Early on in Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building one intriguing discussion is shared with the audience (meta-self awareness and all):
– “If this is the part where you tell us not to investigate, then you’re wasting your time.”
– “Yeah, after 3 seasons I guessed that.”
That’s right: after childhood best friends, annoying neighbours, and an arrogant movie star played by Paul Rudd, there’s been another murder in the building and our favourite trio are desperate to solve it — fourth time is still the charm.
As our favorite crime-fighting crew return to the Arconia for yet another murder, this one hits a little close to home for one of our beloved podcast producers. As last season’s gripping final moments showed us, the next victim of Arconia’s increasingly unlucky curse (how could anyone still live there?) is Charles’ stunt double, and fan favorite, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch). Now it’s down to Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mable (Selena Gomez) to find Sazz’s killer before they can strike again.
But, of course, everything is not always what it seems in this spooky NYC apartment building. Known for looking exactly like Charles, there is an obvious concern that everyone’s favourite grumbling worn-out actor was the real target of Sazz’s killer. And just as the trio’s explorations lead them into inner workings of Sazz’s stunt world, they receive a perfectly-timed movie offer, from a fictional studio eager to adapt the group’s infamous in-world podcast into a big budget blockbuster (if they’re willing to sign their life rights away, of course).
As the murder investigation (and season 4 of their podcast) commences, the long trail towards justice leads our trio into the heart of Hollywood and deeper within the confines of that ghostly Arconia. Mysterious, dramatic and ever the laugh-out-loud show we’ve loved before, Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building takes the characters, tales and patterns we know and love and pushes them into new areas of exploration. With new emotional insecurities to contemplate, a new movie to produce and another murder to solve, this is Only Murders at its most beloved, with just enough unprecedented surprises to leave long-term fans on the edge of their seats.
While fresh storytelling ideas work well to blend the new frontier of Hollywood with the NYC landscape, and some dark scenes push us into the more morbid terrains of our characters’ traumas, this show really does know how to keep re-inventing an idea as simple as a murder in a building.
Our main detective trio return in prime form, their comedic and emotional chemistry never faltering. Oliver’s girlfriend Loretta (Meryl Streep) offers just as much heart-searching despite their long-distance strains, and fan-favourite Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) returns with perfect humour, and even a new animal or two. Guest star Detective Williams (Da’vine Joy Randolph, fresh off her 2024 Oscar win), even makes a few blazing appearances, much to the audiences’ joy.
Joining the menagerie of people in this increasinly crowded building are an epic cohort of stars old and new. The trio of actors cast to play our core group in the movie are a particular delight, with fictionalised versions of Eugene Levy, Zack Galifianakis and Eva Longoria bringing a fantastic sense of fun and whimsy to their interpretations of Charles, Oliver and Mabel. And it wouldn’t be a season of Only Murders without some spooky guest appearances from the deceased themselves, and boy does the show know how to use a ghostly Jane Lynch well.
Most of the best jaw-dropping, chill-inducing, laugh-out-loud moments from the season must be seen to be believed — but fans can expect some truly epic scares just waiting in the wings of the Arconia.
With a death just as gory and personal as seasons past, and a murder trail almost as juicy, this fourth outing of Only Murders In the Building remains just as enjoyable, exciting and spine-tingling as the first three. The chemistry, creativity and comedy continue to fire on all cylinders and whils it’s certainly surprising that the building is still open to the public, with such a delightful show such as this, one can only hope, morbidly, that the murders in the building never stop coming…
Only Murders In The Building Season 4 returns to Disney+ on Tuesday, August 27th.
