Fourth seasons of sitcoms are often their funniest from “Seinfeld” (The Contest) to “The Office” (The Fun Run), from “The Simpsons” (Mr. Plow) to “Cheers” (the arrival of Woody Harrelson). Maybe we need a little time to get to know the characters. Maybe we need a few seasons to embrace the unique tone. Or maybe the writers have finally gelled in the writers room and are finally swinging for the fences with their wildest, most creative ideas.
Whatever the reason, “Only Murders in the Building” is doing just that for me. Season 1 was an intriguing setup that felt too stretched out, Season 2 was too much of a rehash of the first season, Season 3 finally hit its stride with a change of scenery to Broadway with Martin Short staging, “Death Rattle” and Steve Martin hilariously singing, “Which of Pickwick Triplets Did It?” On Tuesday, it returns for Season 4 with a killer opening episode.
Don’t worry if you missed last season — the Broadway murder of Ben (Paul Rudd) is officially a closed case and we’re moving on to another murder mystery for Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) to solve. All you need to know is that the Season 3 finale ended with Charles’ body double Sazz (Jane Lynch) being mistakenly murdered in Charles’ Arconia apartment in an apparent botched attempt to kill him.
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As our trio of protagonists return to Charles’ apartment in the Season 4 premiere, the writers brilliantly mess with audience expectations at every turn as the characters keep finding ways to not discover Sazz’s body. They gasp in the dark, point at things and inspect the floor in what amounts to a bunch of close calls to fake out the viewers, before the camera pulls backwards out of the window to reveal a bullet hole, which the characters don’t see.
They’re too busy celebrating their podcast, which is being made into a movie if Paramount can convince them to sign over their life rights. Mabel is skeptical of her portrayal as a “mumbling millennial;” Charles is tempted by a return to fame as TV’s Brazzos; and Oliver is ecstatic for a chance to rekindle with love interest Loretta (Meryl Streep) and bounce back from his showbiz setback: “Broadway is a racket, but Hollywood never let me down!”
Seeing the trio travel to Hollywood is more than just Lucy and Ricky moving west, it makes for some genuinely hilarious situations with several laugh-out-loud moments. Steve Martin is in top form, recalling “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (1982) by speaking dialogue that might as well be narration: “Hollywood: where movie stars live side by side with eccentrics who’ve been here for decades, everyone from Scarlett Johansson to The Black Dahlia.”
It’s also great to see Molly Shannon (“SNL”) show up as Paramount producer Bev, as well as a trio of famous movie-star actors (appearing as themselves) who attend a lavish L.A. party to meet their fictional counterparts. I won’t spoil who they are, but let’s just say Charles will be played by a hilarious sitcom dad, Mabel will be played by a desperate housewife, and Oliver will be played by a deliciously deadpan actor who now hosts a viral talk show.
Just when you thought Season 4 premiere couldn’t get any better, it ends with some truly powerful filmmaking intercutting Charles watching the classic Spaghetti western “Once Upon a Time in West” (1968), admiring Sergio Leone’s ability to rivet us with no dialogue, only imagery and windmill sound effects. “Only Murders” follows suit with a largely silent revelatory montage, ending with a powerful image that cuts to black at just the right moment.
I know it’s only one episode, but I’m hooked! I’m so glad this show is back. It keeps getting better and better. Here’s hoping for more zany adventures in Hollywood between the necessary clue-finding at the Arconia.
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