Only Murders in the Building
The new mystery/comedy series from Hulu is off to a great start with Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short drawing distinctive, relatable characters.
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It’s been 10 years since Steve Martin had headlined a major production (discluding his small role in Ang Lee’s “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”), and with the new mystery dramedy series “Only Murders In The Building,” the legendary comedic actor makes his return to the screen. In fact, for this outing Martin is pairing up once again with one of his most trusted colleagues, Martin Short, as well as Disney Channel starlet turned global superstar Selena Gomez.
One of the most surprising aspects about the first three episodes of “Only Murders In The Building” is just how well the creative team balances the humor, the melodrama, and the mystery. The emotional elements surrounding the three leads feel genuine, from Charle’s (Martin) crippling loneliness, Oliver’s (Short) decaying relationship with his grown son, and Mabel’s (Gomez) inability to trust others.
There’s not a weak link within the three leads, but Short is by far the standout.
Short has always had a knack for portraying kookier characters, and his Oliver is certainly the most caricature-like of the three leads, but that does not prevent his performance from coming across as deeply human and sincere. Martin is delightful in his role ranging from the clueless baby boomer to the classic tendencies audiences have come to expect from him.
Gomez gives one of her strongest performances to date, she never feels as if she’s being bogged down by the material but also never once feels as if she’s trying too hard to distance herself from her kid-friendly origins.
While the show itself definitely veers towards the more comedic, the mystery is played fairly straight and as the show progresses it becomes more and more engaging. The podcast element feels especially relevant to modern culture’s ever popular obsession with true crime shows such as “Serial.” The show’s visual style nicely compliments the New York setting from the warm color scheme and appealing camera work.
It will be intriguing to see where the remaining episodes of “Only Murders In The Building” go and whether or not it sticks the landing. There’s already been plenty of juicy twists, but it’s easy to see this fall victim to some cliché plot devices. At the same time, it’d be better to have faith in this promising creative team -- so far they’ve earned it.