Draft:Only Murders in the Building season 4
| Only Murders in the Building | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | FX on Hulu |
| Original release | August 27 – October 29, 2024 |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American mystery comedy-drama television series Only Murders in the Building (OMITB) premiered on August 27, 2024, on Hulu. The series follows a trio of strangers (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez), all with a shared interest in true crime podcasts, who become friends while investigating murders in the their apartment building, and producing their own podcast about the cases. The season also stars Michael Cyril Creighton, who reprises his starring role from previous season.
Cast and characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage
- Martin Short as Oliver Putnam
- Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora
- Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris
Special guest
[edit]Episodes
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title [1][2] | Directed by [1] | Written by [3] | Original release date [4] | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Once Upon a Time in the West" | John Hoffman | John Hoffman & Joshua Allen Griffith | August 27, 2024 | 4DWB01 |
|
After finishing the podcast's latest season, the trio goes to Charles' apartment to celebrate, unaware of Sazz's murder as the body has already disappeared. The next morning, Charles texts Sazz and receives a reply that she had to fly to L.A. to double for Scott Bakula. The trio is approached by Bev Melon of Paramount Pictures with a proposal for a film adaptation of their podcast, and they fly to L.A. to discuss the deal. At a party thrown by the studio, they meet the actors who will play them, namely Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria, with the latter advising a reluctant Mabel to use the money for her life rights to build something on her own. Charles runs into Bakula, who says Sazz never showed up on set, and upon visiting her Hollywood apartment, the trio finds mysterious notes revolving around Charles. Returning to New York, they discover blood prints and a bullet hole in Charles' window before locating Sazz's ashes and prosthetic parts in the Arconia's incinerator, while the person texting in Sazz's name sends an open threat to them. | ||||||
| 32 | 2 | "Gates of Heaven" | John Hoffman | Kristin Newman | September 3, 2024 | 4DWB02 |
|
Suspecting the shot that killed Sazz came from one of the apartments on the west side of the Arconia, Oliver and Mabel investigate some of its residents. They meet Vince Fish, a friendly eye-patch-wearing man, and a Hispanic family of three, Alfonzo, Inez, and Ana, who invite them to a board game called Oh hell and tell them about an always locked apartment belonging to someone only known as "Dudenoff". Mabel discovers that one of Sazz's notes contains the code numbers for the apartment's lockbox, so they break in and find a pig in the bathtub and a ham radio. Meanwhile, as Charles mourns Sazz, he is visited by Jan, who broke out of prison and tells him that Sazz was poking around the building recently, fearing that another murderer might be targeting Charles. Jan escapes before the police arrive for her, and Charles reports Sazz's murder to them. While they investigate the incinerator, the trio uses luminol to locate where Sazz's body fell. They find that Sazz wrote "Tap in" on the floor with her blood, while Oliver realizes the code numbers spell "Oh hell" upside down. | ||||||
| 33 | 3 | "Two for the Road" | Chris Koch | Ben Smith & Pete Swanson | September 10, 2024 | 4DWB03 |
|
With the FBI taking over Sazz's case, Detective Williams decides to help the trio's investigation, providing them with information about the gun the sniper used. Concurrently, Eugene, Zach, and Eva arrive to study the trio's characteristics for the film. Spending the day with Oliver, Zach views him only as a narcissist until Howard tells him about Oliver's fighting spirit despite his failures, giving Zach a new perspective on the character's depths. Meanwhile, Mabel and Eva investigate Rudy Thurber, a Christmas-loving resident, after finding a piece of tinsel in Dudenoff's apartment. Under Eva's provocation, Rudy admits he actually hates Christmas, only uses the theme for his bodybuilder videos, and reveals that the piece they have found is not tinsel as it is non-flammable. Elsewhere, Charles and Eugene discover that Vince has a group photo of his neighbors, with one of them holding a pig and having their face crossed out. Mabel decides to use squatter's rights to stay in Dudenoff's apartment and force them to come back. Later, the trio discovers a frequency on the ham radio and makes contact with someone who warns them to stop their investigation. | ||||||
| 34 | 4 | "The Stunt Man" | Chris Koch | Madeleine George | September 17, 2024 | 4DWB04 |
|
The trio learns that Sazz visited a bar for stunt performers on the night of her murder, so they go there to ask some questions. With the help of Glen Stubbins, Ben Glenroy's former stunt double, Charles meets the bar's chiropractor, Dr. Maggie, who tells him that Sazz was planning to retire from stunt working. Meanwhile, after attempting to evict Mabel from Dudenoff's apartment, the residents of the West Tower confess to her that they are illegal tenants as all the west apartments are rented by Professor Milton Dudenoff, who resides in Portugal, but lets them live in the Arconia for $200 a month. They also reveal the person who warned the trio on the ham radio was just Rudy's paranoid ex-girlfriend and that none of them had ever met Sazz. Charles performs as Sazz's double so that her stunt double friends can hold a proper funeral for her, and remembers Sazz's dream of opening a training camp for stunt performers after her retirement. As the trio goes to the location Sazz wanted for the camp, they are surprised to find Bev there, who points a gun at them. | ||||||
| 35 | 5 | "Adaptation" | Jessica Yu | J. J. Philbin & Ella Robinson Brooks | September 24, 2024 | 4DWB05 |
|
Bev explains to the trio that she was trying to investigate Sazz's death because Sazz left her an unsettling voicemail about some problem with the film. Suspecting the killer is someone on the film, the trio interrogates screenwriter Marshall P. Pope, who is revealed to have been faking his appearance to look more like a creditable writer. Marshall proves he has an alibi for the night of the murder and questions Charles' theory that the murder and the disposal of the crime scene could be done in 12 minutes. After Oliver fails to reenact the murder in that amount of time, Mabel discovers that, on the photos they took of the film crew, someone has the same shoeprint they saw in Dudenoff's apartment. On a photoshoot with the cast and crew, Eva helps the trio set a trap with tacky mats so that the shoeprints can be visible, while Charles realizes the murder is, in fact, feasible in 12 minutes if two people are involved. As the trio discovers that directors Tawny and Trina Brothers have those shoeprints they are searching for, the lights suddenly go out and a gun is fired. | ||||||
| 36 | 6 | "Blow-Up" | Jessica Yu | Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz | October 1, 2024 | 4DWB06 |
|
With Zach having been shot, the trio concludes that Oliver was the intended target and that the killer is after the three of them. Detective Williams informs them that Dudenoff is not even in Portugal, and they learn that he was the film professor of the Brothers sisters. Williams sends Sazz's remains to Charles, who discovers there are two left humerus in the box, leading them to believe that there was another murder in the building, which Sazz could have found out. The trio confronts the Brothers sisters, who admit that they were in Dudenoff's apartment on the night of Sazz's murder, but only to visit him and to place hidden cameras in the building for behind-the-scenes footage of the film. They become devastated when Mabel reveals that, according to Williams' identification, the other humerus was Dudenoff's. The trio later simultaneously receives "I'm watching you" text messages from Sazz's phone and footage of themselves from the last few days. Realizing the killer has been monitoring their every move, they leave the Arconia in fear to find a safe place. Note: The episode was filmed in found footage, showing all scenes as they were recorded by different types of cameras. The story is also split into a four-act narrative and presented in a mockumentary style by the Brothers sisters. | ||||||
| 37 | 7 | "Valley of the Dolls" | TBA | Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky | October 8, 2024 | TBA |
| 38 | 8 | "Lifeboat" | TBA | Kristin Newman & Jake Schnesel | October 15, 2024 | TBA |
| 39 | 9 | TBA | TBA | Ben Smith & Alex Bigelow | October 22, 2024 | TBA |
| 40 | 10 | TBA | TBA | John Hoffman | October 29, 2024 | TBA |
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]On October 3, 2023, the day the final episode of the third season was released, Hulu renewed Only Murders in the Building for a ten-episode fourth season. The season was announced with co-creators Steve Martin and John Hoffman serving as executive producers, along with stars Martin Short and Selena Gomez, and Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.[5]
Casting
[edit]Martin, Short, Gomez and Michael Cyril Creighton all return from the previous season, making this season the first to not add any new actors to the main cast. In February 2024, Molly Shannon, Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy joined the cast in undisclosed recurring roles for the fourth season.[6][7][8] Kumail Nanjiani and Zach Galifianakis were added in undisclosed recurring roles in March 2024.[9][10] In April 2024, Desmin Borges, Siena Werber, Lilian Rebelo, Richard Kind, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Catherine Cohen, and Jin Ha joined the cast in recurring capacities.[11][12] In May 2024, it was revealed that Melissa McCarthy joined the cast.[13]
Writing
[edit]The episodes in the season were written by John Hoffman, Joshua Allen Griffith, Kristin Newman, Ben Smith, Pete Swanson, Madeleine George, J. J. Philbin, Ella Robinson Brooks, Rick Wiener, Kenny Schwartz, Matteo Borghese, Rob Turbovsky, Jake Schnesel, Alex Bigelow, [14]
Filming
[edit]Filming for the fourth season began in March 2024[15] and concluded in June 2024.[16]
Release
[edit]The fourth season premiered on August 27, 2024, on Hulu in the United States, and on Disney+, under the streaming hub Star, internationally. Subsequent episodes will release weekly until the season finale on October 29, 2024.[17]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]For the fourth season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 69 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "The gang is back together in a more metatextual season full of famous faces, continuing Only Murders in the Building's reign as one of television's most delightful comedies." Metacritic gave the fourth season a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 29 critic reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Only Murders in the Building". Hulu Press. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "Watch Only Murders in the Building Streaming Online". Hulu. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ "Only Murders in the Building - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - Only Murders in the Building on Hulu". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (October 3, 2023). "'Only Murders In The Building' Renewed For Fourth Season By Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 14, 2024). "Molly Shannon Joins 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 22, 2024). "Eva Longoria Joins 'Only Murders in the Building's Season 4 Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2024). "Eugene Levy Joins 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (March 4, 2024). "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Casts Kumail Nanjiani (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 10, 2024). "Zach Galifianakis Joins 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 5, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Desmin Borges, Siena Werber, Lilian Rebelo As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (April 9, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Richard Kind, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Catherine Cohen & Jin Ha To Season 4". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 Gets Premiere Date & Trailer With Melissa McCarthy Joining Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "Only Murders In The Building". Hulu. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ London, Rob (March 1, 2024). "Selena Gomez Announces 'Only Murders In the Building' Season 4 Is Filming With Sweet Message". Collider. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ Peralta, Diego (June 11, 2024). "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Wraps With Hilarious Set Video". Collider. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (April 30, 2023). "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3 Premiere Date Revealed by Steve Martin and Martin Short at Comedy Show (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
