Only Murders in the Building (spoilers included)

I just finished the first episode. This damn thing needs a thread.

I never thought a mixture of Gomez, Martin and Short would be so wonderful to watch.

I’ll be back before October 5th, and I’ll be caught up.

 

Gwen got me to watch the first episode and we're caught up, so I won't chat any specifics.

Martin and Short are so good at doing their usual shtick that you wonder how much is actually scripted and how much is just ad-libbed with the camera on. But really makes this stand out is the interplay between them and a revolving cast of eccentric neighbors, family and friends that set up so many awesome unexpected plot twists.

If L.A. Story is Steve's look at the idiosyncrasies of Hollywood, Only Murders is everything bold and brash about the quirkiness of the Big Apple in 30-minute bites.

Gomez -- who could be just a wasted side piece -- is actually excellent at gluing everything together, pushing the story forward and keeping Martin/Martin from careening off into Sillyland.

Quick synopsis. Martin, Short and Gomez all live in the same New York upscale apartment building and like listening to the same true crime podcast, a fact they're not aware of until a young man is found dead in his apartment. Martin is a one-hit TV actor, known by everyone for his lead role in "Brazos," but the joke is nobody remembers his catch phrases or why they watched it. Short is Broadway show producer who keeps soldiering on despite a Who's Who of incredible flops: for example "Splash: The Musical" which featured an actual swimming pool built into the theater. Of course, the machinery designed to open the floor failed on Opening Night, resulting in something akin to "splat."

Gomez is an art student who is living in her aunt's apartment, which is being renovated. But it's her evolving story, and the little pieces of information she decides to reveal (or keep a secret), that give us little hints into the mystery. The fact that she pals around with two clueless, naive, over-the-hill white guys is part of the fun.

Police believe the death is open-and-shut suicide, but there's something tantalizing enough about the case that Martin, Short and Gomez decide to start their own podcast based on the small amount of information they know -- including riding in the elevator with the deceased just minutes before he died and hearing what might have been his last phone conversation.

It's getting excellent reviews across Rotten Tomatoes, from both critics and viewers. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but there's a lot of "wait, back it up so I can hear that clearer" tongue-in-cheekiness. And the police are definitely wrong. Tim Kono was killed. But why? And by whom?

 

The Sting cameo was damn hilarious.

 

As a fiend for true crime podcasts, this show is right up my alley. I just wish there was a serial podcast as an accompaniment. Also, I would watch Steve Martin and Martin Short read the phone book.

Already renewed for a second season. I really hope Martin and Martin are back.

 

This whole thing is Steve Martin's baby, so I don't see any reason he wouldn't be back. Same with the other two, depending what twists and turns happen in the final episodes.

 

I would love a show just based on Tina Fey's character. And Amy Ryan should be more high-profile. Such talent. Compare her performance as the goofy, warmhearted Holly on the Office to her racist, neglectful mother in Gone Baby Gone.

 

Gomez makes this show. I’m sorry. She has all the great lines, other than Sting being so happy it wasn’t a suicide.

The silent episode was fantastic.

They event take a few bars from the background music of Serial.

But Gomez is the star for me.

 

I don’t think the son is a true killer. He’s taking them someplace safe, I think.

Two more episodes left, correct? If somehow the final chase scene involves Sting and a bassoon…

 

Oh, we are not done yet…

 

Going into last night's episode, I thought the policewoman would return. Gwen thought it would be Oscar. Turns out we were both right, plus about four new characters and Charles' new girlfriend, Jan.

Teddy Dimas gives Oliver and Mabel the ultimatum: end the podcast or else. With the "help" of four new superfan characters -- and the policewoman -- our plucky trio chooses the other, which seems like we've wrapped things up in a nice little bow, except there are two more episodes to go, which means they've got the wrong guys. And Jan, who wanted them to keep crazy cat lover Howard Morris as a suspect, isn't doing so great at the closing credits.

That's an awesome homage if Steve and Marty chose "Howard Morris" as the character name for the real Howard Morris, a great character actor and director better known as Ernest T. Bass, Jet Screamer, Uncle Goopy from Sid Caesar, et al.

Who around the Arconia would have easy access to poison, keys to all the apartments and a revenge motive? Hmmm. Episode nine of 10 is next week.

 

I'm not reading all of this thread yet, because I've only watched the first episode, but the cop who confronted the trio in the hall why the supposed suicide was being investigated was pretty darn funny. I literally LOLed at her lines.

 

"You listen to real crime podcasts? I F-ING KNEW IT!" (Paraphrased because I don't remember the exact dialogue, but still awesome.)