Only Murders in the Building’s complete first season is streaming on Hulu.
By Elazar Abrahams
The best kind of TV is the kind that completely sucks you in. Laughing out loud and slapping your knee even when you’re the only one in the room. Gasping when a plot twist is executed masterfully. Staying up late into the night to spend more time with these perfectly crafted characters. Only Murders in the Building is that kind of TV.
I cannot believe I slept on this show for so long, especially after all the critical praise it received upon release. No matter, I started the 10-episode season on Saturday night and was finished by Sunday at lunch. Readers, I absolutely devoured this series. Genre-wise, it’s exactly my thing, that sweet spot blend of comedy with real stakes and story that’s constantly propelling forward. The cast is stellar, and you can tell Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez had a blast with this production. The main trio feel so well developed, and even the side characters are properly fleshed out. And I’m a sucker for New York City media. Only Murders would not work if it took place anywhere else. The eclectic ensemble of neighbors in the titular Upper West Side building is delightfully wacky while staying true to life.
Let’s normalize under-30-minute episodes please. In this post-network world, too many shows are filled with glut that would have been left on the cutting room floor if there were ad breaks. Sometimes that’s nice, but I find that more often than not some trimming of the fat makes a series leaner and quicker witted. Here, it kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly five hours. Not only because I was engaged in the mystery, but because the show knows exactly what it is. There isn’t filler so much as fun red herrings.
There’s so much television out there these days. Every week brings multiple new series across too many streaming services to choose from, and unfortunately quantity has not been equaling quality. That makes it all the more special when one finally knocks your socks off. Only Murders in the Building is clever but still accessible. It has something for everyone. I wholeheartedly recommend.
TV and City 