Only Murders In The Building - What We Know So Far

Over the past few years, streaming services have added an array of original programming to their slate. Hulu has been no different in this regard, with a number of movies and TV shows that can only be seen by subscribers. Their slate of original movies includes everything from the romantic comedy "Palm Springs" to the thriller "Run" and the action film "Boss Level," and their lineup of original TV shows has kept pace. Subscribers to the service have the option to watch the dystopian drama series "The Handmaid's Tale," the drama miniseries "Little Fires Everywhere," the period dramedy "The Great," the animated supervillain series "Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.," or the surreal comedy "Dollface," among many others.

Among Hulu's upcoming slate is the crime dramedy "Only Murders in the Building." The series is co-created by comedy legend Steve Martin and writer John Hoffman, and it's executive produced by "This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman. Hoffman comes with notable experience of his own, having previously written for the HBO series "Looking" and the Netflix show "Grace and Frankie," with "Only Murders in the Building" marking his first TV series co-creator credit. Here's what we know about the show so far.

Hulu has announced that the first season of "Only Murders in the Building" will be released on the streaming service on August 31, 2021. The first season will consist of ten episodes, each of which will be roughly 30 minutes long.

Hulu gave the show a straight-to-series order in January 2020, marking a particular level of confidence in it. Usually, shows are more likely to get a pilot order, which would be for only one episode that executives would watch and then assess whether they'd like to move forward with the show or not. Bypassing that to opt directly for a series order is thus an encouraging sign for the show itself. In addition, the show's quick turnaround suggests that there won't be a long wait for future seasons. The show began shooting in December 2020 and wrapped production in April 2021, indicating that both production and post-production are not lengthy processes for this series. While future seasons of the show have not been confirmed yet, prospective fans will likely not have to wait long for the show's return if it does get renewed.

The show has assembled an impressive cast, led by Steve Martin, whose involvement with the show will not just be behind the scenes. He will be playing a lead character named Charles. While Martin is no stranger to television, most notably having hosted the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" fifteen times, this will be his first starring role in a TV series. Martin will be joined by fellow comedy giant Martin Short, who will be playing Oliver. Short himself has experience across numerous TV shows, and he most recently had a leading role on the Fox sitcom "Mulaney."

Among the other cast members of the show are Selena Gomez, who will be playing Mabel Mora, and Amy Ryan, who will play a musician living in the same building as Mabel, Charles, and Oliver. Gomez will be returning to television for the first time since the end of the Disney series "Wizards of Waverly Place" in 2012, having subsequently transitioned to the big screen and worked with directors such as Jim Jarmusch and Harmony Korine. Ryan, who gained prominence with her role in the 2007 film "Gone Baby Gone," has appeared on TV shows such as "The Wire" and "The Office," and was last seen in the mystery thriller "Lost Girls."

In addition to the main cast members, performer Nathan Lane will also appear on the show in a recurring role as a fellow building resident and owner of a grocery chain. Lane is also no stranger to television, having appeared in recurring roles on everything from the CBS legal drama "The Good Wife" to the ABC sitcom "Modern Family." He was last seen on the showtime fantasy drama "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels."

"Only Murders in the Building" will focus on the trio of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel Mora, three people who live in the same building in New York City and bond over their shared love of exploring and trying to solve true-crime mysteries. However, they agree to limit their active investigation to only murders in the building, leading to the series title. Ryan and Lane, whose character names have yet to be announced, will play other residents in the same building as Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, and thus potential suspects in their investigation.

The show has also assembled an impressive crew behind the scenes as well, with "But I'm a Cheerleader" director Jamie Babbit helming four episodes, and "Obvious Child" and "Landline" director Gillian Robespierre directing an additional two episodes. Composer Siddhartha Khosla, who previously worked with Fogelman on "This Is Us" and has also provided music for the CW series "Nancy Drew," will also be working on this show. Hoffman's experience writing for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on "Grace and Frankie" also ensures that Steve Martin and Martin Short will find scripts worthy of their talent.

How these high-profile cast and crew work together will be seen when Hulu releases the first season of "Only Murders in the Building" in August.