Only Murders In The Building Season 3 Review: Another Hit

Only Murders In The Building Season 3 is another hilarious, suspenseful, and captivating hit season of television. This review is based solely on the first eight episodes of Only Murders In The Building Season 3.

Only Murders In The Building has taken the world by storm. This series is brilliantly written, jam packed with a fantastic cast, and continues to feel fresh and exciting every season. Season 3 once again delivers a captivating, hilarious, and suspenseful story that will have viewers on the edge of their seats and trying to put all the clues together to solve the murder before it is revealed.

Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Only Murders In The Building would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

The series follows Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), who bonded over their love of true crime when a murder happened in their building, the Arconia. This season, the leading man of Oliver’s play (Paul Rudd) is murdered. The three decide to put their detective hats on once again and see what they can discover about his killer. 

Only eight of the ten episodes were sent out to press for review purposes, likely so that they could keep the final reveal under wraps as long as possible. That being said, these eight episodes are incredible. It is hard to say this is a perfect season without knowing how it wraps up, but if the tiny hints sprinkled throughout pay off, season 3 could possibly be the best season of Only Murders In The Building. 

You might be thinking, the murder didn’t take place in the building, so how can this season even make sense? I know there were a lot of comments about that after the finale of season 2, but don’t worry, they address it in a way that is shocking and exciting. As for the newcomers this season — Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Jesse Williams, and Ashley Park just to name a few — they are all welcome additions.

Last season, Only Murders In The Building brought in Amy Schumer who was nothing but annoying and stood out like a sore thumb. Thankfully all of the new cast has important roles to fill, no matter how small they might be. The majority of them make up the cast of Oliver’s play, Death Rattle, making them all suspects. They are quirky, interesting, and a big part of this season, making the story that much more entertaining.

Of course, everyone has a reason to want to kill Ben Glenroy, Paul Rudd’s character. What fun would it be if they didn’t. From the start fans of the show will be taking notes, hoping to solve the crime before the podcast trio does. While it does seem that hints are sprinkled throughout, having not seen the final two episodes, it is impossible to speculate. So is the story itself predictable? Or not? That I cannot say for sure… yet.

What I can say is that there are twists and turns that will have viewers jaws on the floor. Certain things I never would have guessed, even though it seems as if it was right in front of me the whole time. This is especially true with episode eight. This show has brilliant writing, which is part of why it works so well. It is sure to always keep the audience on their toes, making them think they know what is going on when really they have no idea.

Only Murders In The Building season 3 is no different, it will have you constantly second guessing yourself as more and more clues are revealed. We get a lot of great moments with the core three, but there is also a lot of time where they are spent away from each other. They have formed relationships outside of their friendship and, at times, it is a bit sad to watch. That isn’t saying they are growing apart, but they feel distant at times this season, which we haven’t really seen before.

That actually works to the benefit of the season as it keeps fans distracted while more and more evidence and clues are weaved into the story. If the final two episodes deliver what I think they will, Only Murders In The Building season 3 is my favorite yet. This season proves that they can continue the series, as they certainly know how to keep things feeling new and fresh, while also still feeling like the same show.

Overall Thoughts

Only Murders In The Building season 3 has the potential to be the best of the series. Right from the first episode, fans will know that they cannot rely on what they think will happen, to happen. The newcomers to the cast are incredible, in particular Meryl Streep who we get to hear sing on more than one occasion (literal chills) and Paul Rudd who is absolutely hilarious as a full of himself actor. While Oliver, Charles, and Mabel spend sometime apart, they always find their way back to each other, which is going to warm the heart of all those watching. 

This season is suspenseful, exciting, and funny, thanks to some brilliant writing. I cannot say yet if this season has stuck the landing since I have not seen the final two episodes, but I would put money on that it will.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

NEXT: Only Murders In The Building Season 2 Review

About Only Murders In The Building Season 3

From the minds of Steve Martin, Dan Fogelman and John Hoffman comes a comedic murder-mystery series for the ages. “Only Murders In The Building” follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.

Season three finds Charles, Oliver & Mabel (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez) investigating a murder behind the scenes of a Broadway show. Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is a Hollywood action star whose Broadway debut is cut short by his untimely death. Aided by co-star Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), our trio embarks on their toughest case yet, all while director Oliver desperately attempts to put his show back together. Curtains up!

Only Murders In The Building Season 3 premieres on Hulu August 8th.