Only Murders in the Building season 4 review: This podcast has lost the plot

Only Murders in the Building season 4 review: After incorporating art forms like podcasting, art, and Broadway across its previous three seasons, the fourth instalment of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez’s whodunit comedy goes to Hollywood. Well, technically for only a brief spin, since by the virtue of its title, Only Murders in the Building can’t go beyond The Arconia, where the three protagonists reside. The building’s connection to the movies seems as strained as every episode in the new season, which still has layers, Easter eggs, and character, but is criminally low on the drama, cohesion, and resonance that the show is renowned for.
(Also Read: Meryl Streep thanked Only Murders in the Building co-creator for writing her romantic scenes ‘at this age’)
Given that two of its lead characters belonged to the world of movies in their heydays made it quite organic that Only Murders in the Building would soon make a trip from the East Coast (The Arconia in New York) to the West Coast (Hollywood in Los Angeles, California). To add to the excitement, they learn in the very first episode that a movie has been commissioned on their crime podcast, with their characters being essayed by Eugene Levy (Charles), Zach Galifianakis (Oliver), and Eva Longoria (Mabel). It’s also picked up by Paramount, with The Brother Sisters (yes, Brother is their last name) helming it.
The jamming between the three protagonists and their reel life counterparts is one of the great early joys of watching season 4. Oliver unable to pronounce Zach’s last name, Eugene confessing his love for Charles’ Brazzos, and Eva making Mabel more age-appropriate and scintillatingly darker than she actually is – these juicy gags with terrific actors make for memorable television. But soon, it dawns upon Only Murders in the Building that it has to go back home – because every murder mystery is bound to start and end there. To pluck them away from their thrilling Hollywood adventure and planting them right back in the building turns out to be more of a constraint than a natural progression.
Even when back in the building, they aren’t completely divorced from the movies. Charles’ longtime stunt double Sazz Pataki has been shot dead in his apartment by a sniper from the building across. So the action also moves to the neighbouring building and suspects range from a eyepatch man who stares at Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), a beefed-up guy who’s obsessed with Christmas all year round. These characters add colour to the proceedings, but also distract both the leads– and more irritatingly, us – from the more enticing, inviting world of Hollywood. Once someone has tasted the blood of movies, who wants to go back?
So there’s the neighbouring building, the Only Murders in the Building movie, and then there’s also Sezz’s past as a stuntwoman. They’re all somewhere linked, but the connections are so far-fetched and take so annoyingly long to forge that one’s patience wears out. Besides the neighbours, actors and crew from the movie, there’s also Meryl Streep returning as Loretta, actor and Oliver’s love interest and Melissa McCarthy being introduced as Doreen, Charles’ estranged sister. But they have such little precious to do that at one point, the two characters are physically brawling with each other in a possible attempt to find something fun or attention-screaming to do. For all you know, Meryl may have just done this as a favour to her rumoured love interest and executive producer Martin Short. Their romantic scenes – and an intimate courtyard wedding! – are cute, but make for a subplot too feeble to warrant a space in the screenplay.
Meryl, like all the other seasoned actors doing their small bit this season, is a self-proclaimed fan of the show. But she had quite an arc and enigma to her in season 3. Season 4 gives her and several others the short end of the stick. Paul Rudd also pops up as the stunt double of the dead actor he played last season. At least he contributes to the primary plot of the show and helps get things going. Stunt guys are having a moment on screen right now – and their world and philosophy form the spine of season 4. A bar exclusively for stuntmen called Concussions is fascinating and harks back to the imaginative worldbuilding of the show. The Christmas guy, the Brothers sisters, Concussions – these are all fine strokes by the architects of the show, but they’re dialled down by the sheer lack of focus across all 10 episodes.
Only Murders in the Building has championed sharp ensemble writing since season 1 by giving each character – often a suspect – the narrator’s voice in each episode. It helped build their case and present their side of the story organically, instead of leaving that to our imagination. For a season revolving around movies and lobbying for the value of a screenwriter, the screenplay is extremely all over the place. Every episode feels like it’ll take us only one step towards solving the mystery by revealing a clue at the end, but to sit out 30 minutes in anticipation of that is a tough ask. Not that the Martins have lost their comic timing that initially carried these lead-ups through, but the final reveal in every episode isn’t just explosive enough to make the wait worth it. Half-hearted and isolated subplots like Oliver’s long-distance romance with Loretta further add to the frustration.
With such a stellar cast lining up in its service, and the goodwill of three loved seasons to back it up, the latest instalment of Only Murders in the Building commits gross disservice to everything that could’ve worked in its favour. It doesn’t even have anything profound or novel to say about the movies. A hint at season 5 at the end suggests that the trio may now take their investigation outside the building. A change of setting is sure to serve as a shot in the arm, but they are in need of a bigger intervention. And if that involves slashing and burning themselves to give way to a new format, a new life, then so be it. Because this screenplay desperately needs a rewrite.
Only Murders in the Building season 4 is streaming in India on Disney+ Hotstar.