★★★★ | Murder, she podcast
Ever since its inception, Only Murders in the Building has struck the fine line between classy, slapstick, and often unnerving. Like the best murder mysteries, it captivates because beneath all the silliness, there’s an undercurrent of genuine danger.
In season 4, returning to Disney Plus on August 27th., that danger is more present than ever. We pick up immediately where we left last season, with Sazz, Charles’s stand-in and friend, shot by a mystery assailant. Ever oblivious, Charles believes his friend has bolted off to a more interesting engagement. Yet he can’t help but worry. Even an airhead like Sazz would let themselves be known at some point, right?
It’s soon that both he, and the audience, realize that the worst has come to pass. Once again, there is a murder in the building, and it falls on our hapless trio to solve it. But this time, the ghosts of the past might prove too daunting to handle.
The twists and surprises are too fun to spoil, and this is still a series best experienced cold. Like the stories it emulates, Only Murders in the Building is a rollercoaster that works in the moment. Think too hard on it, and logic threatens to pull it apart at the seams. But if you allow yourself to go with the breezy plotting and charming bickering, the delights feel endless. Especially as the trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and the luminous Selena Gomez continue to bring their A-game year after year.
Other series regulars are welcome returns as well. Michael Cyril Creighton is hilarious as ever as Howard, now a proud dog owner. Meryl Streep is charming as ever as Loretta, the actress of Oliver’s dreams, who grows even further into her own as the season progresses. This is a series that lives and dies by its cast, and apart from the rare misstep, it maintains its status as one of the finest on television.
Most importantly, I appreciate how it balances its tone. While there is an irreverence to the proceedings, and it never forgets to make fun of its own industry, Only Murders in the Building never laughs at the subject. There isn’t a sense that anyone is above the material, which makes all the difference. To some, these podcasts matter, and there’s a genuine love for that passion. Short and Martin play the butt of the jokes beautifully, and it’s an important distinction that their hubris only hurts them.
Gomez has grown into her part even stronger than before. Mabel is a complex person, who is still figuring herself out in a world of people twice her age. Those who’ve had decades to settle into their souls. Gomez’s tender performance allows us to always be on her side as she does. If you came for the classic comedic strengths of Martin and Short, you’ll probably stay for her magnetic presence.
Only Murders in the Building is a triumph. In today’s landscape, it’s nothing short of a marvel. It feels like a throwback to a better time in television history. Not just for its classy plotting and direction, but for how much it gives us every year. This is a tremendous and tremendously reliable series, one that I could happily watch every year for a decade without getting bored.