All in one night, a superstar actor collapses on stage during his Broadway debut, crashes a cast party and plummets through an elevator straight on top of our protagonists, murdered. Oliver Putnam put it best in episode 6 of season 1: “the twists and turns of this are unbelievable,” for, indeed, the mystery is only just getting started.
The third season of the murder-mystery comedy “Only Murders in the Building” concluded with the its stellar season finale on Oct. 3, 2023. Joined by a variety of new and exciting characters, the season features the return of its main trio—Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short). Overall, the show manages to live up to the high bar set by its previous seasons by once again delivering a captivating, exhilarating and absolutely hilarious murder mystery.
The season picks up the story where season 2 ended, with superstar actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) collapsing on stage at the opening night of Putnam’s directorial return to Broadway. Despite his apparent death, Ben reappears later, seemingly changed and eager to make amends for his fraught relationship with the cast, but is found dead in an elevator soon after. Adventure and conflict ensue as the trio works to solve the case while Putnam tries desperately to save the production by turning it into a musical.
This new season of “Only Murders in the Building” maintains the best aspect of its previous seasons: the terrific performances that Short, Martin and Gomez each deliver, individually and together. Each actor is absolutely delightful in scenes focused on their characters alone, which were quite abundant this season, while still carrying the same comedic group chemistry which makes the show so great in the first place. This crew is the heart of the show and, I can assure you, it’s still beating.
Short especially shines by bringing a heartwarming energy to the romantic relationship that Putnam develops throughout the season, a first for the character, with an actress in his play named Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep). The two actors compliment each other perfectly and create an adorable pair. Another standout moment is when Putnam has to deal with a completely eccentric and overeager Matthew Broderick, in a tremendously funny cameo, preparing for his part in the play, with Short playing Putnam’s exhaustion with the situation perfectly and making the scenes incredibly hilarious.
But the trio doesn’t carry the show by themselves; they are supported by a spectacular cast of new and brilliantly played characters. Rudd’s Glenroy and Streep’s Durkin are the highlights. Streep is absolutely magnificent in the role, bringing a child-like energy and sweetness to the quirky and kind Durkin and, though Glenroy is almost entirely seen in flashbacks, Rudd offers a terrific performance. Most impressive was how Rudd managed to completely change my perception of the character in a single episode, from believing he was arrogant and cruel to drawing sympathy as he shows that Glenroy was suffering and misunderstood.
Simply put, the mystery this season is utterly fantastic. Like previous seasons, the show kept me guessing who could possibly have been the murderer every step of the way, leaving me with countless predictions every week and truly no idea who it really was until the very end. The twists and turns at every corner constantly threw me off and made me suspect someone else, making the final reveal, like previous seasons, a thrilling surprise and excellent conclusion.
With Putnam creating a musical, this season gave music a prominent place and the songs created for the musical are outstanding. The standout song is “Look for the Light,” with Streep and Ashley Park giving entrancing vocal performances to this slow and stunning track. Martin’s “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” is also a highlight- an instant earworm with its quick and upbeat energy and immensely catchy chorus.
The biggest disappointment of the season was the decision to have genuine conflict between the trio for multiple episodes, which was something new for the show. While I applaud the willingness to take risks and explore the relationship between these characters, the warm and funny dynamic between them has always been the core of the show and losing that for some episodes was upsetting. Unsurprisingly, the episodes in which their typical dynamic was present were the best of the season.
Overall, the third season of “Only Murders in the Building” is a hysterical and terrific murder mystery. Although you definitely have to have seen the prior seasons to watch this one, if you enjoy comedies, mystery stories or are simply looking to be entertained, this season, and show, especially with a fourth season already confirmed, is absolutely for you.
