Only Murders in the Building has, over its past four seasons, managed to come full circle in its storytelling and delivery. While Season One struck the perfect balance of comedic delivery, character chemistry, and dizzying mystery, I found Season Two to have lost much of the charm that made the first season so memorable. While I recognize that I am in the minority according to Rotten Tomatoes, the lack of chemistry with supporting characters, a lacklustre villain and a disappointing reveal left a sour taste for some fans of the series.
Since then, Only Murders has worked steadily to recapture the magic of its freshman season. Season Three delivered a consistently funny narrative with the introduction of some great new characters that have carried over to later seasons, with the show’s leads finding their rhythm and delivering some wonderfully fun, dynamic and rich comedy over the season’s 10 episodes. Season 4, likewise, continued this trend. While the addition of so many high-profile actors joining this season created a sometimes overwhelming ensemble of characters, the season nonetheless managed to deliver a solid and fun murder mystery for our favourite podcasters to solve.
Season five, which releases September 09, aims to continue this upward trend of recapturing all that makes Only Murderers in the Building great, and on most fronts, it does just that. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, as the three leading characters, feel at home with their characters, their chemistry shining through in every scene. There is a genuine sense of fun when these three are in scenes together, with line delivery, pacing and interpersonal relationships showing a level of maturity that only comes from the investment of work and time.
The result is comedy gold. Stellar dialogue writing, excellent delivery and a genuine love for the craft each actor has worked to refine are all on full display for audiences to eat up. It’s a treat to see these characters interact with the world of Only Murders in the Building. While much of this season feels familiar in the interactions between the title characters, this familiarity is one of meeting up with close friends after being away all summer, ready for a new school year, a feeling of comfort and anticipation for what’s ahead.
These fun interactions aren’t limited to the three protagonists, either, as many recurring characters return for this latest outing, sometimes adding layers to their characters, and others simply providing comedic relief for a scene. On the note of characters, once again, Only Murders in the Building introduces a large lineup of new characters for the audience to explore.
“Only Murders in the Building season 5 is a wonderful return to form for the series.”
Tea Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Christoph Waltz, Renee Zellweger, and Logan Lerman, along with a host of others, all offer interesting new characters for our protagonists to interact with. Each actor does an excellent job with the material they have to work with, though in some cases, it can feel like there are many more characters than the story knows what to do with.
This large ensemble is a bit of a double-edged sword for the narrative of the story. On the one hand, it provides so many opportunities for unforeseen twists that leave the audience wanting more. Each character is fleshed out just enough to provide a plausible motive and opportunity to have committed the crime. The result is that I found myself constantly having to reassess who I thought the killer was, which is a delightful treat when watching this genre.
The drawback to this approach was that great actors had very little to do in many scenes. I found myself more than once wishing there was more time to watch Steven Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez interact with these larger-than-life characters. The interactions that took place, the dialogue and actions between these great actors, were always brilliant; there simply wasn’t enough time to explore any one character in great detail.
“On the note of characters, once again, Only Murders in the Building introduces a large lineup of new characters for the audience to explore.”
For example, I loved the scenes with Keegan-Michael Key’s Mayor Tillman, as his comedic timing is a delight when paired with our trio. However, with so many characters to cycle through, his screen time was quite limited. As a result, I felt a bit let down by this during my review, as I was constantly wanting Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez to spend more time with each character introduced.
Another note on characters is that while some might critique the sometimes over-the-top character writing of some of the support characters, such as Sofia Caccimelio’s sons, which was played for laughs, I found this tactic to play well with the overall fun nature of Only Murders in the Building. The character writing was just larger than life, never afraid to poke fun at stereotypes while also never stepping into the realm of the overtly ridiculous, resulting in a fun, comedic narrative.
Despite some small critiques, the narrative was a joy to experience. The pacing was consistent and solid, continually dropping the next breadcrumb before my attention would start to wane, keeping me fully engaged with each episode. It is perhaps the best story since season one and the closest to capturing that blend of comedic delivery, character chemistry, and dizzying mystery.
Only Murders in the Building season 5 is a wonderful return to form for the series. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are absolutely wonderful this season. They feel like old friends on another adventure, comfortable with each other, not just as characters but as actors as well. When coupled with a truly engaging mystery that keeps you guessing at every turn, you are left with a fun, comedic mystery show that is worth your time to watch.
