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Arts and Entertainment

'Only Murders in the Building' is back and meta as ever. Is that a good thing?

By  Lindsey Wright
Published Aug 29, 2024 2:57 PM
A man in a grey suit, white shirt and glasses sitting next to a woman in a tan jacket and dark hard and a man in a checkered jacket and orange pants sit in the back seat of a car and stare out the window.
Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short as Charles, Oliver & Mabel in season four of "Only Murders in the Building."
(
Eric McCandless
/
Disney
)
IN THIS ARTICLE

Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news program, we talk with TV critics about the shows they're watching, and this week, they're dishing on the return of Only Murders in the Building.

Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short return for Season 4, along with a plethora of guest stars, lots of meta humor and a movie adaptation.

It’s meta, but in a good way

"It's so meta that you actually find yourself laughing and laughing at jokes you thought were old." — Dominic Patten, Deadline executive editor
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“It invites an opportunity for a lot of jokes that are actually kind of making fun of the show and poking fun at its tropes, and I love that stuff.” — Jen Chaney, Vulture

The podcast goes Hollywood

A man in a purple coat and scar, a woman in an orange dress and yellow beanie and a man in a dark suit, scarf and hat stand on a red carpet as they get their photo taken.
Zach Galifianakis, Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy star as the actors cast to play Charles, Mable and Oliver in the new season of "Only Murders in the Building."
(
Eric McCandless
/
Disney
)

“There is a movie being made based on the Only Murders in the Building podcast within the show.. you have Eva Longoria playing a version of Selena Gomez, and you have Eugene Levy playing a version of Steve Martin. And then my favorite, Zach Galifianakis playing an inexplicably younged-down version of Martin Short and just being so impatient with this entire thing.” — Jen Chaney, Vulture TV critic

Keep the guest stars coming

Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Jane Lynch and more have brought their talents to the series in past seasons. Season 4 adds the three "doppelgangers" already mentioned, plus people like Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Kind, Melissa McCarthy and Molly Shannon.

A woman in a pink suit jacket and black shirt sits at a conference table with her hands folded and a smile on her face.
Molly Shannon guest stars as a Hollywood executive in the new season of "Only Murders in the Building."
(
Patrick Harbron
/
Disney
)

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"Part of the fun is just waiting to see who's going to show up next." — Jen Chaney, Vulture TV critic
“There are two performances that really struck me with these early episodes. One is Jane Lynch… and the other part I would say is the never less than wonderful Molly Shannon, who shows up as a Hollywood executive.” — Dominic Patten, Deadline

Listen here...

...for more on this show and others, including Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Kaos and English Teacher.

Listen • 16:23
TV Talk: ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Kaos’ and more

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