As a murder mystery series in the comedy genre, Only Murders in the Building keeps getting better with each season. What makes the Disney+ Hotstar show so intriguing is its attempt at making us go on a hunt for clues along with the three true crime enthusiasts — Charles-Haden Savage, Mabel Mora and Oliver Putnam, played by Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short.

In Season 3, Charles (Martin), Mabel (Gomez) and Oliver (Short) — all residents of Arconia in New York City — find themselves at crucial junctures in their lives where the true-crime podcast they had started has taken a backseat. Charles and Oliver, who are in their 70s, have gotten back to acting and directing — Oliver is directing a Broadway musical while Charles is playing one of the characters in his play. All it takes, however, is another murder in the building to get them back together.

Like the previous seasons, the new instalment picks up from the cliffhanger in the last season, which ended with the highly successful yet obnoxious Hollywood star Ben Glenroy (played by Paul Rudd) collapsing on stage during the premiere of Oliver’s musical production Death Rattle. The show would have marked Oliver’s triumphant return to Broadway as a director after a disastrous flop that landed him ‘15 years in Broadway jail’. Ben’s collapse ended the play as well as Oliver’s rebooted career.

However, Ben comes back to life a few hours later and shocks everyone including the trio by turning up at Oliver’s apartment. Although Ben has found a new enthusiasm for life, it lasts only for a short while as he is soon discovered dead in one of the elevators in Arconia. The crime-solving group dives straight into investigating his death whose suspects include all the members of Oliver’s much-anticipated Broadway show.

The trio goes into and beyond the building to investigate murders

How many murders can happen in one building? At some point, it feels ridiculous for the murders to take place in the same building the sleuthing trio lives in. It might seem convenient, as they can sustain their murder mystery podcast, but that’s not the point.

It’s about how the trio goes into and beyond the building to investigate the crimes and how the murders in Arconia at the end of every season are never the ‘only murders’. In Season 3, Ben Glenroy, who is murdered, never lived in Arconia. But through a turn of events, his death gets linked to the trio’s residence and the building becomes the centre of the investigation.

The podcasters' lives have undergone massive changes

Season 3 gives us a glimpse into the struggling lives of our favourite podcasters. When the needle of suspicion after actor Ben Glenroy’s death points towards the cast members, Oliver tirelessly works to rescue his production and his newfound career from absolute termination. Charles, although having been the star of his ’90s crime drama Brazzos, suffers from stage fright while rehearsing for Oliver’s play. Mabel, feeling left out, emerges as the sole enthusiast for their podcast's pursuit of Ben's killer and tries to get the team back together.

Meryl Streep is the show-stealer

Multiple Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep, who joined the cast this season, grabbed our attention as Loretta, an ageing actress who is still struggling to make a mark and hankers for fame.

Oliver casts Loretta in his play, having been very impressed by her acting prowess, but Loretta harbours a secret which can make or break Oliver’s show. She is soft and diligent, enthusiastic and ambitious, and Streep lends a touch of self-mockery to her portrayal.

Paul Rudd delivers a standout act as a troubled star

Playing Ben Glenroy — known for starring as a superhero who can transform into a massive cobra — gives ‘Ant-Man’ Paul Rudd the opportunity to take a dig at his own superhero role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While he has inspired many with his films, including Mabel when she was a teenager, Ben is shown as an unpleasant man in real life. Rudd, through his short screen time, delivers an engaging act as a troubled actor who hides his insecurities with a contempt for others.

Like the previous seasons, the third instalment maintains its usual numerous potential suspects and twists. Coupled with Siddhartha Khosla’s music and the Wes Anderson-esque aesthetics, the finale’s cliffhanger makes us anticipate for some more good-old fashioned murder, with our favourite podcasters living on the edge and, most importantly, in the building.