“Only Murders in the Building”

The brand new series “Only Murders in the Building,” is available to stream exclusively on Hulu. After premiering the first three episodes on August 31, a new episode is set to be released every Tuesday.  

According to Hulu, “Only Murders in the Building” is a mystery series that follows three strangers Mabel, Charles and Oliver, played by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short respectively.  

After bonding over their love of true crime podcasts, the trio get caught up in the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of their neighbor Tim Kono. During their own investigation, the team decides to start a podcast of their own focusing only on “murders in the building.” 

Gomez, Martin and Short are also executive producers on the show. 

“Powerful actors getting producing credits is nothing new, but it seems to be more common today,” said Prof. Todd Barns, digital film and video production instructor at Sacred Heart University. “It’s more interesting to me that they went out and got Dan Fogelman as another Executive Producer. He is the creator of ‘This is Us’ and he came and spoke to my FTMA class last year via Zoom during the pandemic. He has one of the last big hits on TV, so perhaps they hope he can help them reach a wide audience.”  

Many Sacred Heart students and staff, while expressing their opinions on “Only Murders in the Building,” talked about their experience with true crime content and entertainment.  

“I love watching true crime! One of my favorite shows is Criminal Minds, which has a true crime vibe to it, but any other show similar on Netflix is something I’ll definitely watch,” said junior Reagan Daly. 

“The true crime podcast wave has been fascinating to watch. When I was growing up, documentaries had a much smaller audience than narrative. More recently that has been changing, largely due to a voracious public appetite for true crime,” said Barns. “I don’t listen to the podcasts, but I watch the docs all the time and I can’t get enough of them!” 

John Hoffman, co-creator of “Only Murders in the Building” along with Martin, revealed it was a personal connection to a similar mystery that inspired him to create the specific storyline of the show.  

Hoffman said, “It just so happened that in tragic form, a year before I started writing this show, a friend of mine was found dead on his floor with someone else and it was deemed a murder-suicide.” 

On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Martin said his contribution to the show was “an idea I have had in my head for 10 years.” 

Since its release, the show has been recognized continuously for its unprecedented success. According to The Wrap, “‘Only Murders in the Building’ is the most-watched comedy premiere in Hulu history.” 

Lots of  Sacred Heart students and staff commented on the dynamic between the shows’ talent.  

“I really like the show so far, it’s so cool to see more classic stars like Steve Martin and Martin Short with the queen of Disney herself Selena Gomez! I can’t wait to watch more,” said junior Hailey Morelli. 

“Streaming services are more about capturing a specific audience than broadcasting to a wide audience as network TV used to do. If Hulu can capture ‘Three Amigos’ fans at the same time as ‘Lose You To Love Me’ fans — it’s a big win for them,” said Barns. 

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