Only Murders in the Building: The Most Memorable Guest Stars

Over three seasons, Hulu's Only Murders in the Building has made a habit of bringing on brilliant guest stars. Then again, who wouldn't jump at the chance to share screen time with Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver (Martin Short)? 

Thanks to the show's setup, there's ample opportunity for everyone. From recurring Arconia residents to side characters that randomly show up in the lead podcasters' lives, here are some of the most memorable guest stars (and recurring guest stars) from the show's first four seasons. 

One of the greatest recurring bits on Only Murders is the penthouse apartment and which celebrity currently resides there. But fans know it's Sting who actually owns the swanky abode. The musician appeared as himself in the show's first season and had fun interactions with our murder-solving trio. The most memorable, of course, was the elevator scene with Oliver when Oliver suspected Sting of poisoning his beloved bulldog. 

Although Fallon didn't appear on-screen with any of the podcasters, he did pop up as a version of himself hosting Late Night with fellow guest star Tina Fey. In the episode, Fallon interviewed Fey's character, Cinda Canning. As a rival podcasting host, Fey had quite a lot to say about Charles, Oliver, and Mabel's investigative skills, and Fallon was there hamming it up alongside her as the guys watched on in frustration.

Mandy Gonzalez is another Broadway vet who made a brilliant turn as Silvia Mora, Mable's mother. Her appearance offered more insight into Mabel's character and explained why she had been zipping around the Arconia since she was a kid. And, thanks a touching conversation between Mable and Silvia, we also learned why Mabel chose to be friends with Charles and Oliver and how much they really mean to her. 

Arnav Kapoor only appeared sporadically as Charles' next-door neighbor at the Arconia, which seems like a wasted opportunity. His importance to the show was mostly tied to his daughter (who was friends with Charles' daughter-figure Lucy), and of course, he was instrumental in putting the trio in contact with Cinda Canning. Sadly, he didn't return after Season 1, but we know he's hanging out on the 14th floor somewhere.

Teddy Dimas was a fun frenemy for Oliver over the first two seasons, because who doesn't want to see Martin Short and Nathan Lane bicker with each other? Of course, Teddy had deeper connections to the first season murder than we initially thought, and his backstory with his deaf son added a nice character layer that made us unexpectedly root for him. 

The Arconia's resident bassoonist, Jane Bellows, and Charles immediately hit it off in Season 1 and their chemistry was off the charts. While we don't want to spoil things for newcomers to the series, it's safe to say things quickly went off the rails when Charles realized how much more there was to his sweetie than meets the eye.

Vanessa Aspillaga doesn't pop up as the Arconia's building manager Ursula often, but when she does she's always hawking Gut Milk. She's also just a permanent fixture at the Arconia who has great gams (at least according to Howard) and always adds a bit of intrigue to group discussions.

Only Murders has always been about the Broadway nods, so Ali Stroker's casting as Paulette was spot-on. Paulette appeared in the first two seasons as a super fan of the Only Murders in the Building podcast. She also stalked the trio alongside her Itty-Bitty Omit-Bitty Committee club. In real life, Stroker hosted the first season of the series' official aftershow, One Killer Question, proving to be a fan of the series off-screen as well.

As Cinda Canning, Tina Fey has been a longstanding rival of the podcasters on this show, and her appearances often lead to fun exchanges with the main characters. The trio idolized her in Season 1 and competed with her in Season 2. In Season 3, her new, zen-like personality had Mabel questioning her loyalties to Charles and Oliver. In other words, she's the guest star that just keeps on giving. 

As Det. Donna Williams, Da'Vine Joy Randolph is the perfect foil (and occasional ally) for the podcasters. Although she doesn't love the podcast itself, she has a soft spot for the trio and her appearances are always meaningful to the story. As the show progresses, we continue to learn more about her off-duty personality, including her penchant for theater and watching Charles make a fool of himself. 

Bunny was the curmudgeonly head of the board at the Arconia and she was constantly butting heads with the podcasters over their unsavory reporting on her residents. Yet in the second season she went from rival to victim, anchoring the Season 2 murder mystery. Her death was sad but it led to some cool character development with the other residents, notably her BFF Uma Heller (Jackie Hoffman).

Is there any greater recurring character on Only Murders than Sazz Pataki? Watching Jane Lynch play Charles' double was a downright gift every time she appeared on-screen. From doing Charles' dirty work and breaking up with his girlfriends for him, to helping him dissect his commitment issues and trauma, Sazz was more than a stunt double; she was a fan favorite character through and through. It's devastating that her murder serves as the plot for Season 4. 

Adina Verson played Poppy, Cinda Canning's meek assistant on the series. She was a smarty pants who often appeared in the background while Cinda stole the limelight, but as it turned out, there was more to this wallflower than anyone initially thought.

After hearing about Charles' ex-girlfriend's daughter Lucy in the first season, we got to meet the character in Season 2. Lucy helped check Charles' narcissistic tendencies, but she was also key for the characters in learning more about the Arconia and its dark underbelly. 

Cara Delevingne popped up as the glamorous gallerist Alice Banks in Only Murder's second season, and quickly caught Mabel's eye. The pair's connection was palpable and Alice helped Mabel deal with some of her childhood trauma, but then Oliver convinced himself Alice was Bunny's killer. While we won't spoil whether she was, the accusations and group scenes that followed were some of the series' most memorable. So when Alice just disappeared in Season 3, it was a shame.

We always love a good origin story, and Mabel got one in Season 2 flashbacks that introduced her father, played by soaps alum Mark Consuelos. Although Consuelos spent most of his time in a hospital bed, he was an integral part of Mabel's childhood and gave her her love of puzzles. Tragically, the man died from cancer six months after being admitted, and his scenes explained Mabel's selective memory and past traumas.

Only the inimitable Shirley MacLaine could play Bunny's mother Leonora Folger with such flair, and flair is exactly what she brought to the character of Leonora Folger. With her lavish outfits, constant martini glasses, and fiery attitude, she was ruthless in discovering her daughter's murderer. Naturally, there was more to Leonora than she let on, and part of her appeal was in discovering those layers as the podcasters peeled them away.

Michael Rapaport brought the clueless law enforcement vibes to Only Murders as Det. Daniel Kreps, and his murky morals often led to problems for the trio of podcasters — particularly Mabel, who was his main suspect. As the season unrolled, Kreps' villainy only expanded, leading to another memorable addition.

When Sting moved out of the Arconia, Amy Schumer moved in as a heighted version of herself. She quickly befriended Oliver and admitted to being a fan of the podcast, which led to all kinds of fun and awkward interactions. Not only was it cool to see how she redecorated the penthouse, but she was instrumental in helping to solve the second-season murder.

We always love us an SCTV reunion and while Andrea Martin didn't share too much screen time with Martin Short, her scenes with Steve Martin were fire. As Charles' makeup artist Joy Payne, the character was invested in making Charles look great. Secretly though, she pined for him. When a relationship eventually blossomed it was glorious, right down to the oversized fish tank she lugged into his apartment.

It's not often that we see ham master Mel Brooks on-screen these days, but the 98-year-old made an exception to appear virtually on Only Murders. After Oliver and Charles fought over Charles' role in Death Rattle Dazzle and Oliver replaced him with Matthew Broderick, the director knew he'd made a mistake. So he called up Mel Brooks to get his hot take on the situation. And, as Brooks bluntly pointed out, Oliver was effed. 

Charles had a hard time memorizing the earworm patter song "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?" but his Death Rattle Dazzle replacement, Matthew Broderick, nailed it. The Ferris Bueller's Day Off graduate (and notable Broadway star) surprised everyone when he appeared on-screen, but his subsequent rivalry with Charles was magnificent.

The Grey's Anatomy alum was another one of the star-studded Season 3 additions as Tobert ("Like Robert but with a T"). A documentarian, he and Mabel grew close while investigating the Broadway murder — and even closer after Oliver and Charles were too busy to hang with their co-star. Obviously, Tobert eventually became a murder suspect too, as one does when they agree to appear on this show. 

Linda Edmond joined the cast in Season 3 as the overprotective mother and Broadway producer Donna DeMeo, who was responsible for financing Oliver's production of Death Rattle Dazzle. While she was cutthroat as a producer, her penchant for kissing her son on the lips was disturbing. Who knew that wouldn't end up being the most troubling thing about her, though?

The Broadway star and Smash alum played Clifford DeMeo, the son of producer Donna DeMeo. As mentioned above, his relationship with his mother was off-the-charts wild and icky to watch, but he also added a fun layer of entitlement and nepotism to the Broadway world. Of course, watching Oliver fawn over him and his production dollars was particularly fun.

As Dickie Glenroy, Jeremy Shamos was perfectly cast. He was Ben's adoptive brother and manager, and over the season he easily went from a backstage dweller, to an assertive manager, to a mourning family member. His backstory also ended up being essential to the murder at hand, and he was involved in some of the season's best reveals.

When you cast someone like Ashley Park to join a fictional Broadway musical, it's a no-brainer that she should sing. So naturally, the Emily in Paris star shared a memorable musical moment with Meryl Streep as Kimber Min. When she wasn't "performing" though, Kimber's side hustle as an influencer was equally fun, and she made for a great suspect in the meta-season that was Season 3.

We're used to seeing the ageless Paul Rudd as the good guy or the Everyman. But when he popped up on Only Murders as Ben Glenroy, he was the jerk-store lead in Oliver's Broadway production. Honestly, he was perfect for the role. Although he only appeared in flashbacks (he was murdered, after all), his cookie-needing lead character energy rivaled Charles' tendencies and made the mystery even more fun to solve. He also became the newest resident of the Arconia when he took over the penthouse lease, filling it with CoBro swag.

In Season 4 the actor returned, only this time as Glen Stubbins, Ben's Irish stunt double. Ummm, more of that, please.

We can all agree that Streep is an on-screen legend and guru, so her addition as Loretta Durkin was something to celebrate. She didn't disappoint, whether she was pursuing her lifelong dreams of becoming a star, flirting with Oliver in that shy way of hers, or trying to bond with a certain someone from her past. Her return in Season 4 is a welcome one, because deep down we all want Oliver to be happy and free of his dip obsession. 

We're suckers whenever Only Murders hires someone to play a heightened version of themselves, and Levy's stint didn't disappoint. He and Steve Martin are always hilarious, but watching Levy get into Charles' head was especially fun. More importantly, the recurring stint was the Short-Levy SCTV reunion we didn't even know we needed.

Longoria as a fictionalized version of herself, studying to play an aged-up version of Mabel? Um, yes, please. Between the actor's ridiculous outfits and signature diva-ness, she was downright delightful opposite Gomez. Add in that meta Desperate Housewives nod, and we were all in. 

Would Galifianakis be our first choice to play Oliver in the fictional movie? Hard no. However, the casting was pretty genius. Not only did Oliver have no clue who the actor (playing a version of himself) was, but it led to another classic Oliver temper tantrum. Also, the fact that Galifianakis' character was totally uninterested in getting to know Oliver was pure gold. 

Hands up if you were surprised when the Quantum Leap alum appeared in the fourth-season premiere as a version of himself. His name had been mentioned in the series previously, but we were tickled that he showed up at a party dating Charles' ex, Joy (Andrea Martin).

There's always been room to explore more of the Arconia residents in this series, making Kind's appearance as Vince Fish natural. It was hilarious to see him play a West Tower resident, especially as the leader of the "Westies." As for the eye patch he wore to cover his perma-pink eye? Well, that was a total Only Murders move if you ask us.

Shannon was born to play a studio exec, and her gig as Bev Melon on the series was perfect casting. Watching her wrangle the podcasting trio and those hired to play them in the movie was a fun addition to the season. She also made for a delightful suspect, because who doesn't want to watch the former SNLer act just a little unhinged?

Another weird but hilarious Westies addition in the show's latest season was Rudy Thurber, the Christmas-obsessed resident who could even make Santa rethink his candy cane obsession. Between the holiday quirk and the solid performance, here's hoping there's more to this story next season.

McCarthy may not have been who we'd pictured as Oliver's younger sister, Doreen, but she quickly sold it thanks to her doll obsession and subsequent fight with Loretta. Because who doesn't want to see McCarthy and Meryl Streep go toe-to-toe?!

No fictional movie is complete without a set of young and aspiring directors to push their vision on everyone, and this duo did precisely that as the Brothers Sisters. Naturally, they came to the project fresh off a Cannes Film Festival run, which added even more complexity to their relationship with Charles and Oliver.

One of our favorite Pachinko actors showed up looking totally different in Only Murders, where he embodied the role of screenwriter Marshall P. Pope for the OMITB movie.

We love a good Broadway or film connection on Only Murders, and this Rent and In the Heights star was a fun little nod to the show's roots. Of course, Inez quickly became a suspect since she was obsessed with Charles, but watching her make the podcaster slightly uncomfortable was also a high point.

The This Is Us alum and Practical Magic director was a mysterious addition as the Brothers Sisters' film professor. Of course, the connection went even deeper, when we learned he's also one of the Arconia's Westies. 

The bad boy of tennis is no stranger to TV cameos, and his fifth-episode appearance was perfectly timed. When Oliver yelled at a group of kids, McEnroe popped up to chastise the character for yelling at children, screaming at Oliver in his signature way.

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