‘Only Murders in the Building’ is Steve Martin’s take on a Manhattan murder mystery
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Martin’s Charles is a former TV star — his history with a crime procedural comes in handy — who has essentially become a recluse. He grudgingly catches up with Short’s Oliver, a cash-strapped theater director, when the two are forced to evacuate their building because one of the residents has been murdered.
Before long, they’ve teamed with a mysterious and much younger neighbor, Mabel (Gomez), hatching elaborate plans to not only crack the case but to turn their findings into a true-crime podcast.
The big names don’t end with the central trio, attracting cameos by the likes of Tina Fey, Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan, as well as a certain rock star who happens to be one of the building’s understandably wary occupants.
As with movies like Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (one of the more obvious comparisons, though there are plenty), the notion that it takes a life-and-death situation to get the blood pumping is clearly evident here. Despite his grumbling, Charles notes that pursuing the investigation is “the most alive that I’ve felt in a decade.”
Martin and Short’s long affiliation includes “Father of the Bride” and “The Three Amigos,” but Gomez (ostensibly sitting in for Chevy Chase) proves well matched with this veteran pair, as Mabel harbors her own secrets — starting with how a young woman can afford to live alone in this building — that play into the story.
Hulu didn’t make the final episodes available, so it remains to be seen whether the payoff enhances the journey; still, the underlying mystery is almost beside the point, even if the victim’s name, “Tim Kono,” gets repeated so many times that it would make for a pretty good drinking game.
As a writer, Martin has always exhibited eclectic tastes, and “Only Murders” reflects a playful extension of those sensibilities. In a nice dichotomy, it’s a throwback to an earlier kind of entertainment, but all about podcasts and running on a new-fangled streaming service. In short, just the place these days that you’d expect to find a wild and crazy guy and his pals.
“Only Murders in the Building” premieres Aug. 31 on Hulu.
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