‘Only Murders in the Building’ Heads to Hollywood: Season 4 TV Review

For a profession that often aims to make its labor invisible, stunt performers have found themselves in the limelight this year. It started with Ryan Gosling’s film “The Fall Guy,” a movie centered around a body double. Now, Season 4 of Hulu’s hit series “Only Murders in the Building” brings this theme front and center. The latest mystery revolves around Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), the long-time stand-in for former procedural star Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin). Her disappearance, following a shooting in the Season 3 finale, sets up a quirky new season. This time, the focus is on doppelgangers and what they tell us about our true selves.

A fresh investigation is standard fare for “Only Murders,” a comedy series about a trio of neighbors-turned-true-crime-podcasters. What Season 4 introduces is a significant dose of Hollywood satire. Unbeknownst to Charles, Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), their story has inspired a screenplay. Under the bizarre logic of this universe, it’s now a full production, and all that’s needed is the heroes’ signatures, spurred on by powerhouse producer Beth Mellon (Molly Shannon).

Beth’s sales pitch takes them to Los Angeles in the season premiere, but anyone expecting a throwback to co-creator Steve Martin’s 1991 classic “L.A. Story” might be let down. However, fans craving the consistent comfort of “Only Murders” will be thrilled. Fall is setting in, and we’re back at the Arconia, the opulent Upper West Side building that feels like a world unto itself. Our main characters return, along with a new assortment of show business personalities and newly discovered corners within the Arconia.

While the show remains anchored at the Arconia, it spices things up by introducing new residents to suspect. The Arconia has a long-forgotten annex across the street, and a bullet hole through Charles’ window suggests they might be involved. In keeping with the show’s increasing popularity and escalating absurdity, this season’s suspects come with bigger personalities and more celebrated faces. This includes the eyepatch-wearing Stink Eye Joe (Richard Kind), an absentee film professor (Griffin Dunne), and a fitness influencer obsessed with Christmas (Kumail Nanjiani). Meanwhile, Mabel, still in search of a permanent home, starts occupying an empty apartment that may itself be a crime scene.

The introduction of these new characters, dubbed the “Westies,” enriches the show but it’s the movie subplot that gives Season 4 an added layer of depth and emotion not seen since Season 1. It’s more than just inside jokes and cameo appearances by stars like Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria, who latch onto the ongoing mystery to study their soon-to-be characters. Charles starts to believe that Sazz was shot in an act of taking a bullet meant for him, leading to heartwarming excursions into the stunt community and deep reflection on what it means for someone else to portray your essence.

“Is that really me?” Charles muses in his opening voiceover, pondering the experience of seeing oneself onscreen. “Is that how I want to be remembered?” Oliver agonizes over whether Galifianakis considers him boring and pathetic, heightening his insecurities over his girlfriend Loretta’s new fame. Mabel, on the other hand, grapples with being labeled as a jobless and homeless young woman. Unlike previous seasons, this one shifts narrators from episode to episode, veering away from its podcast plotline to delve into introspective questions. Charles’ narrative sets the tone for a season that balances melancholy with humor, even giving us moments like naming an adorable piglet George Swinebrenner.

The first episode of “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4 is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes releasing every Tuesday.

Source: Particle News