For a profession that works to hide its work, stunt performers have been in the spotlight in 2024. First came Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy,” a short film based on a body double; now comes season four of “Only Murders in the Building,” in which the latest victim in the mystery is Saz Pataky (Jane Lynch), a stand-in for former procedural star Charles Haden Savage (Steve Martin). Saz’s disappearance after being shot in the season three finale sets the stage for a season that’s no less bizarre than its predecessors, but one that focuses more on the idea of clones and what they tell us about ourselves.
The new investigation is standard on “Only Murders,” the hit Hulu comedy series that centers on a trio of neighbors turned true-crime podcasters as they battle urban chaos and alienation. What Season 4 adds to the mix is a hefty dose of Hollywood slapstick. Unbeknownst to Charles, theater director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and aimless millennial Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), their story has inspired a screenplay that, by the logic of this crazy universe, is now a full-fledged production ready to roll. All that hard-nosed producer Beth Mellon (Molly Shannon) needs is our heroes’ signature.
Beth’s proposal entails a field trip to the City of Angels in the season premiere, but anyone hoping that co-creator Martin is planning a remake of his 1991 work “L.A. Story” may be disappointed. But fans looking to “Just Murder” for comfort food can rejoice: Summer is winding down, the weather is right for sweaters, and we’re back at Arconia, the swanky Upper West Side compound that’s a world unto itself. (The only West Coast these Manhattanites know borders the Hudson River.) There’s a group of businessmen hanging out there, and a new corner of the building for Oliver, Charles, and Mabel to explore.
If Only Murders doesn’t get out of Arconia, it can at least add something new by introducing a new group of townspeople to win our suspicions. You see, Arconia has a long-forgotten annex building directly across the street, and the bullet hole in Charles’ window points in their direction. In keeping with the show’s rising stature (Meryl Streep is just part of the cast now!) and escalating absurdity, this latest batch of suspects has bigger personalities and more familiar faces than the co-op members we’ve grown accustomed to. There’s stinky-eyed Joe (Richard Kind), an absentee film professor (Griffin Dunne) and a Christmas-obsessed fitness influencer (Kumail Nanjiani, whose character seems designed to reflect his post-Marvel physique). And Mabel, still without a permanent home, decides to start living in an empty apartment that could be a crime scene.
The so-called “Westies” are fun additions, but it’s the movie that gives Season 4 more focus and emotion than the series has had since Season 1. It’s not just the inside jokes about baseball—including a shout-out to this very publication!—or the opportunity to cast Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria in their own roles, clinging to the open case as a means of studying their soon-to-be-emerged characters. Charles grows increasingly convinced that Saz was shot by a bullet meant for him, in a final act of absorbing blows on his behalf. This leads not only to fun forays into the stunt community, but also to an honest meditation on what it means for someone else to capture your essence.
“Is this really me?” Charles asks in the opening voiceover, describing the experience of seeing oneself (or a version of oneself) on screen. “Is this how I want to be remembered?” Oliver is annoyed that Galifianakis finds him boring and pathetic, an extension of his girlfriend Loretta’s insecurities about his newfound stardom; Mabel is disturbed when she hears herself dismissed as an unemployed, homeless, lost young woman. Compared to previous seasons, this season rarely focuses on the podcast in progress, instead switching narrators with each episode. But Charles sets the tone for a story that strikes the right balance between melancholy loneliness and naming a cute little pig George Swinbrenner. All in moderation, especially when it comes to making comedy out of corpses.
The first episode of Season 4 of “Only Murders in the Building” is now available to stream on Hulu, with new episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays.
