Comfort TV with a body count — that's Only Murders in the Building.
Murder mysteries usually come in one of two flavors — the brooding small-town whodunit where the detective has a drinking problem, or a marriage problem, and definitely a money problem. Or the dramatized version of the podcast you already listened to twice. Only Murders in the Building would rather hand you a glass of wine, make a terrible pun, and invite you to solve a homicide with three dysfunctional theater kids… while making a podcast about it (obviously).
The show follows three Upper West Side neighbors — Steve Martin and Martin Short alongside Selena Gomez — who bond over their shared obsession with true crime and become amateur sleuths after a murder inside their impossibly charming apartment building.
Martin and Short have been making audiences laugh since the Reagan administration, and watching them bounce off each other here feels like slipping into a very whimsical, very comfortable sweater. Whether they're bickering over hummus, breaking into song, or solving a murder, the rhythm of these two is the show's actual engine. It's silly, self-aware, cozy television that reminds us murder mysteries are meant to be fun.
Have we mentioned the guest stars? They're absurdly stacked: Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Tina Fey, Christoph Waltz, Eva Longoria — more below. Half the fun is wondering which star will wander into The Arconia next.
Season three is the high-water mark: a Broadway murder mystery packed with original songs that have no business being as catchy as they are.
Sure, the show sometimes leans too goofy and the mysteries themselves can feel secondary to simply hanging out with three amigos. But that's part of the charm. The score, the New York atmosphere, the chemistry between the cast — it all makes this show ridiculously easy to watch, then immediately watch again.
You're not here for a high-stakes mystery. You're here to hang out with the gang.
The Breakdown
Performances
Martin Short steals every scene in a cast full of comedy legends. Steve Martin, Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, Paul Rudd, Melissa McCarthy, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, Shirley MacLaine, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Kind, Molly Shannon, Michael Rapaport, Jane Lynch, Ron Howard, Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Logan Lerman, Bobby Cannavale, Matthew Broderick. There are more, but need we name them?
What You Come Here For
Zany murder mysteries, a barrage of twists that'll keep you guessing who the killer is, New York vibes, and watching Steve Martin and Martin Short bicker like an old married couple.
Best Episode
"Look for the Light" (S3E3) — the peak of season three's Broadway-centered episodes. The musical numbers genuinely rip, and Meryl Streep's solo gets stuck in your head for days.
Weak Spots
The zaniness is simultaneously its secret sauce and the thing that keeps the show from being essential watching.
Pair With
Knives Out, Clue, The Afterparty, Poker Face.
Included In
What Our
Ratings Mean
Learn More →Your Mileage May Vary: There's a good chance you'll enjoy these, especially if they land in your wheelhouse. But there's a lot of range in the 7s — handy time-fillers, comfort watches, or easy crowd-pleasers.
Suggested Viewing
Slow Horses
Most spy shows want to be taken as seriously as type 2 diabetes. Slow Horses lets Gary Oldman bungle through an assassination one minute, then fart on a park bench the next. Both feel equally essential.
Adolescence
A four-episode bludgeoning that became one of the biggest cultural conversations of 2025 — and refuses to let anyone off the hook.
Black Doves
Spies, Christmas in London, Kiera Knightly knocking heads — we're in.