Something has withered in the crime genre. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING – Season 4 Recap

Oliver finally found his other half—when I started watching Season 4 of “Only Murders in the Building”, I didn’t expect to begin my review this way. I didn’t think my main takeaway would be a reflection like this, rather than marveling at the resolution of the mystery, the villain’s characterization, the level of twists, or the excellent dialogue. As you might guess, I found the personal storylines (not just Oliver’s) more compelling than the core element of the show—THE CRIME. And that probably doesn’t bode well for this season. I remember writing in my review of Episode 1 that the finale of Season 3 left viewers with a lot of emotions and much to ponder about what would happen next. We saw Sazz Pataki’s death, which Oliver, Charles, and Mabel still didn’t know about. Season 4 centered around this death, yet the suspense gradually faded, ending with rather weak resolutions—and another dead body. This time, however, it was a character viewers might hardly remember and certainly weren’t attached to. Not even star cameos like Meryl Streep, Zach Galifianakis, Eva Longoria, or Eugene Levy could save it. So, I have to take back the praise I gave in my review of Episode 1, which I’ll now do with some pleasure.

There’s always a risk of overestimating a show, especially when a strong initial episode still carries the quality of the previous season (if it was good) and misleads viewers hungry for more well-told adventures of their favorite characters. And this was indeed the case with “Only Murders in the Building”. Season 3 set the bar so high that I couldn’t wait for Season 4. After the first episode, everything seemed to be on track. The mystery was developing until the tension started to drop. This likely began when the characters arrived on a movie set in New York, where they were portrayed by Zach Galifianakis, Eva Longoria, and Eugene Levy. Around this point, ironic, self-critical storylines about the American film industry started cropping up. These battles between characters and producers were supposed to be funny—and sometimes they were—but overall, they began to overshadow the actual mystery. Moreover, the number of suspects grew dangerously large. Complicated motives appeared, becoming difficult to follow, especially with flashbacks woven in. This created a whole criminal kaleidoscope, which may reflect real investigative work, where detectives sift through hundreds of leads to find the right one. But for a TV series, it was too much, made worse by the weekly release schedule. I noted in my review of Episode 1 that this old-fashioned release style would work better for a series like “Kojak”.

“Only Murders in the Building” is essentially a multi-layered pastiche. Episodes are short, and the action moves at a brisk pace. The dialogue is dense, with even more twists and turns than previous seasons. The self-critical element, as though the creators wanted to critique every injustice in Hollywood, adds to this. But with such intense storytelling, releasing one episode every seven days doesn’t let the viewer get fully immersed in the world. Moreover, the overtly American, almost self-absorbed critique of Hollywood stifles the crime narrative. As a result, viewers remember fewer details from the investigation, and the show starts to feel like a sitcom—a point I mentioned before, hoping that Season 4 would tone down these tendencies. I must now retract my previous statement—the show has great potential and presents crime in an accessible way. But that accessibility has diminished, and the finale ended up lacking inspiration. Instead, it focused on the plight of U.S. screenwriters, stuntmen, and other film crew members. Once again, moralizing took over, which, for European viewers, is much less relatable, making the satire feel too insular.

That said, I’m not suggesting the show didn’t appeal to audiences. It has high ratings, even from me, though I was disappointed by this season. I’m not planning to discourage anyone from watching it. I might even rewatch it, episode by episode, to better capture the atmosphere. However, my opinion about the ending stands. The killer turned out to be an unconvincing, over-talkative antagonist. The writers became too caught up in critiquing Hollywood injustices and lost sight of the crime narrative. On the plus side, Selena Gomez’s acting deserves praise—her performance was much improved, and her jaw clenching was noticeably reduced. And Oliver and Loretta made a fantastic couple, though some of their intimate scenes could have used more takes. At times, Meryl Streep’s distance from Martin Short was apparent. Perhaps that was intentional, although there’s no basis in the story to suggest it. Season 5 is definitely on the horizon; apparently, Hulu has already commissioned it. In the finale of Season 4, yet another character is killed off—someone you might not even have noticed. A mysterious woman (Téa Leoni) also appears with a crucial offer for the characters, which may finally pull them out of the stifling world of New York brownstones. We could use a strong twist now, not a repeat of the same formula. And a meta-commentary on Hollywood’s production struggles? Completely unnecessary. How about tempting one of the main characters to cross over to the dark side of crime?