As Autumn comes and goes, the season for cosy murder mysteries is very much here. What better way to do it than with your two favourite middle-aged men from that rom-com movie your mum made you watch when you were thirteen and that other girl from that wizard show you loved also when you were thirteen? Only Murders in the Building season three continues to follow our three leads: Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) as they tackle the latest death in the Arconia. Although, this time they are joined by a star-studded cast that would make anybody watch this season even if they had never heard of the show before.

We were introduced very briefly to Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) at the end of season two when he collapsed on stage in the epilogue of the finale. Season three follows straight on from this as the trio solve the murder of the actor turned Broadway star. The suspects this season consists of the entire cast of Oliver’s new Broadway production ‘Death Rattle Dazzle’ including Loretta Durken (Meryl Streep) who plays a failed-actress-discovered who is in equal parts adorable and ominous.

Every season of Only Murders in the Building follows the same structure – somebody dies in the Arconia, they think they solve it in the first three episodes, they turn to a new wacky love interest, the trio go through some emotional conflict between themselves, and then (finally!) things start to click together, and our killer is revealed. This season shares this with a few exceptions – the death wasn’t in the Arconia, well not initially, and also, it’s a musical!

I was sceptical when I read that this season would be a musical. How would a murder comedy and theatre bode well together? They did it effortlessly. The songs fit into the plot incredibly. It didn’t seem forced or make the show uncomfortable to watch, and if it did it was definitely a conscious choice by the directors. The songs themselves were also unexpectedly good, though I think Meryl Streep singing anything would turn out amazing. Paul Rudd even breaks into song in the finale, which was much better than expected.

The show is not without its faults. Selena Gomez has not grown out of her Disney actress habits and has a tendency of ruining serious scenes with her stiff delivery. While done deliberately for comedic purposes, the mother-son relationship between Donna (Linda Emond) and Cliff DeMeo Wesley Taylor) made me squirm and scream as I hid my face in my hands. The ‘white room’ plotline was also just bizarre.

If you didn’t know, the title sequence for Only Murders in the Building differs slightly between each episode by containing an easter egg that relates to the content of the episode. This season continues this trend, a couple of which I spotted without having to google them, the most obvious being the sandbag in episode six, ‘Ghost Light’. The visuals and cinematography in general were as phenomenal as always. The autumnal colour palette makes for an inviting yet grand atmosphere that plays well into the cosy murder mystery genre. The costume design also fit well into this, namely Mabel’s famous chunky jumpers and quirky coats, all of which I would love to steal straight from her wardrobe. All of these features combined definitely feed into Only Murders in the Building being one of my favourite comfort shows.

As always, the season ends the way it begins, yet another death in the Arconia to be discovered and solved. This time, one I impressively predicted, and one I’m awfully intrigued by. It is rare a show like this does not get tiresome after season three, yet as the curtain closed on the final episode, I was gagging for season four. 

Rating – 5/5

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