quitting the play. Oliver also accuses Mabel of sabotaging his show with her investigation, causing her to reveal Cinda's offer and vow to continue investigating on her own.
27	7	"CoBro"	Cherien Dabis	Ben Philippe & Jake Schnesel	September 12, 2023 (2023-09-12)	3DWB07
Charles discovers that Uma stole the handkerchief from Ben's corpse; however, she sells it to an unknown buyer before he can retrieve it. Meanwhile, Oliver replaces Charles with Matthew Broderick, but soon fires him and rehires Charles after growing annoyed with Broderick's method acting antics. Elsewhere, Mabel learns from Dickie that he was adopted before his parents conceived Ben and that he was always overshadowed by Ben’s success despite doing most of the work for it. Finding an old drawing of CoBro, Ben's most famous role, and looking at the signature below, Mabel theorizes with Tobert and Theo that Dickie could have created the character, giving him a motive to kill. Oliver shows Charles the scrapbook he stole from Loretta, and they decide to give it to Mabel, only to learn that Mabel has already moved out of her apartment and that she started the podcast's new season without them. Listening to the first episode, which details evidence that Gregg is not the killer, Detective Biswas decides to reopen Ben's case.
28	8	"Sitzprobe"	Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini	Pete Swanson & Siena Streiber	September 19, 2023 (2023-09-19)	3DWB08
Flashbacks reveal that Dickie is Loretta's biological son, whom she gave up for adoption to pursue her acting career. Nonetheless, she had always followed his life path by collecting news about him and Ben, and upon learning their involvement in Oliver's play, she auditioned for a role to be reunited with him. At the musical's sitzprobe, she decides to tell Dickie the truth in a letter, but the police arrive and lock down the theater, saying the killer is someone from the cast or crew. The trio make amends with each other and decide to work together again to find the killer. While Charles and Oliver secretly record Detective Williams' interrogations of the cast, Mabel helps Howard reassemble a shredded document that might be a clue. Loretta learns that the police and the trio suspect Dickie as the killer, which she refuses to believe. Charles and Mabel find Loretta's letter, while Oliver returns the scrapbook to her and confesses his love for her. During her rehearsal on stage, Loretta sees the police approaching Dickie, so she confesses to Ben's murder to save him. As she is led out of the theater in handcuffs, Oliver suffers another heart attack and collapses.
29	9	"Thirty"	Cherien Dabis	Elaine Ko	September 26, 2023 (2023-09-26)	3DWB09
Following Oliver's recovery, the trio learns that Dickie has an alibi for the time of Ben's murder. Using their knowledge and the clues they obtained, they recreate the last thirty minutes before Ben first died: Ben arrived late to the theater after being with his seamstress friends, who helped him make the handkerchiefs he presented to the cast and crew. Later, he overheard Loretta encouraging Dickie to quit as his manager due to the stress he was under, resulting in a fallout between the brothers and the fight between Ben, Charles, and Loretta. An upset Ben then fired Tobert and retreated to his dressing room, where he ate a cookie and wrote "Fucking Pig" on his mirror out of guilt for ruining his diet. Howard gives the trio the reassembled document, which turns out to be an early negative review of Ben's performance. The trio reaches the conclusion that Donna poisoned Ben so she could save both the show and Cliff's career from ruin. They run into the court to stop Loretta from pleading guilty, only to learn that Donna is among the witnesses.
30	10	"Opening Night"	Jamie Babbit	John Hoffman & Ben Smith	October 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)	3DWB10
After Loretta receives the missing handkerchief from Dickie, the trio uses it as evidence to force a confession out of Donna on the opening night of Death Rattle Dazzle. To their surprise, she readily confesses to Ben's murder but asks to see the play before being arrested. Oliver takes the lead role since Jonathan cannot perform, having taken too much anti-anxiety medication, and Loretta finally tells Dickie she is his biological mother. Mabel notices Cliff going to the theater's attic after a conversation with Donna, and confronts him upon realizing he pushed Ben down the elevator shaft. A guilt-ridden Cliff insists it was an accident and attempts to commit suicide by jumping from above the stage, but is stopped and comforted by Donna. The two are arrested as the show ends with a huge success. At the play's after-party, Dickie, Loretta, and Tobert reveal they all have upcoming gigs in Los Angeles, but the trio decide to stay in New York. Sazz comes to celebrate and tells Charles they need to talk before entering Charles' apartment, where she is shot by an unknown assailant.

Production

Development

Steve Martin conceived the idea for Only Murders in the Building ten years before its premiere. His original idea involved three elderly men who discover that they are all obsessed with solving crimes, but are too old and tired to go outside, so they decide to solve crimes that are only in the building. The idea later developed with one of the old men changed to a younger woman. In January 2020, it was announced that Martin and Martin Short would star in the then untitled Hulu series, created by Martin and John Hoffman, with Martin, Short, and Hoffman as executive producers, alongside Dan Fogelman, with 20th Television serving as the studio. On September 14, 2021, Hulu renewed the series for a second season. On July 11, 2022, the series was renewed for a third season. On October 3, 2023, it was renewed for a fourth season.

Casting

Alongside the initial announcement, it was announced Martin and Short would star in the series. In August 2020, Selena Gomez joined the cast and also serves as an executive producer. In November 2020, Aaron Dominguez joined the cast in a series regular role. In January 2021, Amy Ryan joined the cast in a series regular role and Nathan Lane joined the cast in a recurring role. On December 1, 2021, it was reported that Cara Delevingne joined the cast as a series regular for the second season. On January 12, 2022, Short announced that Shirley MacLaine and Amy Schumer were cast to guest star for the second season. On February 11, 2022, Michael Rapaport joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. On October 25, 2022, Jesse Williams was cast in a recurring capacity for the third season. On January 17, 2023, Meryl Streep was cast in an undisclosed capacity for the third season. On February 23, 2023, Ashley Park joined the cast in a recurring role for the third season. In March 2023, Jeremy Shamos, Linda Emond, Wesley Taylor, Don Darryl Rivera, Allison Guinn, and Gerald Caesar were cast in recurring capacities for the third season. On April 20, 2023, Michael Cyril Creighton was promoted to series regular for the third season.

Filming

The Belnord on West 86th Street on the Upper West Side is used for exterior shots of the fictional Arconia apartment building.

Principal photography for the first season began on December 3, 2020, in New York City, and concluded in April 2021. The Belnord was used for exterior shots of the Arconia. Filming of the second season began on December 1, 2021. Filming for the third season began in January 2023 and concluded in late April.

Music

A digital album for the score was released on August 27, 2021, four days before the series' debut. On July 15, 2022, the original song that was played briefly in the season 2 episode "Here's Looking at You", "Angel in Flip-Flops", was released online. It was performed by Steve Martin as his character Charles-Haden Savage and written by Martin and Kirker Butler, with Paul Shaffer as producer. An album for season 2 was released on August 12, 2022. An album for season 3 was released on September 15, 2023, followed by a deluxe edition on October 4.

In September 2021, Canadian musician Nicholas Thorburn accused Siddhartha Khosla of plagiarism, alleging that the title music had been taken from music that he composed for the similarly themed podcast Serial.

All music is composed by Siddhartha Khosla.

Only Murders in the Building: Original Score

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Main Title"	0:51
2.	"Mission Theme Pt. 1"	1:11
3.	"Arconia Elevator Theme"	0:37
4.	"Frozen Cat"	0:46
5.	"Aphrodite"	1:43
6.	"Vantage"	1:44
7.	"All Is Not Okay"	0:39
8.	"Oliver's Monologue"	1:57
9.	"Who Was Tim Kono"	3:21
10.	"Podcast Theme (Punk Version)"	1:24
11.	"Romantic Theme Pt. 1"	1:03
12.	"Romantic Theme Pt. 2"	1:31
13.	"Interrogation Fantasy Pt. 1"	0:56
14.	"Interrogation Fantasy Pt. 2"	0:45
15.	"Detective"	1:22
16.	"Mabel and Tim"	1:55
17.	"Pilot Ending"	1:43
18.	"Jan"	1:30
19.	"Charles"	1:16
20.	"Mission Theme Pt. 2"	1:02
21.	"Finale"	5:19
Total length:		34:03

All music is composed by Siddhartha Khosla

Only Murders in the Building: Season 2 – Original Score

No.	Title	Episode	Length
1.	"We're Back"	"Persons of Interest"	1:16
2.	"Precinct Hang"	"Persons of Interest"	1:46
3.	"I Dream of Cinda"	"Persons of Interest"	1:50
4.	"A Death Threat"	"Persons of Interest"	1:15
5.	"Murder Board Suite"	"Persons of Interest"	1:57
6.	"Bunny's Painting"	"Persons of Interest"	1:29
7.	"History of the Arconia"	"Framed"	2:30
8.	"Vantage, in Paris"	"Framed"	4:47
9.	"Poor Lil' Bunny Rabbit"	"The Last Day of Bunny Folger"	3:04
10.	"Texting Lucy"	"Here's Looking at You"	1:49
11.	"Howard and the Knife Above His Head"	"Here's Looking at You"	1:43
12.	"Lucy Lurkin'"	"Here's Looking at You"	1:23
13.	"Son of Sam"	"The Tell"	2:17
14.	"Worse Than Watergate"	"The Tell"	3:01
15.	"Admission"	"The Tell"	1:11
16.	"Glitter"	"Performance Review"	1:40
17.	"Mabel's Dream"	"Flipping the Pieces"	3:31
18.	"Puzzled"	"Flipping the Pieces"	2:05
19.	"Flashback"	"Flipping the Pieces"	3:25
20.	"The Chase"	"Flipping the Pieces"	1:29
21.	"Gone Missing"	"I Know Who Did It"	2:20
22.	"What Lucy Saw"	"Hello, Darkness"	2:17
23.	"The Boxer's Lover"	"Sparring Partners"	3:53
24.	"You Gotta Be Kidding Me"	"I Know Who Did It"	0:57
Total length:			52:58

All music is composed by Siddhartha Khosla

Only Murders in the Building: Season 3 (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Look for the Light"	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Sara Bareilles	Meryl Streep & Ashley Park	2:31
2.	"Loretta"			2:57
3.	"Falling"			0:45
4.	"B Glenroy"			1:23
5.	"You Gotta Be F'n Kidding Me"			1:24
6.	"Church Entry"			0:33
7.	"Hashtag Bloody Mabel"			1:31
8.	"Mabel and Ben"			0:48
9.	"Heart Attack"			2:01
10.	"After KT Yelled at Him"			0:44
11.	"White Room"			0:42
12.	"The Very Beginning"			0:41
13.	"Memories Fade"			1:50
14.	"Punched"			0:53
15.	"In Love with Loretta"			1:33
16.	"Baby Elephant Story"			0:48
17.	"Ah, Love"			1:08
18.	"Banish Your Ghosts"			1:09
19.	"White Room, Again"			0:42
20.	"Cake"			3:26
21.	"Tender Ender"			1:23
22.	"Meaning of F Pig"			1:49
23.	"Father of the Bride"			2:00
24.	"Oh, Irene"			0:57
25.	"Arrested"			2:21
26.	"Opening Night"			1:02
27.	"It Was an Accident Mom"			2:38
28.	"Gives Birth"			1:51
29.	"Another Murder in the Building"			1:07
30.	"Something to Confess"			1:10
Total length:				43:00

All music is composed by Siddhartha Khosla

Only Murders in the Building: Season 3 (Original Soundtrack) – Deluxe Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Look for the Light"	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Sara Bareilles	Meryl Streep & Ashley Park	2:31
2.	"Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?"	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman	Steve Martin	2:47
3.	"Creatures of the Night"	Benj Pasek & Justin Paul	Martin Short	2:34
4.	"For the Sake of a Child (Oliver Version)"	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Michael R. Jackson	Meryl Streep & Martin Short	3:14
5.	"For the Sake of a Child (Ben Version)"	Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Michael R. Jackson	Meryl Streep & Paul Rudd	3:13
6.	"Love's Old Sweet Song"	James Lynam Molloy & Graham Clifton Bingham	Jason Veasey	1:20
7.	"Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland"	Leo Friedman & Beth Slater Whitson	Jason Veasey	2:22
8.	"Loretta"			2:57
9.	"Falling"			0:45
10.	"B Glenroy"			1:23
11.	"You Gotta Be F'n Kidding Me"			1:24
12.	"Church Entry"			0:33
13.	"Hashtag Bloody Mabel"			1:31
14.	"Mabel and Ben"			0:48
15.	"Heart Attack"			2:01
16.	"After KT Yelled at Him"			0:44
17.	"White Room"			0:42
18.	"The Very Beginning"			0:41
19.	"Memories Fade"			1:50
20.	"Punched"			0:53
21.	"In Love with Loretta"			1:33
22.	"Baby Elephant Story"			0:48
23.	"Ah, Love"			1:08
24.	"Banish Your Ghosts"			1:09
25.	"White Room, Again"			0:42
26.	"Cake"			3:26
27.	"Tender Ender"			1:23
28.	"Meaning of F Pig"			1:49
29.	"Father of the Bride"			2:00
30.	"Oh, Irene"			0:57
31.	"Arrested"			2:21
32.	"Opening Night"			1:02
33.	"It Was an Accident Mom"			2:38
34.	"Gives Birth"			1:51
35.	"Another Murder in the Building"			1:07
36.	"Something to Confess"			1:10
Total length:				59:00

Release

Only Murders in the Building premiered on August 31, 2021, on Hulu. Internationally, the series premiered on the same day on Disney+ under the dedicated streaming hub Star, as an original series, and on Star+ in Latin America. Disney+ Hotstar released the series in select territories on September 3, 2021. On Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Star+, Only Murders in the Building episodes were scheduled to debut on a weekly basis. The second season premiered on June 28, 2022. The third season premiered on August 8, 2023.

Reception

Audience viewership

On September 3, 2021, it was reported that Only Murders in the Building set a record for the most-watched comedy premiere in Hulu history. On October 28, 2021, Hulu Originals president Craig Erwich said in an interview with Vulture that the show had become the most-watched comedy ever on Hulu "by a good measure." In the same article, Vulture reported that, according to Parrot Analytics, the show went from having about 16 times the audience demand in the U.S. as an average show when it debuted on August 31 to generating 37 times typical demand by the time the season 1 finale dropped on October 19. This meant that the day after the finale the show ranked as high as 14th on the list of most in-demand shows in the U.S. and signaled a "massive" 135% growth rate that according to Erwich is mainly attributable to word of mouth. According to the streaming aggregator JustWatch, Only Murders in the Building was the most-streamed TV series across all U.S. platforms during the week ending October 24, 2021, and second during the week ending October 31, 2021.

According to Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, Only Murders in the Building was the third-most in-demand streaming original series in the U.S. during the week of August 13 to 19, 2022, as well as during the week of August 20 to 26. According to Whip Media, it was the most-streamed TV series across all U.S. platforms during the week ending August 7, 2022, and during the week of August 28. According to the streaming aggregator JustWatch, it was the third-most streamed TV series across all U.S. platforms during the week ending July 3, 2022.

Critical response

Critical response of Only Murders in the Building

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	100% (107 reviews)	76 (34 reviews)
2	98% (116 reviews)	79 (25 reviews)
3	96% (111 reviews)	77 (33 reviews)

The performances of the main cast, namely (left to right) Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, have received critical acclaim.

For the first season, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 107 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Only Murders in the Building's silly approach to true crime obsessives is at once hilarious and insightful, thanks in large part to its extremely charming central trio." Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 34 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the first season a "B" grade and wrote, "Only Murders delivers above-average laughs, a clever mystery, and a starry cast. But it's hard to shake the feeling that the show missed an opportunity to be something special." Reviewing for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of four and a half out of five stars and said, "The series soon turns out to be—like The Princess Bride, Galaxy Quest, or Jane the Virgin—that rare and wonderful thing: the parody that also offers a great example of the genuine article."

For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 98% approval rating with an average rating of 8.05/10, based on 116 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Only Murders in the Building gets a new lease on life with a knottier sophomore outing that retains the series' core charm and wit." Metacritic gave the second season a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 25 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 113 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Relocating the action to the theatre, Only Murders in the Building can take a bow for yet another twisty mystery handled with a good-humored touch." Metacritic gave the third season a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 33 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

Accolades received by Only Murders in the Building

Award	Year	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
AACTA International Awards	2023	Best Comedy Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards	2022	Best Actor (TV/Streaming)	Martin Short	Nominated
	2023	Best TV Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
American Cinema Editors Awards	2023	Best Edited Single Camera Comedy Series	Shelly Westerman, Payton Koch (for "I Know Who Did It")	Nominated
Art Directors Guild Awards	2022	Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Series	Curt Beech (for "True Crime")	Nominated
	2023	Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Series	Patrick Howe (for "Framed")	Nominated
Artios Awards	2023	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Pilot and First Season Comedy Series	Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Destiny Lilly	Nominated
ASCAP Screen Music Awards	2022	Television Theme of the Year	Siddhartha Khosla	Nominated
		Top Streaming Series	Siddhartha Khosla	Won
	2023	Television Score of the Year	Siddhartha Khosla	Nominated
		Television Theme of the Year	Siddhartha Khosla	Nominated
		Top Streaming Series	Siddhartha Khosla	Won
Black Reel Awards for Television	2022	Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series	Da'Vine Joy Randolph	Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards	2022	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour	Joseph White Jr., Mathew Waters, Lindsay Alvarez, Alan DeMoss, Stiv Schneider, and Karina Rezhevska (for "How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?")	Nominated
	2023	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour	Joseph White Jr., Penny Harold, Andrew Garrett Lange, Alan DeMoss, Chris Navarro, Erika Koski (for "The Tell")	Won
Critics' Choice Television Awards	2022	Best Comedy Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Comedy Series	Selena Gomez	Nominated
	2023	Best Actor in a Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards	2023	Outstanding Comedy Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	2022	Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
	2023	Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Selena Gomez	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards	2022	Most Innovative Advertising for a TV/Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Viral Campaign for a TV/Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Won
	2023	Best Comedy for a TV/Streaming Series (Trailer/Teaser/TV Spot)	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Sound Editing for a TV/Streaming Series (Trailer/Teaser/TV Spot)	Only Murders in the Building	Won
		Most Innovative Advertising for a TV/Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Comedy / Drama TrailerByte for a TV / Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Won
		Best Viral Campaign for a TV / Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Won
		Best Comedy Poster for a TV/Streaming Series	Only Murders in the Building	Won
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards	2022	Best Streaming Series, Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Won
		Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Selena Gomez	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Nathan Lane	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Amy Ryan	Nominated
		Best Directing in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Jamie Babbit (for "True Crime")	Nominated
			Cherien Dabis (for "The Boy from 6B")	Nominated
		Best Writing in a Streaming Series, Comedy	Steve Martin & John Hoffman (for "True Crime")	Nominated
	2023	Best Streaming Comedy Series	Only Murders in the Building	Pending
		Best Actor in a Streaming Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Pending
			Martin Short	Pending
		Best Actress in a Streaming Comedy Series	Selena Gomez	Pending
		Best Writing in a Streaming Comedy Series	John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky (for "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
		Best Directing in a Streaming Comedy Series	Jamie Babbit (for "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts TV Awards	2023	Best Short Form Series	Only Murders In The Building: One Killer Question	Pending
		Best Contemporary Costumes	Only Murders in the Building	Pending
		Best Main Title Design	Only Murders in the Building	Pending
		Best Casting in a Comedy Series	Only Murders in the Building	Pending
Huading Awards	2023	Global Most Popular Actor in a TV Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
Imagen Awards	2022	Best Actress – Comedy (Television)	Selena Gomez	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor – Comedy (Television)	Aaron Dominguez	Nominated
MPSE Golden Reel Awards	2022	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action Under 35 Minutes	Mathew Waters, Danika Wikke, Meredith Stacy, and Micha Liberman (for "The Boy From 6B")	Won
	2023	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action Under 35 Minutes	Matthew Waters, Danika Wikke, Borja Sau, Eric Offin, Arno Stephanian, Sanaa Kelley, Adam DeCoster (for "Framed")	Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards	2022	Best Team	Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short	Nominated
	2023	Best Performance in a Show	Selena Gomez	Nominated
		Best Kiss	Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne	Nominated
Peabody Awards	2022	Entertainment	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
People's Choice Awards	2021	The Comedy Show of 2021	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		The Comedy TV Star of 2021	Selena Gomez	Won
			Steve Martin	Nominated
	2022	The Comedy Show of 2022	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		The Female TV Star of 2022	Selena Gomez	Nominated
		The Comedy TV Star of 2022	Selena Gomez	Won
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	2022	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	Nathan Lane (for "The Boy From 6B")	Won
		Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Jane Lynch (for "Double Time")	Nominated
		Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series	Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Little Canfield	Nominated
		Outstanding Contemporary Costumes	Dana Covarrubias, Amanda Bujak, and Amy Burt (for "Who Is Tim Kono?")	Nominated
		Outstanding Main Title Design	Lisa Bolan, Tnaya Witmer, Laura Perez, James Hurlburt, Evan Larimore, and Jahmad Rollins Rollins	Nominated
		Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)	Siddhartha Khosla (for "The Boy From 6B")	Nominated
		Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music	Siddhartha Khosla	Nominated
		Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour)	Curt Beech, Jordan Jacobs, and Rich Murray (for "True Crime")	Won
		Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series	JoAnne Marie Yarrow (for "Fan Fiction")	Nominated
			Julie Monroe (for "Open and Shut")	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation	Lindsey Alvarez, Mathew Waters, Joseph White Jr. and Alan Demoss (for "The Boy from 6B")	Won
	2023	Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series	Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question	Pending
		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	Nathan Lane (for "Here's Looking at You")	Pending
		Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour)	Patrick Howe, Jordan Jacobs, and Rich Murray (for "Sparring Partners" / "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
		Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series	Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Canfield, and Destiny Lilly	Pending
		Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour)	Chris Teague (for "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
		Outstanding Contemporary Costumes	Dana Covarrubias, Abby Geoghegan, and Kathleen Gerlach (for "Framed")	Pending
		Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling	Betsy Reyes, Tonia Ciccone, Fabian Gonzalez, and Kerrie Smith (for "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
		Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series	Peggy Tachdjian (for "The Last Day of Bunny Folger")	Pending
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation	Penny Harold, Andrew Lange, Joseph White Jr., and Alan DeMoss (for "The Tell")	Pending
Primetime Emmy Awards	2022	Outstanding Comedy Series	Various	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
		Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series	Jamie Babbit (for "True Crime")	Nominated
			Cherien Dabis (for "The Boy From 6B")	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	Steve Martin and John Hoffman (for "True Crime")	Nominated
	2023	Outstanding Comedy Series	Various	Pending
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Martin Short	Pending
		Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series	John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese, and Rob Turbovsky (for "I Know Who Did It")	Pending
Producers Guild of America Awards	2022	Best Episodic Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
	2023	Best Episodic Comedy	Various	Nominated
		Outstanding Short-Form Program	Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question	Won
Satellite Awards	2022	Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Steve Martin	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Selena Gomez	Nominated
	2023	Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Selena Gomez	Won
		Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy	Martin Short	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards	2022	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Aaron Dominguez, Selena Gomez, Jackie Hoffman, Jayne Houdyshell, Steve Martin, Amy Ryan, and Martin Short	Nominated
	2023	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series	Steve Martin	Nominated
			Martin Short	Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Michael Cyril Creighton, Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez, Jayne Houdyshell, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Adina Verson	Nominated
Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards	2023	Outstanding Score for Television	Siddhartha Khosla	Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards	2022	Outstanding New Program	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement in Comedy	Only Murders in the Building	Nominated
		Individual Achievement in Comedy	Steve Martin	Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards	2022	Comedy Series	Various	Nominated
		New Series	Various	Nominated
		Episodic Comedy	Steve Martin & John Hoffman (for "True Crime")	Nominated
	2023	Comedy Series	Various	Nominated

The seventh episode of the first season was given the Seal of Authentic Representation from the Ruderman Family Foundation for the portrayal of Theo by James Caverly, as an actor with a disability and at least five lines of dialogue. The first season was recognized with The ReFrame Stamp for hiring people of underrepresented gender identities, and of color.

External links

• Only Murders in the Building on Hulu
• Only Murders in the Building at IMDb 
• Official pilot screenplay