The Big Picture

OMITB
Season 4 explores friendships, human connection, and cinema in a compelling mystery.
Jane Lynch shines with the most charismatic performance of the season.
Season 4 reduces romantic subplots, focusing on character development for a more engaging story.

After taking Broadway by storm in Season 3, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building is taking our beloved crime-solving trio to Hollywood. Starring Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, the Hulu original series returns with a story that connects the past and present of the show in thrilling new ways. With the titular podcast being given a movie adaptation, the cast list for this season is the most star-studded it’s ever been, featuring the likes of Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria as fictional versions of themselves. But it’s not just about famous faces; the mystery that drives this story is a complex beast with hidden angles and twists aplenty.

Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building (aka OMITB) is a murder mystery series that follows three true-crime podcast fans — Mabel Mora (Gomez), Charles Hayden Savage (Martin), and Oliver Putnam (Short) — who all live in the same historic New York building, the Arconia. After an actual murder takes place in their building, the trio unite to start their own podcast. The series premiered its first season in 2021, which was a huge hit with fans and critics alike. Season 2 arrived in 2022, and in 2023, we were treated to Season 3, which steps (partly) out of the building to tell a story centered on Broadway. In Season 4, OMITB presents its most ambitious tale yet as the show sets its sights on the silver screen.

What Is ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 About?
After solving the murder of Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), Season 3 ends with Oliver, Mabel, and Charles sharing a much-needed moment of celebration. Unknown to them, Charles’s friend and stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) has been shot by a sniper while she’s in Charles’s apartment and dressed like him. Season 4 picks up in the aftermath of this incident, but our leading trio has other things to worry about: Paramount wants to make a movie about them, and they’re all invited to a meeting in L.A. As the story and the project develop, suspicion falls on various members of the production and the odd residents of the Arconia’s West Tower. This season introduces a lot of fascinating new characters to the show, played by iconic stars like Richard Kind and Kumail Nanjiani, among others. There’s also the return of an old enemy, a familiar face in a new role, and more surprises that I won’t discuss here but can guarantee you’ll enjoy.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 has a lot of moving parts, with a seemingly endless stream of characters who pop up in the strangest places, each with their own layered personalities and potentially dangerous secrets. To be fair, coherence has never really been OMITB’s strong suit, and it’s normal for a season to throw up plot threads like confetti. For a show that’s released one episode at a time, week by week, this can make it difficult for the casual viewer to keep track of the whole story. But on the other hand, red herrings and deceptive storylines like these are the hallmarks of the mystery genre. And despite the confusion along the way, (almost) all the loose threads are tied up by the end of each season’s journey.

‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 Isn’t Leaving the Arconia Just Yet

Let’s make one thing clear: the main plot of OMITB Season 4 continues to take place in and around the Arconia. It’s still about murders “in the building”. Part of the story does take place in Los Angeles, and the season does deal with cinema and how we relate to it. Episode 6, in particular, is a brilliantly stylized exploration of this theme, and it’s a current that runs throughout the season. However, Season 4 is not just another love letter to Hollywood and the commercial film industry. Instead, the focus is the people who make our favorite movies and TV shows come to life, even though their faces may seldom be seen on screen. The heart of this season and arguably its most charismatic performance comes from Lynch in her role as Charles’s longtime stunt double. Though Sazz has been a recurring character on the show since the very beginning, Only Murders Season 4 really dives into Sazz’s history and her relationship with Charles. Their decades-old friendship brings out some of the most heartbreaking scenes in the season, with beautiful little moments that establish the deep emotional bond between actor and stuntperson.

It’s not just about stunt people either. There’s an awkward but lovable screenwriter (played by Pachinko’s Jin Ha), who suffers from a terrible case of impostor syndrome. There’s a pair of award-winning indie filmmakers (played by Catherine Cohen and Siena Werber) who are delightfully weird and maybe just a little insane. It’s also about actors, of course — with Levy, Galifianakis, and Longoria playing themselves — but even their stories are explored in a metafictional way, with more attention paid to their craft, process, and lives off-screen than to the characters they play. Ultimately, the show’s take on the film industry is very simple: cinema isn’t just about what you see on the screen, it’s also about the people behind it, with all their quirks and complications.

‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 (Thankfully) Cuts Down on Romantic Subplots
Image via Hulu

One significant improvement in Season 4 is that there’s really just the one romance to worry about, which is a bit of a relief. So far, every season has included whirlwind romances that fall apart as soon as the credits roll, especially with Selena Gomez’s Mabel. In Season 4, the only major romantic storyline is between Oliver and his new girlfriend Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep). Oliver’s desire to make this relationship work is the driving force for his story this season, and without parallel romances to keep track of, it’s allowed to develop better than many of the show’s previous romantic storylines. Circling back to Mabel, this is the first season where the character’s focus is firmly on herself, without any distractions. Like previous installments, Season 4 is also about Mabel trying to come to terms with her life. But after three seasons of development, she isn’t so much finding herself as she is growing into the person she’s already become. This leads to some interesting developments and funny moments, especially when Mabel interacts with her on-screen double, Eva Longoria, and Molly Shannon’s high-powered producer, Bev Melon.

There’s no romance on the cards for Charles either, but as I’ve already said, he doesn’t need one this time. Charles’ story this season revolves around his relationship with Sazz, which is a bond that’s stronger and older than any romantic connection he’s ever had. Because Charles is played by the incomparable Steve Martin, that exploration regularly takes the form of tragically funny physical comedy. I don’t want to get into spoilers here, but Martin has a bathroom scene in the second episode that is simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious. The episode in question is a great showcase of both Martin’s comedic and dramatic abilities, as is the season as a whole.

When it debuted in 2021, Only Murders in the Building’s success helped renew interest in the age-old genre of TV mysteries. In the years since, the genre has experienced something of a boom, with a host of great mystery shows hitting TV and streaming. Throughout that time, OMITB has consistently improved itself from season to season, and Season 4 is no exception. Witty, wonderful, and weird in all the best ways, Only Murders in the Building continues to be one of the best mystery shows out there, and with its quirky characters, layered mystery, and emotional depth, Season 4 could be the best yet.

Only Murders in the Building Season 4 premieres on Hulu on August 27.

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