Hulu may have stuck gold when they took a shot on Only Murders in the Building. Actually, there is no “may”; they did strike gold with this show. The show completely redefined what a murder mystery is. While a typical murder mystery TV show is tense and suspenseful, Only Murders in the Building is fun, whimsical, and zany. Despite the tone change, the show maintains the common tropes that many mystery fans know and love.
Typical Murder Mystery Tropes
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Only Murders in the Building offers a unique take on standard mystery tropes. Typically when people think of murder mystery fiction, they first imagine the hardboiled detectives from classic detective movies and novels. The classic detective is a cop or private eye that seems to be going against the grain, working for justice in an unorthodox way. There are also Sherlock Holmes- or Hercule Poirot-style uber-competent investigators who seem to have some sort of superpower that helps them solve the mystery. Other tropes like unreliable narrators, confined spaces, and classic red herrings have come to define the majority of works in the murder mystery genre.
Only Murders in the Building Plot
The rise of true crime podcasts like Serial have had a significant impact on murder mystery stories and Only Murders in the Building in particular. For the uninitiated, Serial began as a spinoff from the This American Life radio show. The podcast followed journalist Sarah Koenig as she investigated the case surrounding her friend Adnan Syed, who was accused of murder. Koenig put the pieces of the case together and allowed the viewer to make their own decision about the case without pushing them too hard one way or another.
The success of Serial kicked off the pop culture craze of true crime podcasts and the immense popularity of true crime documentaries. Only Murders in the Building latches on to this trend. The show centers around three strangers who meet up in their apartment building after the death of a tenant disrupted their weekly listen to the true-crime podcast they all love. They decide to take up the case because it seemed so unlikely for the tenant to commit suicide. The unlikely trio, consisting of actor Charles-Haden (Steve Martin), better known for his stage name Brazos, stage director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and millennial Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), work to figure out what happened to their fellow tenant.
Redefining Murder Mysteries
Comedic murder mysteries aren’t a new genre, but they haven’t been super popular until recently. Joining the likes of Knives Out, Only Murders in the Building takes a comedic turn from the traditional darkness and suspense that comes with the murder mystery genre. What’s so cool about the show is that it plays off standard tropes in a new way. The title pays homage to the mystery trope of a small confined space where the case unfolds; the characters are working on a small scale of only things going on in their specific buildings. The series also features red herrings, loose ends, and a web of conspiracies.
The biggest things that distinguish the show from other murder mysteries are its comedic takes on classic tropes, its depiction of characters absolutely obsessed with the true crime craze, and its massive star power. Meryl Streep, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Sting have all made appearances in the halls of the apartment building throughout the series.
Final Thoughts
Only Murders in the Building will begin its fourth season on Hulu later this year. With the current reception of the series, it’s very easy to understand how it could come back for many more. The coziness of the series is also a delight break from the complexities and stresses of real life. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, then Only Murders in the Building should be the next show on your watch list.
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