Steve Martin and John Hoffman's Only Murders in the Building arrives as an American mystery comedy-drama that premiered on Hulu in August 2021. The series follows three strangers — Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), a semi-retired actor once famous for a 1990s crime show; Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), a Broadway director whose last production was a disaster; and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), a young artist renovating her aunt's apartment — who share an obsession with true-crime podcasts. When a death occurs in their upscale Upper West Side building, the Arconia, they launch their own investigation and podcast, titled Only Murders in the Building.
Wikipedia describes Only Murders in the Building as an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Aaron Dominguez, Amy Ryan, Cara Delevingne, and Adina Verson. Five seasons have aired (2021–2025), with a sixth season branded as Only Murders in London slated for December 2026. The series has earned critical acclaim for its comedic approach to crime fiction and its ensemble performances, with nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys and Golden Globes.
The show's genius is its central trio. Martin's Charles is prickly and lonely, Short's Oliver is desperate and deluded but deeply loyal, and Gomez's Mabel is sharp, guarded, and the emotional anchor. Their chemistry makes the podcast framing device feel natural rather than gimmicky. Each season tackles a new murder while deepening the characters — their pasts, their failures, their unlikely friendship. The Arconia itself becomes a character, a building full of eccentric residents, secret passages, and theatrical history.
For a cozy but clever mystery night, Only Murders in the Building delivers wit, warmth, and genuine puzzles. The humor is character-driven, the mysteries are fair-play (clues are there if you're watching), and the emotional beats land without sentimentality. It's a love letter to New York, to theater, to podcasts, and to the particular joy of solving something with people who become your chosen family. Five seasons in, the formula hasn't tired — it's deepened.