TV

Only Murders in the Building

Warning: don't move into The Arconia.

Photo: Patrick Harbron/Hulu

“Wouldn’t it be fun to do a TV show send-up of true-crime podcasts? Wouldn’t it be fun to write a role for Martin Short where he gets to play to all of his biggest, silliest impulses but also gets to show his rarer poignant side? Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to do it classic whodunit style, with everything centered on a big, stodgy Upper East Side apartment building? What if it juggled different narrators for each episode? What if there were a bassoonist played by Amy Ryan, and what if, for some reason, Sting showed up! What if you, Steve Martin, the creator of this show, also starred in it? What if you also get Selena Gomez to star in it! Does that make sense? Is that going to work? Unclear, but wouldn’t it be fun to try?” — Kathryn VanArendonk, “Only Murders in the Building Is a Joyful True-Crime Parody Romp”

  1. Episode 10 Open and Shut
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Finale Recap: We Are All Tim Kono The finale ties up enough loose ends to satisfy but holds on to some unfinished business to keep the story going.
  2. Episode 9 Double Time
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Romantic Fury The penultimate episode of the season smoothly builds up to Jan’s secret.
  3. Episode 8 Fan Fiction
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Outside the Box In “Fan Fiction,” pressure from Teddy and their fans make Oliver, Mabel, and Charles rush the most crucial episode yet.
  4. Episode 7 The Boy from 6B
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Shine On A truly inspiring episode answers nearly all the questions remaining about the night Zoe died.
  5. Episode 6 To Protect and Serve
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Forward, Not Back The most emotional and meta episode yet reveals just how connected Tim and Zoe’s deaths truly are.
  6. Episode 5 Twist
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: My Head Is Spinning With All These Lies It only took leaving New York City for Charles and Oliver to find out Mabel’s secret past.
  7. Episode 4 The Sting
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Embrace the Mess The past catches up to Charles and Mabel. And Sting.
  8. Episode 3 How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Make a Splash Martin Short is allowed to do the absolute most in Oliver’s breakout episode.
  9. Episode 2 Who Is Tim Kono?
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Every Person Is a Mystery In true-crime fashion, the past never stays solely in the past. And who knew uncovering the past could be so much fun?
  10. Episode 1 True Crime
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Premiere Recap: What Is It About You? Steven Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez bring plenty of charm in Hulu’s new true-crime comedy.
  1. Episode 10 I Know Who Did It
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Finale Recap: To Catch a Podcaster The Arconia Three have identified Bunny Folger’s murderer. As a viewer, though, you can’t help but feel that not all of these clues add up.
  2. Episode 9 Sparring Partners
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: All Is Not OK in NYC Is identifying a killer harder than sorting out daddy issues? Hard to say.
  3. Episode 8 Hello Darkness
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: What Turns Up in the Dark A citywide blackout sends the Arconia into darkness while OMITB threatens to lose the plot.
  4. Episode 7 Flipping the Pieces
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Unlikely Allies Mabel and Theo spend the day at Coney Island and realize just how far their parents will go to protect them.
  5. Episode 6 Performance Review
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: A (Glitter) Bombshell Murder mystery parties and TV reboots aside, the trio’s lives are on the line.
  6. Episode 5 The Tell
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Oliver, Twist Only Murders tries a little too hard to recapture the magic of season one in an uncharacteristically blunt episode.
  7. Episode 4 Here’s Looking at You …
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Charles in Charge We’re learning so much about Charles.
  8. Episode 3 The Last Day Of Bunny Folger
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Baby-Bumpy Betrayal In order to solve a murder mystery, you have to get to know the victim — that’s amateur sleuthing 101.
  9. Episode 2 Framed
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Affairs to Remember The core trio is as dynamite as ever, but the new additions are more of a mixed bag.
  10. Episode 1 Persons of Interest
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Premiere Recap: A Whole New Direction The Only Murders crew will have to clear their names if they want to reap the rewards of renewed relevance and newfound notoriety.
  1. Episode 10 Opening Night
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Finale Recap: Curtain Call It’s opening night for Death Rattle Dazzle — again — and closing night for the case of who killed Ben Glenroy.
  2. Episode 9 Thirty
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Fathers of the Bride It looks like the crew has cracked the case and has their murderer. Now what?
  3. Episode 8 Sitzprobe
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Tricky Dickie Meryl Streep can’t be guilty of murder, right?
  4. Episode 7 CoBro
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: The Trio’s Day Off Charles gets his long-awaited revenge on Matthew Broderick, while Mabel goes full ‘Save Greg.’
  5. Episode 6 Ghost Light
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Low Spirits If the Arconia three split up, who gets custody of the podcast?
  6. Episode 5 Ah, Love!
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Expiration Date The Arconia three have never had much luck in love. You know, with all the murders and such.
  7. Episode 4 The White Room
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Lipstick on a Pig Something fishy is going on with Joy, beyond just that aquarium.
  8. Episode 3 Grab Your Hankies
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Hanky Panky Oliver may have found his showstopping lead in Loretta, but Charles and Mabel aren’t much closer to finding Ben’s murderer.
  9. Episode 2 The Beat Goes On
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Cardiac Arrests Mabel and Charles’s past connections with Ben give them even more motivation to solve his murder.
  10. Episode 1 The Show Must…
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Premiere Recap: Curtain Up Things were going so well for a minute there.
  1. Episode 10 My Best Friend’s Wedding
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Finale Recap: Writer’s Glock This is the happiest ending in an Only Murders finale, but we’re renewed for another season, so you know what that means.
  2. Episode 9 Escape From Planet Klongo
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: On Fire With crucial evidence found lying in plain sight, everything has seemingly clicked into place — now they just have to catch the killer.
  3. Episode 8 Lifeboat
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Dude, Where’s My Noff? A new break in the case leads our trio to … another unlikely trio that became a found family within the Arconia.
  4. Episode 7 Valley of the Dolls
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Long Island Living Only Murders knows how to perfectly deploy Meryl Streep and make her feel like a significant part of the story (even though she’s barely in the show).
  5. Episode 6 Blow-Up
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Keep Shooting The found-footage documentary format makes for a fun, if disorienting, change of pace.
  6. Episode 5 Adaptation
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: It Takes Two This killer might just be the most dangerous thing of all: bicoastal.
  7. Episode 4 The Stunt Man
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Cop a Squat Sazz gives Charles a clue from beyond the grave.
  8. Episode 3 Two for the Road
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Perfect Strangers The actors assist Mabel, Charles, and Oliver during their investigation with mixed results.
  9. Episode 2 Gates of Heaven
    Only Murders in the Building Recap: Show Your Cards Charles is finally left to reconcile his complicated relationship with Sazz, which means we get more time with Jane Lynch.
  10. Episode 1 Once Upon a Time in the West
    Only Murders in the Building Season-Premiere Recap: Short ’n’ Streep The podcast may be going to Hollywood, but we’re not done with the Arconia yet. There is a murder to solve, after all.

More on Only Murders in the Building

  1. close read
    For the Love of Pop CultureOnly Murders in the Building returned to the ties that bind in season four.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  2. good gossip
    Meryl Streep and Martin Short Are Making This Way Too Much FunThe Only Murders stars keep us guessing, and we’re all better for it.
    By Fran Hoepfner
  3. scenes from an american tv show
    Valley of the Dolls
    Only Murders’ Billy Joel Gag Was a Love Song to Long Islanders“Having ‘a bottle of red, a bottle of white’ over and over again really made me laugh.”
    By Devon Ivie
  4. a long talk
    Richard Kind Will Accept 93 Percent of Job OffersThe actor, now a guest star on Only Murders, just loves saying yes to roles. “What else am I going to do on a Tuesday and a Wednesday?”
    By Devon Ivie
  5. gold rush
    How Did Best Song Become the Year’s Most Exciting Emmys Race?The Pickwick Triplets could bring Pasek and Paul their EGOT — if Mother Maya, Babs, ‘Girls5Eva,’ and ‘True Detective’ don’t get in the way.
    By Joe Reid and Jackson McHenry
  6. arconia mania
    The Darkest Murder in the BuildingOnly Murders adjusts its tone — with a little help from Sergio Leone — to depict a true moment of trauma.
    By Devon Ivie
  7. tv review
    Only Murders Is Back in the Building, Baby!Don’t be fooled by season four’s Hollywood sojourn. This series feels more at home than it’s ever been.
    By Nicholas Quah
  8. open investigation
    The White Room
    Only Murders in the Building Gets May December-edThe season four trailer just came out and there are actors shadowing galore.
    By Jason P. Frank
  9. show notes
    Opening Night
    The Arconia Might Just Be HellLet’s stop pretending Only Murders in the Building is a comedy.
    By Nicholas Quah
  10. some questions
    Some Questions for Only Murders in the Building’s Season-3 FinaleWho’s leaking Maxine’s reviews, and what exactly is the plot of Death Rattle Dazzle?
    By Jackson McHenry
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