The Murders - Season 1 [BEST]
Every season, GBH Drama prepares to bring you coverage of the latest and greatest in British dramas. This month, we're getting a brand new show from MASTERPIECE: Magpie Murders. Featuring a mystery within a mystery and some truly delightful acting, this series is sure to be your new favorite whodunit. GBH Drama contributor Amanda-Rae Prescott is here to recap the magic as it happens.
The Murders - Season 1
Fans will very well ask if there will be a second season. Magpie Murders was written as a standalone miniseries. However, screenwriter Anthony Horowitz has written a sequel to the original novel called Moonflower Murders. Without spoilers, the plot follows Susan to Crete where she becomes entangled in a new murder case. It is possible an adaptation of this novel could be greenlit but it depends on many factors outside of our control.
The first season stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Aaron Dominguez, and Amy Ryan, with Julian Cihi, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Nathan Lane, Jayne Houdyshell, Olivia Reis, and Tina Fey in recurring roles. The first season of Only Murders in the Building received largely positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for the comedic approach to crime fiction and the lead actors' performances.
But is that really all that happened? The finale of Hulu's delightful murder comedy starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, about three acquaintances who start a podcast to investigate the death of one of their neighbors, at first appeared to answer all the fan questions about the murders in the New York apartment building, but after a twist ending (and some general unease from the characters), it appears the mystery may not be as fully solved as it first appeared. But don't worry, the series has already been renewed for a second season by Hulu.
"Only Murders" is one of the year's most enjoyable shows, mixing its detective elements with light humor and an appealing trio of Gomez, Martin and Short as Mabel, Charles and Oliver, respectively. The finale doesn't disappoint: It (sort of) wraps up the whodunnit; finds Martin flopping around on the floor for several minutes; gives Ryan an evil monologue and sets up a new dilemma for our podcasters to try to weasel their way out of in a second season. It's an engrossing and very funny half-hour.
One major improvement to the season would have been not to start it with a flash-forward to Mabel standing over a bleeding body. As I watched the finale, I was anticipating the twist rather than shocked by it. I know barely anything more about why Mabel accidentally killed condo board president Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell) than I did in the premiere. But there's always time in the second season to fix little problems.
Of course, anyone wondering how "Only Murders" could return for a second season, or what that flash-forward scene in the premiere was really about doesn't have to wonder for long. Mabel points out there are still some loose ends, but Oliver waves off her concerns. In the middle of their toast, Mabel runs downstairs to grab more bubbly from her apartment as sirens sound in the distance. Charles and Oliver receive text messages from an unknown number that read, "Get out of the building now!!!" They run downstairs to get Mabel.
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez play a mismatched trio of amateur sleuths in Hulu's charmingly wicked Only Murders in the Building. Now that the show's first season finale, "Open and Shut," has aired and the introductory mystery's been put to bed, we're doing an official review of the run as Only Murders is one of the most whimsical, wise, and venomous shows of 2021.
With Season 2 already a go (and currently in production), Only Murders will return with more ghoulish goings-on at the Arconia, though this first season's only notable drawback is the finale's split-focus: resolving the murder of Julian Cihi's prickly loner Tim Kono (the main murder mystery) while simultaneously setting up next year's misadventures. But that's indicative of most season enders, to be fair. And, in fact, if you look back through Season 1, there are plenty of moments that solidly point to where the show is headed in Season 2. Heck, the series even opens with a flash-forward look ahead at where everything lands.
One of the greatest treats upon rewatch of the first season is the fact the show begins the way the season ends. A frantic Oliver and Charles shuffle down flights of stairs to find a bloody-Mabel hovering over a body wearing their tie-dyed podcast merch.
To think that the show introduced the main plot of the second season in the first minutes of the season 1 premiere is a welcome treat, and season 2 promises to be just as delicious. The victim of this second murder is none other than Bunny, the hard edged antagonistic President of the Tenant Board.
You didn't actually think the season one finale of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" would leave us with a full resolution, did you? When Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin), and Oliver (Martin Short) finally figure out who killed Tim Kono (Julian Cihi), it only leads to a major cliffhanger and a brand new mystery for the trio to solve. The problem is, they're now the prime suspects. So, let's rewind a bit.
Then there's Cinda (Tina Fey), who runs a rival podcast about murders called "All is Not Okay in Oklahoma" (and, later, "Only Murderers in the Building") who may want to drum up another story to cover. What better way than to frame her competition to get them out of the way? Seems a bit much, though, even for Cinda.
At the very least, it's safe to assume the person who texted Oliver and Charles to come downstairs is involved in the murder somehow. It's possible the murderer hasn't even been introduced yet, and we'll meet them when season two of "Only Murders in the Building" premieres on June 28. So much to dive into in season two! But we'll still have to wait to find out who killed Bunny ... and if it was one of our beloved podcasters.
The finale of Only Murders in the Building season two aired on August 23, and fans are already excited about what the new season might bring to these unlikely protagonists. The first season was a massive success last year, receiving various Emmy Award nominations, including Best Actor oi a Comedy Series, for both Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the second season is expected to receive award nominations as well.
With a new year comes a new murder, and that can only mean one thing: a new podcast season. It is inevitable to compare both murder cases since they could've only been imagined for the show. Creating an intelligent and compelling murder case is hard. Creating two (and now three with the announcement of a third season) is extremely difficult. There have been some improvements and some setbacks in the new season, which is something that was expected to happen.
Only Murders in the Building tells the story of an unlikely trio of friends that come together because of their shared love of true-crime podcasts. After a murder happens in their building, they quickly realize there is more than what it seems underneath and decided to pursue the investigation themselves, and of course, create their true-crime podcast on the process. Here is how the seasons compare and what the fans might expect from next year.
The main focus of the season was the murder plot, but because it was so directly correlated with one of the main characters, Mabel, it made sense that they would walk hand in hand. The growth of the characters is very well constructed in a way that, by the end of the season, who they are is completely established.
The pace of the show is quite quick and that leads to a lot of information being given to the characters and audience at the same time. While that kind of exposition overload doesn't always work, it's a great decision here (that was a bit different in season two) which enhanced how high the stakes were as well as creating an excellent atmosphere for the comedic part of the show.
Second seasons are sometimes more challenging to make than the first ones. Now, the characters and their main dynamics are set, so there is a need for new ways to make them grow and show their different sides. An exciting aspect of the new season was the focus on the family aspect of all the characters. Charles and his stepdaughter, Oliver and his relationship with his son and ex-wife, and Mabel and her difficult childhood with her dad. This new focus had a refreshing feel to the narrative and gave the characters a new layer.
The new characters that appeared were not the highlight of the season. Most of them felt lacking a backstory or strong motivation and were mostly a plot device to move the story forward. This appears to be an already apparent change in the next season: due to the last scene of the finale.
The murder case plot got a bit messy at times, especially with the plot line of Mabel not remembering what happened. This led to a more slow-paced season than the previous one. However, the killer reveal (which happened live on Instagram) was funny in a smart way that really tricked the audience until the end. The scene showcased some of the best aspects of the show and was able to finish entertainingly a somewhat not-so-engrossing murder case. The resolution to who did it and how they did it was still intelligent and well put together. Overall, the series did a solid job at continuing with the comedic podcast show and made the audience want to spend more time with the main trio.
The third murder plot started strong and is very different from the other ones. It is nice to see how much the characters have grown personally and professionally, and that will most likely impact how they will deal with what appears to follow them everywhere they go: murder. Also, since the murder was not set in the Arconia, this may lead to one of the biggest changes, one that dictates various creative choices for the next season. 041b061a72