This review contains partial spoilers for season 4 of Only Murders in the Building, the first episode of which is now streaming on Hulu.
For the first three seasons of Only Murders in the Building, the comedic whodunit’s central trio investigated the deaths of people who were largely viewed with indifference (or outright contempt) by their neighbors and fellow New Yorkers. It was only through the work of true-crime enthusiasts-turned-amateur sleuths-turned podcasters Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) that anyone in the posh apartments of The Arconia came to understand the inner complexities of the victims’ lives. By killing off a close friend of Charles’ at the beginning of season 4, Only Murders in the Building doesn’t just flip its usual script – it returns to form, restoring the signature mix of personal drama and convoluted murder boards that was often overshadowed by last season’s extended parody of Broadway musicals.
Charles’ perpetually perky stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) has been a regular guest star since season 1, and her death – as teased in season 3’s cliffhanger ending – gives fresh urgency to Only Murders. It’s eventually revealed just how little Charles actually knew about one of the most important people in his life, and visions of Sazz haunt the faded TV star, coaching him through the process of avenging her. Lynch’s similar appearance to Martin was previously played as a joke on his slight build, but there’s a poignant counter in the reveal that Sazz’s height made it hard for her to find women actors to stand in for. As his investigations put Charles in contact with other stunt doubles, he struggles to prove himself worthy of being her “face”; Martin displays a touching emotional vulnerability as his character comes to terms with just how much Sazz sacrificed for a lifetime of protecting Charles.
The themes of doubles, twins, and parallel lives are woven throughout season 4 thanks to a subplot involving a film adaptation of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel’s podcast. A trip to Los Angeles for a pitch from insistent, highly prepared movie producer Bev Mellon (Molly Shannon, bringing the manic entitlement of her turn in The White Lotus’ first season to the role) threatens to revive last season’s games of showbiz inside baseball and stunt casting. Thankfully, the trio quickly returns home, and the stars Bev has handpicked to play them – Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria as heightened versions of themselves – fit neatly into the core fabric of Only Murders.
They each reflect the podcasters’ powerful insecurities, which are laid bare as the actors try to get into character and help with the latest murder investigation. Levy appeals to Charles’ vanity as an earnest fan of his work on the crime drama Brazzos, but becomes quickly disillusioned after seeing the way bumbling and cowardly Charles fails to live up to his smooth TV persona. With his dreams of Broadway greatness crushed by murderous producers, Oliver sees the film as perhaps his last chance to leave a lasting legacy. That’s why it’s especially brutal how quickly he’s dismissed by Galifianakis, an actor the notorious clout chaser doesn’t even recognize at first glance. In one of the many meta moments of season 4, the Hangover star mentions he took the part to branch out, setting aside his usual comedic bent to play a dour straight man to the bombastic Short. He occasionally feigns enthusiasm just to more brutally eviscerate Oliver as a failure and fraud.
Mabel continues to feel adrift in her life and the series, but her role as an avatar of Millennial malaise is given new context by Longoria, who joined the project after a focus group declared the age gap between Mabel and her co-hosts “creepy.” While listing off her own professional achievements, Longoria comes up with a version of who she feels the character of Mabel should be. That provides the opportunity for Mabel to consider who she actually wants to be and what she might do with the windfall from signing away her life rights to a movie studio. It also showcases Gomez’s ability to play an old soul perpetually comfortable with being the adult in the room (despite often being the youngest person there).
After the Broadway plot firmly divided director Oliver and star Charles from Mabel – who was the only one who wanted to actually keep their podcast going – the reunification of this dysfunctional family is deeply refreshing. They receive yet another set of counterparts in the so-called Westies, the residents of the apartment tower across from theirs (and suspects in Sazz’s murder) who turn out to be an equally odd and close knit group with plenty of secrets. The guest stars make big impressions as they provide ample opportunities for gags, particularly deeply awkward pinkeye sufferer Vince Fish (Richard Kind) and the Christmas obsessive Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), who crumbles under booze-fueled grilling from Longoria and Mabel.
Season 4 also returns Only Murders in the Building to the comedy basics, with Martin getting to do plenty of great physical gags like an extended bit where he struggles to slickly slide a piece of paper across a conference room table while negotiating with Bev. The show’s memory has some holes – it remains disappointing that Charles’ surrogate daughter hasn’t been mentioned again after being such an important part of Season 2 – but the writers sneak in some solid callbacks: Oliver, still in denial about his son’s paternity, continues to claim Greek heritage. And while Michael Cyril Creighton didn’t quite earn his elevation to the main cast in season 3, his character fits in better this time around. Busybody neighbor Harold Morris makes for an inconsistent ally in the search for Sazz’s killer, always looking to improve his own fortunes whether through a role in the movie or his own spinoff podcast.
