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What Makes Only Murders in the Building Fit the Genre?

The current crime drama or thriller has taken pulp to the extreme, jacking up the stakes so high for Byronic heroes or full-on villain protagonists that an audience screams on the edge of their seats to learn what could possibly happen next. Then, mute the colors or filter them with blue, and you’ve got yourself a hit crime television show.

The murder mystery, as late as the '90s, took a different tack. The shows in question focused on a general recipe of well-known tropes like red herring clues to give the story the element of surprise. Meanwhile, the protagonist solving these mysteries would carry with them some potential suspense, as they may be the next to be targeted—or get in the way when the killer thinks they’re two steps ahead.

Anyone who’s seen a mystery-of-the-week show can recognize these melodramatic elements.

But another commonality among this genre is that the shows tend to stray away from the gravity associated with cinematic television. The exemplary mystery show—procedural, cozy, or otherwise—doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t make light of murder, necessarily. But with reliable character humor and believable distractions to guide the audience’s gaze. Ultimately, it’s a whodunit—scandalous, full of misdirection, and deadly fun.

The spirit of this is recaptured in Only Murders in the Building, written expertly by John Hoffman and Steve Martin to carry a good amount of tension, suspense, and intrigue—all aided by clear self-awareness about the “rules” of the genre. Much in the way that Scream or The Faculty become iconic for their understanding of the horror genre, so too does Only Murders in the Building make critical references and tongue-in-cheek jokes regarding the whodunit and the true crime genres of entertainment.

In fact, the show opens with three mutually obsessed true crime fans whose fascination graduates to inappropriate amateur investigation when they discover a suspicious death in their very own apartment building.

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'Only Murders in the Building' (2021 - )

What Makes Only Murders in the Building Special?

But make no mistake—while this show carries the suspense it’s meant to in the way of a good old murder mystery, it’s also a dark comedy. In line with shows like Monk, it aims to celebrate the personalities of its protagonists through character humor.

The Characters Are Funny

Only Murders showcases Selena Gomez’s known deadpan demeanor as Mabel Mora, combining that with misanthropic wash-up Charles-Haden Savage and penniless retired Broadway director Oliver Putnam, played by seasoned “funnymen” and long-time friends Steve Martin and Martin Short, respectively.

These actors work together to create three-dimensional discomfort and hilarity among all the expected melodrama of the genre. Doing this allows the show to bypass the modern trend of targeting single comedy audiences per show—not focusing solely on dry humor, cringe humor, or physical humor, but instead choosing a variety that pairs well with the expectations of anyone who’s listened to a true crime podcast or watched Murder, She Wrote.

Multihyphenate Steve Martin brings his actor sensibilities to the table when writing alongside John Hoffman, making it far easier to capitalize on the comedic talents of not only the three main cast—but the many celebrity guest stars that mount with each new season.

'Only Murders in the Building' (2021 - )

Updating the Murder of the Week Story

With new conflicts, new characters, and a knack for long-form storytelling, Hoffman and Martin keep the ball rolling with episodic flair as well. Shining examples of this knack include S1E7, “The Boy from 6B,” where a significant shift allows audiences to see the main cast’s antics from the perspective of a deaf character.

This change is one of many that, introduced in a small way, creates an opportunity for a new melodramatic veneer—for just one episode—over the dark comedy’s serial narrative. The willingness to effect such changes in the story bite by bite helps make Only Murders feel like the old-school murder-of-the-week story while maintaining its binge-worthy serial structure.

With keen knowledge of the genre that’s being evoked, Hoffman and Martin spur interest at every turn despite the jokes, making it clear that this is a show that can scratch itches for true crime fans, comedy fans, and whodunit fans alike.

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'Only Murders in the Building' (2021 - )

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With a clear and intentional use for every guest star, every trope, every joke, and every new season, there isn’t a hackneyed gimmick to be found in Only Murders in the Building. That being true for any show with five seasons is no accident, and it still manages to spark genuine laughter in audiences in a way that would make the modern sitcom jealous.

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