Only Murders in the Building, Season 2

By Joanna Langfield

A funny thing happens mid-season here, in that what begins as truly laugh out loud hilarious turns into a far more serious, introspective dramatic whodunit. Thanks to its nimble cast, what initially feels like a bit of a surprise, wraps us up in its real, complicated life.

What gleeful fun is to be had, watching the glorious tag team of Steve Martin and Martin Short bring the increasingly impressive Selena Gomez along for the ride. As three strangers, living in quite the building on New York’s Upper West Side, three seemingly very different people discover they share a passion for true crime. When they and their neighbors get caught up in one themselves, these three amigos bumpily bond, trying in this season, to prove their innocence in last season’s murder.

Adding to the fantastic New York scenery and real estate porn is a completely delicious roster of mostly local actors, all bringing their best. To mention Amy Ryan, Teddy Coluca, Michael Cyril Creighton, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane and the truly Da’Vine Joy Randolph would be to leave out Daniel Oreskes, Ali Stroker, Jane Lynch, Cara Delevingne, Andrea Martin and Michael Rapaport, among others. And that would be wrong. They are all SO good.

I’ll be curious to hear reaction from fans, as the zigzag of this chapter streams along. Perhaps a less tolerant commercial producer wouldn’t allow for this rather ambitious turn of tone. But aren’t we lucky to have venues that do support material that isn’t always easy and tries for something more?