Only Murders in the Building Review: Solving the Mystery of this Hilarious and Smart TV Series

For most of my life, I’ve heard of the greatness of Steve Martin and Martin Short, especially Steve Martin, who has long been recognized as a global phenomenon. I can’t remember not knowing who he was. For the first four years of my life, I watched The Three Amigos! and Dumbo so often, sometimes back-to-back, that I probably owe my early language to those films. And to be honest, I never really understood the hype of Steve Martin’s comedy.

I like Steve Martin, but in the way I like Santa Claus or Mr. Rogers—he seems like a genuinely kind human being. As an actor and comedian, though, outside of Roxanne, the Father of the Bride films, and The Three Amigos!, I never appreciated his comedy; it always felt too animated, too goofy. His body language told a different story than his mouth, and that disconnect made me uncomfortable. Martin Short, I related to even less. Aside from The Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride, I found him over the top. I don’t care about humor that is merely to be funny, and Short always seemed like he was trying too hard.

When Only Murders in the Building first dropped on Hulu, I had no interest. I’d grown up watching Steve Martin and Martin Short, and still, I wasn’t compelled. Even the inclusion of Selena Gomez didn’t move the needle—she was just another former Disney star, like Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake. Almost a year later, a good friend told me she loved the show. She talked it up so much that I finally agreed to watch. A few days passed before I got around to it, but once I did, I couldn’t stop. I started just in time, too—the second season was about to drop.

The show is amazing. And ironic, because the best part—aside from the writing—is Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Martin’s comedic brilliance in this role is subtle and self-aware. For someone who’s felt his comedy was outdated, this performance feels like a quiet rebuttal. He acknowledges the critique and then gently flips it.

There’s a moment early on where Martin says something like, “Who was the first person to look at a chicken and think, ‘That looks good!’” Gomez stares at him blankly. It’s a throwaway line, but it lands. That exchange captures the show’s nuance and production brilliance. Gomez brings a perfect blend of Millennial stoicism and wit, wedged between two “has-beens/never-was’s” (yes, that’s a movie reference). Their ensemble is fantastic.

In Only Murders in the Building, Martin Short dominates. What he does from episode to episode, season to season, is extraordinary. It’s a range of acting and comedy I haven’t seen consistently in years—maybe ever. The show may not be the best on television, but it’s one of the few you can binge and then immediately rewatch. I genuinely believe that, aside from the chemistry of Martin, Short, and Gomez, it’s Short’s performance that anchors the series. From the pilot to the Season Two finale, he’s never been better.

I highly recommend Only Murders in the Building. It’s one of the funniest, smartest, and most unique shows I’ve seen in a long time. I’m excited for Season Three and the addition of Paul Rudd, because the four of them—Martin, Short, Gomez, and Rudd—could become one of the best comedic ensembles in sitcom history.