TV Tuesday: Only Murders in the Building

Way back in my Summer TV Preview at the start of July, I mentioned a new show I was really looking forward to, even though it wasn't due to start until the end of summer. Only Murders in the Building has a cast of comedy gold, so I had high expectations ... and they were exceeded! My husband and I both enjoyed this murder mystery-comedy-drama and were disappointed when it ended.

In New York, there's a fancy apartment building called The Arconia, whose residents include celebrities and other successful people (to varying degrees). Typically, its residents keep to themselves, but now someone in their building has died, under suspicious circumstances. At first, police determine that Tim Kono's death was a suicide, but it's not that clear-cut. The building is cleared while the police investigate, and three very different residents end up waiting in the same neighborhood restaurant together. They discover that all three of them are serious fans of a particular true-crime podcast, and they end up discussing the ins and outs of that case in depth. Charles, played by Steve Martin, is a somewhat stiff and pompous guy who used to be an actor. In his best-known role, he played a detective on a cop show for years. He vaguely knows his neighbor, Oliver (played by Martin Short), who works as a director of plays in New York. Before the death in their building and their meeting in the restaurant, neither of them knew Mable, played by Selena Gomez, but the three of them quickly bond over their love of the true crime podcast. When they return to the building and begin to find clues suggesting that Tim's death might not have been suicide, they decide to start their own true-crime podcast, Only Murders in the Building, investigating on their own and reporting to their followers. Detective work, suspense, and hijinks ensue!

A TV concept created by Steve Martin and starring himself and Martin Short? With Selena Gomez as their young, much cooler partner? I'm in! This unique show really has it all. It's a murder mystery with plenty of plot twists, surprises, and suspense. It's also very, very funny, with comedy royalty (and best friends) Steve Martin and Martin Short at the helm, with great chemistry with their co-star Selena. And surprisingly, it is also warm and touching, as the three loners begin to get to know each other, eventually reveal their secrets, and develop a real friendship. Other big stars like Nathan Lane appear in the story, too, much to our delight. We just loved everything about this show and enjoyed every episode. Our only complaint? It was over much too soon! But good news: season two is scheduled for release in 2022. We can't wait to see what happens next.

Only Murders in the Building is a Hulu original, so it is available exclusively on Hulu.