To Protect And Serve (Only Murders In The Building)
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''Only Murders in the Building'' is an American
mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
television series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. The ten-episode first season premiered on
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
in August 2021. The plot follows three strangers played by Steve Martin,
Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...
, and Selena Gomez, with a shared interest in true crime podcasts who join together to investigate a death in the apartment building they all live in. The series has received critical acclaim for its comedic approach to
crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
, as well as the performances and chemistry among the lead performers. In the first season, after a suspicious death in their affluent
Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
apartment building, the three neighbors start their own podcast about their investigation. In the second season, which premiered in June 2022, the trio themselves become suspects in the bloody murder of another building resident. The series has received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...
for Martin and Short. In July 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.


Cast and characters


Main

* Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage, a semi-retired actor who was the star of the popular 1990s detective drama TV series ''Brazzos''. He lives in 14C at the Arconia. *
Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...
as Oliver Putnam, an ambitious but financially struggling Broadway director who spawns the idea of the podcast and becomes its director. He lives in 10D at the Arconia. * Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora, a young artist who lives in 12E at the Arconia, a refurnished unit that she is renovating for her aunt 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) portray 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 and recently released from prison. *
Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski, known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress of stage and screen. A graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts, she is an Academy Award nominee and two-time Tony Award nominee. Ryan began her pr ...
as Jan Bellows (season 1; recurring season 2), a professional bassoonist who lives in 6A at the Arconia and starts dating Charles. * Cara Delevingne as Alice Banks (season 2), Mabel's love interest who works at an art studio called Third Arm Gallery


Recurring

* Vanessa Aspillaga as Ursula, the Arconia's
building manager Building management (in the UK) is a discipline that comes under the umbrella of facility management. Hard services usually relate to physical, structural services such as fire alarm systems, lifts, and so on whereas soft services allude to cleaning ...
* Julian Cihi as Tim Kono (season 1), a resident of 9A at the Arconia who dies in the first episode. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his death spur Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to do their own investigation. *
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
as Cinda Canning, the host of the true crime podcast ''All Is Not OK in Oklahoma'', a parody of Sarah Koenig * Adina Verson as Poppy White, the ambitious but abused assistant of Cinda. * Ryan Broussard as Will Putnam, Oliver's son *
Maulik Pancholy Maulik Navin Pancholy (, born January 18, 1974) is an American actor and author who is best known for his roles as Jonathan on ''30 Rock'', Baljeet Tjinder in ''Phineas and Ferb'', Neal in the first season of ''Whitney'', and as a character named ...
as Arnav (season 1), Charles' next-door neighbor, an Arconia resident in apartment 14F * Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller, an Arconia resident in apartment 3F *
Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American, Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. Houdyshell made her Broadway debut in the 2005 production of ''It's a Wonderful Life''. The following year she earn ...
as Bunny Folger, the iron-fisted board president of the Arconia and resident in 12A. Bunny appears in flashbacks in season 2. ** Houdyshell also voices Mrs. Gambolini (season 2), Bunny's pet parrot who was left to Oliver in her will *
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Da'Vine Joy Randolph (born May 21, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She first gained recognition as Oda Mae Brown in the Broadway production of '' Ghost: The Musical'' (2012); she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a ...
as Detective Williams, a detective on the Kono murder who initially closed the case but becomes interested again after her wife starts listening to the podcast * Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas, a Greek American Arconia resident in apartment 6B, deli chain owner, and old friend and patron of Oliver's with ties to
organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
, who agrees to sponsor the podcast. *
James Caverly James "Joey" Caverly (born in 1988 or 1989) is an American actor who has been Deaf since birth. Personal life Caverly was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has been deaf since birth and has an older sister who is also deaf, as well as ...
as Theo Dimas, Teddy Dimas's son who is deaf and also lives in apartment 6B *
Michael Cyril Creighton Michael Cyril Creighton is an American actor and writer best known for his portrayal of Howard Morris in ''Only Murders in the Building'', Patrick in ''High Maintenance'', Joe Crowley in ''Spotlight'' and his Writers Guild of America Award-winni ...
as Howard Morris, a resident in Arconia apartment 3C and cat lover, whose cat Evelyn died the same night as Tim Kono *
Zainab Jah Zainab Jah is a British award-winning theater, television and film actress of Sierra Leonean descent. She is mostly known for her theater performances as Maima (Wife Number Two) in Danai Gurira's Broadway play '' Eclipsed'', ''Venus'', and ''Sch ...
as Ndidi Idoko (season 1), an Arconia resident in apartment 9B, Tim Kono's next-door neighbor who looks forward to annexing his apartment * Russell G. Jones as Dr. Grover Stanley, an Arconia resident in apartment 6C who is a therapist * Jaboukie Young-White,
Daniel Oreskes Daniel Oreskes is an American actor known for his roles in ''Law & Order'', and ''Law & Order: Organized Crime''. Oreskes has also appeared in numerous Broadway theatre, Broadway productions and narrates audiobooks. Oreskes graduated from the Un ...
, Ali Stroker and Orson Hong as Sam, Marv, Paulette and Grant, enthusiastic fans of the ''Only Murders in the Building'' podcast * Olivia Reis as Zoe Cassidy (season 1), a friend of Mabel, Tim, and Oscar who died ten years ago after falling from the roof of the Arconia * Teddy Coluca as Lester, the doorman at the Arconia * 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 on Bunny's murder * Christine Ko as Nina Lin (season 2), Bunny's protégé and the Arconia's new board president * Ariel Shafir as Ivan (season 2), a server at Bunny's regular diner *
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
as Ben Glenroy (season 3; guest season 2), a theater actor who dies while performing on stage


Guest

*
Adriane Lenox Adriane Lenox is an American actress, best known for her performances in Broadway theatre. Her performance in the play ''Doubt: A Parable'' garnered her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2005. She received another Tony Award ...
as Roberta, Oliver's ex-wife *
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...
as a fictionalized version of himself (season 1), an Arconia resident *
Roy Wood Jr. Roy Norris Wood Jr. (born December 11, 1978) is an American humorist, stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, radio personality, actor, producer, podcaster, and writer best known for his correspondent appearances on ''The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ...
and Jacob Ming-Trent as Vaughn and Lucian (season 1), hosts of a horticulture podcast who give Charles and Oliver a ride *
Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...
as himself (season 1) *
Mandy Gonzalez Mandy Gonzalez (born August 22, 1978)Mandy Gonzalez
on
Jane Lynch as Sazz Pataki, Charles' stunt double * Amy Schumer as a fictionalized version of herself (season 2). She 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 Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
as Rose Cooper (season 2), Charles' father's lover and painter, who pretended to be Bunny's mother, Leonora Folger. * Andrea Martin as Joy (season 2), Charles' longtime makeup artist and love interest * Mark Consuelos as Mabel's late father (season 2) * Jason Veasey as Jonathan, Howard's neighbor and love interest (season 2)


Episodes


Season 1 (2021)


Season 2 (2022)


Production


Development

In January 2020, it was announced that Steve Martin and
Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...
would star in an untitled Hulu series, created by Martin and John Hoffman, with Martin, Short, and Hoffman as executive producers, alongside Dan Fogelman, with
20th Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...
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.


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 Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski, known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress of stage and screen. A graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts, she is an Academy Award nominee and two-time Tony Award nominee. Ryan began her pr ...
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 Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
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.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the first season began on December 3, 2020, in New York City, and concluded in April 2021.
The Belnord The Belnord is an apartment building at Broadway and 86th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is a New York City Landmark and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Construction The Belnor ...
was used for exterior shots of the Arconia. Filming of the second season began on December 1, 2021. Filming for the third season is set to begin in January 2023.


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 Kirker Butler is an American writer, who has written and produced shows such as ''Family Guy'', ''The Cleveland Show'', ''The Neighbors (2012 TV series)'', ''Galavant'', and ''Life in Pieces''. Career Butler joined ''Family Guy'' in 2004, and h ...
, with Paul Shaffer as producer. An album for season 2 was released on August 12, 2022.


Release

''Only Murders in the Building'' premiered on August 31, 2021, on
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. Internationally, the series premiered on the same day on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
under the dedicated streaming hub
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
, as an original series, and on Star+ in Latin America.
Disney+ Hotstar The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
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.


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 A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' 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

For the first season,
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 105 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 Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
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 ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', Alan Sepinwall gave a rating of four and a half out of five stars and said, "The series soon turns out to belike ''
The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...
'', ''
Galaxy Quest ''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the fi ...
'', 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 110 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".


Accolades

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 James "Joey" Caverly (born in 1988 or 1989) is an American actor who has been Deaf since birth. Personal life Caverly was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has been deaf since birth and has an older sister who is also deaf, as well as ...
, as an actor with a disability and at least five lines of dialogue. The first season was recognized with
The ReFrame Stamp The ReFrame Stamp for Gender-Balanced Production certification is awarded by ReFrame to corporations and media that show progress toward gender equality and greater representation of women in key roles. History On June 8, 2018, the ReFrame Stam ...
for hiring people of underrepresented gender identities, and of color.


Notes


References


External links

* *
Official pilot screenplay
{{Hulu Only Murders in the Building 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2020s American mystery television series 2020s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2020s American LGBT-related drama television series 2021 American television series debuts English-language television shows Television series created by Steve Martin Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Murder in television Television shows filmed in New York City Television shows set in Manhattan Bisexuality-related television series Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series