Does Only Murders in the Building continue its strengths in season 4? Yes, and then some.
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The first season of Only Murders in the Building was a revelation. Season 2, while good, did lose just a bit of its stride. Season 3 started to feel very worn, but it seems someone came along and injected an entirely new energy into season 4.
Shows generally have diminishing returns the longer they go on. While we started to see some wear and tear in season 2, season 3 showed that may just be the status quo moving forward. Thankfully, season 4 feels like an entirely new beast that is faster, funnier, and plays to everyone’s strengths.
Season 4 picks up with Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) stumbling through life and thinking that they have no more podcasts left in them. Mabel, as per usual, is very uncertain of who she is as she is also now homeless and sleeping at Oliver’s. It doesn’t take long for a new murder to drop into their laps.
In addition to a new mystery to solve, Hollywood has come calling, wanting to turn their podcast into a film. In the opening episode, we see a cast that has already been chosen: Eugene Levy as Charles, Zach Galifianakis as Oliver, and Eva Longoria as Mabel. The three of them show up throughout the season, and while they are all amusing and add to the series, Longoria is the standout with multiple laugh-out-loud line deliveries.
The biggest issue for Only Murders in the Building season 4 is that it is constantly competing against itself. The show has been so good so far that you constantly find yourself comparing it to what has come before. That is definitely not a bad position for a show to occupy, but it is a fact.
This season also decides to go meta with multiple references to ‘previous seasons.’ While in the context of the show they mean seasons of the podcast, it feels very on the nose to the TV episodes as well.
We should note that each year Hulu only gives us the first seven to eight episodes of the season. Our thoughts are based solely on not knowing the conclusion of the season. If we had seen the conclusion of the second season before we wrote our review, it probably would have received a 10 as opposed to an eight. The solution to the case was such a delight and wholly unexpected. The same thing could happen here. So, our score is based on the first seven episodes alone.
While some may not enjoy the even harder leaning into straight comedy this season, it paid off for this reviewer. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this season, and I’m anxious to see how it wraps up.
SCORE: 9 out of 10
Disclaimer: Hulu provided The Nerdy with seven episodes of Only Muders in the Building Season 4 for the purposes of this review. We watched them until they were completed before beginning this review.
