The Pitch: While Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina filled the murder-comedy gap in our hearts with Peacock’s Based on a True Story this summer, Hulu’s OG trio of podcasters are officially back on the scene. Season 3 of Only Murders In the Building, which returns on August 8th, picks back up immediately after the cliffhanger of the Season 2 finale.
As you might remember, it’s opening night for a new play directed by Oliver (Martin Short), and the gang is glittering at the Broadway theater: Charles (Steve Martin) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are in attendance, and everyone is excited to see film and TV star Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, always a treat) take the stage for some good, old-fashioned stunt casting. Naturally, things go wrong pretty quickly, as they’re wont to do in this show — as was shown in the trailer, Glenroy appears to drop dead onstage.
Per usual, to quote another iconic Selena Gomez program, everything is not what it seems.
Curtain Up, Man Down: The best part of this third outing with Bloody Mabel and her two favorite guys is the fact that despite the name of the show, we are no longer restricted to The Arconia. Only Murders has consistently done a solid job of making that set piece feel as expansive as an entire New York City block, but the decision to place some of the action in the theater feels fresh.
Not only is the location change fun, it also pushes the narrative fully into a world previously only alluded to through Oliver’s career. The in-jokes and references to the Broadway community have never been stronger, and a plethora of guest stars, from stage favorite Ashley Park to the legendary Matthew Broderick and iconic Mel Brooks, help round out this setting tremendously.
Michael Cyril Creighton is back as Howard, this time bravely taking on the role of Oliver’s assistant, while newcomers include Jesse Williams as a documentarian named Tobert (not a typo!) who had been following Ben Glenroy’s Broadway journey. Then, there’s Meryl Streep in one of the most inspired casting decisions of all time: Loretta is a working New York City actress, but she never quite made it. The idea that there’s a universe out there where such a person could be Meryl Streep — Meryl! — is unfathomable, making it all the more fun to see her as the jumpy, quirky character.
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)