Alright, it's been a while since I've had the time to watch television. And, what even is there to watch right now? Well, there's a good answer over on Hulu, of all places.
So I wasn't sure to what to expect when taking the old-school comedy duo of Steve Martin and Martin Short, pairing them with Selena Gomez, and putting them all in a weekly episodic murder mystery. But, Only Murders in the Building has been a lot of fun.
Here's the thing about this show. It's a murder mystery, but it's a lot more than that. It's as much a look into the crazy fandom of true crime stories than anything else. Part of this story's appeal is as much about trying to solve the murder of a rich tennant who lived upstairs, but it's just as much about the motives for why everyone wants this murder solved. For Mabel (Selena Gomez), it's because she personally knew the victim, but for Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin), it's about relevancy. Charles is a washed-up TV detective who wants to up his profile, even if he doesn't directly say it, just because his life in retirement has been so dull. Meanwhile, for Oliver, it's a brazen attempt to capitalize on a trend, knowing that true crime podcasts are the "it" thing and that chronicling their investigation could lead to a huge following. What's interesting about Oliver's character is that he's basically the personification of true crime fandom.
The mystery helps drive the story and what keeps it worth watching is the undeniable chemistry of the three main characters. One wouldn't think that Martin and Short would gel well with somebody so much younger and cut from a totally different cloth like Gomez, but they're a fantastic trio. A lot of the humor comes through banter and absurd confrontations, including one where the three question Sting, of all people. Best of all, it's an easy watch, clocking it at just a little over a half hour per episode.
You're probaly going to want to start binging this now if you haven't already, because once the show starts to hit the final episodes, there's a good chance that spoilers will start hitting the usual internet spots. It's worth the watch, I promise.
