“Only Murders in the Building” first premiered in 2021 and returned on Aug. 27 for its fourth season. The Hulu original show, which boasts equal parts of humor, quirkiness and suspense, will release new episodes on a weekly basis.
The comedy-drama is led by a star-studded trio consisting of Martin Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin, who is an executive producer alongside Short and Gomez, as well as a co-creator.
The past three seasons have featured riveting murder-mysteries, but the last season packed a particularly powerful punch. Season three featured remarkable comedy and was loaded with an incredible arsenal of actors like Paul Rudd, Jesse Williams and Meryl Streep who stepped in to play new and eccentric characters—not to mention the presence of vivacious, Emmy-nominated musical numbers.
In the show’s traditional style, the ending of the last season set up the premise for the following season. Season three ended with Sazz Pataki, the former stunt double to Charles Hayden-Savage while he acted on “Brazzos,” being mistaken for Charles and, consequently, being shot dead by a sniper. Sazz, played by Jane Lynch, was a comical and playful recurring character whose death, came as a shock to viewers. Ultimately, this established the perfect starting point for yet another season of “Only Murders in the Building.”
Currently, only four episodes have been released. Despite the few episodes, many events have already occurred. The season begins with the beloved crime-solving trio taking their podcast to Hollywood upon receiving a movie adaptation offer. This is a slight turnaround from the last season, where we saw Oliver pursuing a musical theater production.
It doesn’t take long for Mabel, Charles and Oliver to jump straight into another murder mystery. This time, they are accompanied by their Hollywood counterparts, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy and Zach Galifianakis respectively. True to the show’s core, it remains set in the Arconia, but the cut-throat world of Hollywood is ever so prevalent within the hallways of the notorious building where the characters reside. Each season features a distinct quality that sets it apart from the other seasons. The unique feature in this season is not only the Hollywood twist, but also the introduction of the Arconia’s East Wing, where viewers meet even more characters.
It was refreshing to see a different start to the season. Instead of the usual opening, where the trio discovers a dead body after successfully concluding a murder mystery, they are given a slight reprieve. Their discovery of Sazz’s death is far more of a slow-burn this season. It’s not until after the gang has already been in Los Angeles for about a day that they realize that she has been murdered. Moreover, there was no body discovered; in fact, what remained of Sazz’s body was found in an incinerator shaft at the end of the first episode.
