Where Did They Actually Film Only Murders In The Building?
"Only Murders in the Building" is Hulu's brand new mystery series, and it's making quite an impact with its genre-blurring approach to genuine suspense and side-splitting comedy.
The show is packed with stars. It features Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as neighbors in a New York apartment building who come together after another tenant there is murdered. Broke playwright Oliver (Short), attention-hungry actor Charles (Martin), and tough-but-anxious (and seemingly jobless) Mabel (Gomez) all share a passion for true crime podcasts and promptly dedicate themselves to solving the homicide. Surely the skills they've picked up via osmosis — plus their own intuitive thinking — will help then solve the mystery?
Well, at the very least it might make them popular true crime podcasters, as they start their own audio show to chronicle their adventures in crime solving. The show gives us a lot of loving shots of New York City streets and brownstone buildings, but as the series' first episodes play out, viewers must be wondering — are we really in New York City? Or was the show shot somewhere with a lower cost of living?
That's the genuine article
Fans of the series who follow Steve Martin on Twitter probably aren't surprised to learn that "Only Murders in the Building" was filmed on location in New York City, specifically on the Upper West Side. The actor chronicled part of the production process on his social media.
According to Seventeen Magazine, a luxury apartment building called the Belnord stood in for the exteriors of the fictional Arconia building, which is based in turn on the actual Ansonia building. The Ansonia was once a boutique hotel, but now is a condominium with residential space for New York-based students at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Interior shots and lobby scenes were shot on a soundstage and not within the Belnord.
According to Untapped Cities, Central Park, The Dakota building, and various streets around the Upper West Side all appear in "Only Murders in the Building," making the show an honest Gotham experience.