In its fourth season, the comedy-drama Only Murders in the Building, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, continues to blend humour and suspense with a self-referential nod to the entertainment industry in a delicious whodunit.
The comedy genre has been stretched thin in the streaming era, leaning more on high-concept premises and emotional earnestness than on laughs (no Bear has been hurt while penning this sentence). Yet, here’s a show that combines star-studded appearances — Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in lead roles, with a rolodex of A-list guests — with a narrative web of murder mystery, media satire, and explorations of loneliness. And against all odds, it’s hilarious. Not just smile-worthy but laugh-out-loud, vintage and contemporary at once.
The show’s premise has always been eccentric. Martin, Short, and Gomez play a mismatched trio — washed-up actor Charles, flamboyant director Oliver, and stoic millennial Mabel — who, in an odd twist of fate, form a true-crime podcast investigating murders in their lavish Upper West Side apartment complex, the Arconia. Each season has introduced increasingly bizarre cases and Season 4 doesn’t disappoint. Following the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles’ stunt double, the trio is once again sucked into a labyrinthine investigation, only this time with a twist: they’re not just amateur sleuths but Hollywood darlings.
Season 4 picks up where Season 3 left off. After Oliver’s play, Death Rattle Dazzle, triumphantly opens, the crew is whisked away to Los Angeles to meet with Paramount executives keen on turning their podcast into a blockbuster film. Here, the show revels in satirising Hollywood’s obsession with “adaptable IP”, giving Martin and Short ample room to poke fun at the industry’s foibles. Hollywood executive Bev Melon (Molly Shannon), brash and absurd, epitomises the dark side of Hollywood studios.
Soon, we meet the actors slated to play the trio — Zach Galifianakis as Oliver, Eugene Levy as Charles, and a surprisingly hilarious Eva Longoria as Mabel. Watching these “alter egos” mimic their real-life counterparts provides some of the funniest, most meta moments in the series.
But it’s not just Hollywood’s quirks that Season 4 skewers. As the group races back to New York to investigate Sazz’s murder, they delve into the lives of the mysterious residents of Arconia's west tower, from Stink Eye Vince (Richard Kind) and a Christmas-obsessed Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani) to a suspicious family that’s always stirring something in the kitchen.
Only Murders doesn’t simply rely on its gag-a-minute style; it’s also a compelling murder mystery, with plot twists that draw audiences in just as much as the jokes. The latest mystery feels richer and darker, especially as the investigation takes a more personal turn with Charles confronting feelings of guilt over Sazz’s death. Flashbacks to Sazz’s life — especially the X-rays of her broken bones and her wistful dream of a retirement in a trampoline park — add unexpected poignancy to the comedy, capturing the bittersweet heart of the show. And Siddhartha Khosla’s music remains a delightful complement to the show’s whimsical atmosphere.