Only Murders in the Building: What Exactly Went Wrong With Season 4?
Perhaps four seasons is too many?
The fourth season of Only Murders in the Building, a comedy series about three podcasters who investigate mysterious deaths at the elite Arconia condominium in Manhattan, ended in the last week of October.
The cast remained the same: Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short.
OMITB Is Becoming More and More Like a Soap Opera
Every year, Only Murders in the Building delights fans with casual humor and new mysteries, but it seems that the writers are already tired of the characters.
Since the second season, the team has been playing with love storylines: Oliver, for example, is mostly concerned with his romance with actress Loretta, who has become much more successful than he.
However, for the first time someone close to the main characters becomes a victim, which increases the drama – and this is one of the few positive aspects.
In the new season, the writers focus on Hollywood and filming: the beloved trio almost never records a podcast – only occasionally as an interruption. The comedy is built on the relationships between the main characters and the actors – for example, Zach Galifianakis does not take Oliver seriously, regularly humiliating the old man.
It seems that such a turn of events should benefit the show, but it turns out to be quite the opposite. For three seasons, the series was a model of escapism, but in the fourth season it smacks of excessive drama and soap opera.
Cliffhangers and Plot Twists Aren't as Surprising as They Used to Be
Coming up with a new twist in a detective comedy year after year is no easy task. Cliffhangers are no longer the same: traditionally, the trio finds a new suspect in each episode, but the audience has already learned it, so they know in advance the real criminal is still out there.
Therefore, you want to go from episode to episode at maximum speed to finally find out who the real killer is.
The Cast Is the Main Reason Why Viewers Continue to Watch the Show
The amazing thing about the project is that no matter which actor appears in a cameo, the viewer's attention is focused exclusively on the main characters. In fact, Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria are mere scenery in the fourth season, just as Matthew Broderick was in the third.
The paradox is that it is the brilliant trio of Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short – so beloved by fans – that keeps viewers coming back for more.
Only Murders in the Building is a project that, despite its true-crime component, captivates with its lightness. However, in the fourth season, the writers slowed down the pace, which is why the episodes became viscous.
The fifth season is already confirmed, so we are waiting for the return of our favorite characters next year: maybe they will return to their roots.