Get out your murder boards! “Only Murders in the Building” is back for Season 4, and it looks to be the series’ most star-studded season yet.
It’s been almost a year since we last heard from the Upper West Side’s most high-profile (fictional) true-crime podcasters, so you’d be forgiven for forgetting some of what happened last season and what’s in store for this one.
But fear not. We’ve got everything you need to know as you journey back to The Arconia.
When is “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4 coming out?
The Season 4 premiere drops on Hulu on Tuesday, August 27 at midnight. ET/Monday, August 26 at 9 p.m. PT if you’re on the west coast. New episodes will be released every Tuesday at midnight Eastern. You can also stream Seasons 1-3 on Hulu. Past seasons have had ten episodes, so it’s a safe bet that Season 4 will also have a 10 episode arc.
What is “Only Murders” about?
“Only Murders in the Building” (“OMITB”) follows three true-crime podcast-obsessed strangers who all live in a posh Upper West Side apartment building, The Arconia. Brought together by a grisly murder that takes place in the building, the trio attempt to find their neighbor’s killer, documenting their investigation in a true-crime podcast of their very own. After solving the case, the three unlikely musketeers are confronted with another death (Season 2) – and another (Season 3) – and now another (Season 4).
How did Season 3 end?
Season 3 centered on the death of Hollywood actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), who was set to star in a Broadway play — “Death Rattle” — directed by Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and starring Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin).
Though clues kept pointing to Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep) being the murderer, the Season 3 finale revealed not one but two killers behind Ben’s death: Cliff (Wesley Taylor), the nepo-baby aspiring producer, and his famed Broadway producer mother Donna DeMeo (Linda Emond).
Ben was ruining the play — reworked throughout the season from “Death Rattle,” a self-serious straight melodrama, to “Death Rattle Dazzle,” a sequin-laden musical more befitting Oliver’s resume – and mother and son both decided of their own accord that Ben had to go.
On death’s doorstep following a battle with cancer and determined that her baby’s Broadway debut would not be a flop, Donna fed Ben a rat poison-laced cookie.
After Ben survives the cookie poisoning and realizes Donna is behind the attempt on his life, Cliff pushes Ben down one of The Arconia’s elevator shafts, sending him to his death in an attempt to save his mother from going to jail.
Like Seasons 1 and 2, the Season 3 finale ended revealing a new murder victim. Which leads us to …
What is Season 4 about?
Just when the murder of Ben was solved and “Death Rattle Dazzle” appeared to be a hit, a new murder took place in the building.
As the opening night celebrations carried on, Charles’ longtime stunt double Sazz (Jane Lynch) went to Charles’ apartment to grab a bottle of wine only to be shot through a window — presumably from an apartment across The Arconia courtyard.
Dressed in the same clothes as Charles, Sazz’s murder left audiences wondering whether Sazz or Charles was the shooter’s target.
It appears Sazz knew her killer, as the season’s final shot showed the stunt double attempting to write something out on Charles’ kitchen floor in her own blood.
Beyond solving Sazz’s murder, the show’s central trio finds themselves on a trip to Hollywood as a big-shot producer offers to adapt their podcast into a movie.
Once in Los Angeles, Charles, Oliver and Mable (Selena Gomez) reunite with Loretta (Streep), who happens to be the object of Oliver’s desire. The gang also meets the stars set to play them in the movie version of their lives — but more on that later.
The threesome can’t stay long in Tinsel Town, as Sazz’s unsolved murder beckons them back to New York and The Arconia. Much to their dismay, they don’t return alone. The actors who will play them in the “Only Murders” movie trail them back to the Big Apple, sticking close to them as they attempt to solve the latest Arconia murder.
Which cast members are returning?
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez all return to reprise their roles as crime-solving podcasters. Although technically dead, Lynch also returns and will likely be seen through flashbacks. Fans are delighted that Streep will return as Oliver’s love interest, Loretta.
Paul Rudd will also reportedly be making a few appearances.
Other regulars coming back include Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Williams, Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris, Ryan Broussard as Will Putnam, Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller and Jason Veasey as Jonathan Bridgecroft.
Are there new cast members in Season 4?
“OMITB” has a history of drawing A-list celebs to guest star on the show, and Season 4 is no exception.
Molly Shannon joins the cast as the high-powered Hollywood producer trying to persuade Charles, Mabel and Oliver to sign over their life rights.
Meanwhile, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy and Zach Galifianakis play themselves — well, a version of themselves. They are the stars the Hollywood studio hires to play movie versions of the show’s heroes. Kumail Nanjiani also joins the cast, seemingly as one of The Arconia’s residents and possibly a suspect in Sazz’s death.
Will there be a Season 5?
The show has not been picked up for a fifth season yet.
Are Martin Short and Meryl Streep dating IRL?
Since Short and Streep started playing romantic partners on “OMITB,” many have wondered whether that romance spilled off the screen and into their real lives. The pair were spotted holding hands and looking awfully couple-y at the Season 4 premiere. This after they were seen looking cozy at the 2024 Golden Globes. Unfortunately, this is one mystery that’s still unsolved.
