- Network: HULU
- Series Premiere Date: Oct 26, 2021
Critic Reviews
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This show remains an extremely rare example of a comedy-drama that does both equally, and incredibly, well.
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While Season 3 spit the trio apart as they each got pulled in their own directions, this season finds them stronger than ever. As they work together to solve this case, they bounce back and forth in hilarious and zany ways, allowing Martin, Short, and Gomez to really thrive beside one another. And they continue to elevate the series’ newest additions as well.
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The whodunit storyline is solid, with plenty of authentic twists and surprising revelations. But it's the character comedy that keeps us coming back. [16 Sep - 6 Oct 2024, p.11]
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Somehow at four seasons in, "Only Murders in the Building" only gets better and proves the right chemistry can carry any show further than imagined.
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Wild, fun ride.
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Elicits more laughs than any small-screen comedy since last year’s installment.
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The reasons that people watched and fell in love with “Only Murders in the Building” remain intact in the new outing. And they’ve even brought some new friends.
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OMITB’s roster of big names will only increase now, but I’m glad the premiere establishes what to expect: The satire is now not only about true crime but also Hollywood’s obsession with IP and adaptations.
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Through seven episodes made available for review, this season of “Only Murders” hangs together quite well thanks to both viewer familiarity with the returnees and the influx of Hollywood characters that add humor and a multitude of new suspects.
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“Only Murders in the Building” is still one of TV’s best comforts. It may take a while to find its stride (which it does, by the seventh episode) and lack any addictive hooks like last season’s surprise Broadway banger “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” But it still gives us plenty of motive to stick with it, overwhelmed though we may be by its amplified dazzle.
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These so-called “Westies” are enjoyable additions, but it’s the movie that gives Season 4 more focus and pathos than the show has had since Season 1.
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Sure, it’s grim. But the death of a relatively important character puts a new spin on a plot that might otherwise feel a bit like a reprise of the show’s meta-meditations on fame.
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The conceit of characters dealing with people who have been assigned to play them is not new, but it is particularly delightful here.
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It’s wonderful to see Only Murders return to such great form. There are even traces of an evolution: If you squint, you can see a manic and unhinged quality to some of the jokes and set pieces that feels distinctly new. But what’s truly welcome is how the show has recentered itself.
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While there are still laughs – particularly involving Sazz Pataki’s stunt pals, Eva Longoria embracing life as a would-be super sleuth, and a getting-to-know-you montage involving Galafianakis and Oliver that’s borderline romantic – season four has a lot more heart, and it works.
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After a rocky third season, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building is back on track thanks to a renewed focus on its mystery and the inner complexity of its characters.
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On the surface, while it might seem like the series has gotten too big for its britches, I think this season strikes a nice balance between what made the original season work so well and a few fresh elements to reinvigorate the series with new life.
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The pace dips somewhat toward the middle of the eight episodes and there isn’t nearly enough Streep. But there are lots of twists – including a cameo that Disney+ is keen to keep under wraps. All of which adds up to a killer season from a streaming sensation that has taken on a life of its own.
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The show’s great balancing act — between humor and moments that hit you in the gut — has always been its strength. Melissa McCarthy’s comedic instincts fit right in, as Charles’ over-the-top sister, with whom they temporarily bunk at her house on Staten Island.
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Even if Season 4 can’t rise to the heights of its predecessor, “Only Murders in the Building,” created by Martin and John Hoffman, remains a well-written, consistently entertaining series that frankly could go on forever.
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While it’s too early to determine where this is going (even they admit “we’ve been very lucky with people dying in our building”), it could unravel in interesting ways.
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“Only Murders” has become comforting in its rhythms. The writers have a working formula, and they use that formula well. But I’m really not watching for the mystery anymore — even though there are plenty of twists and turns this season. I’m watching to see who pops up next and how much they can make me giggle.
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The result of this combination of elements is more time with the central three, which works nicely, while still allowing the show to have plenty of self-knowing jokes.
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At this point Only Murders In The Building rides on the chemistry among Martin, Short and Gomez, and in Season 4, that chemistry is well-established. We just hope that Charles, Mabel and Oliver are as much fun running around Hollywood solving murders as they are running around New York.
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“Only Murders” Season 4 is still fun. It’s still funny. It’s still well-made and obviously well-acted. It’s even smart enough to steer attention back to our original trio in a way that leaves no doubt who we’re meant to care about the most. It’s just a little too enamored by everyone it can cast to realize maybe it would be better not to cast everyone just because it can.
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At its core, it’s two veteran comic actors having a great time, and Selena Gomez happy, comfortable, and loving every minute of it. A year from now, I’ll probably be back reading this very text trying to jog my own memory about where we left off and wondering just how much juice Only Murders has left. And then I’ll tune in happily for another season.
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It’s still ingeniously plotted, even if its frantic storytelling makes emotional engagement a struggle. The main problem is that the fun feels increasingly like self-love, a nice idea being stretched so far that it’s slightly fraying.
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There are too many suspects because there are simply too many high-profile guest stars and recurring players on this season of the Hulu comedy. .... And, to be fair, this collection of talent does at times yield strong results. .... More often, though, Season Four is too busy, and too focused on dynamics other than the durable one among the three leads, to be as satisfying as Only Murders is capable of being.
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Outside of Steve Martin nailing that pitter-patter song last season, the show has struggled to reach the highs of its first go-around. Chalk it up to too many new cogs in the machine, a misplaced focus on celebrity cameos, or a misreading of the dynamics that actually make the show special—take your pick. But it begs the question: If Only Murders in the Building needed to step so far outside of the building to stay relevant, maybe we should’ve wrapped the show up after its first season.
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