Only Murders In The Building Season 2 Release Date, Plot, And Cast - What We Know So Far

Some of the best TV shows of 2021 were made out of necessity. With COVID-19 guidelines implemented industry-wide, the rise of the "quarantine bubble" meant that casts and crews were required to be totally isolated during shoots. It became both a limitation and a creative parameter, generating highly acclaimed work such as Bo Burnham's award-winning Netflix special "Inside," Mike White's lauded HBO series "The White Lotus" and Hulu's record-breaking "Only Murders in the Building" from Steve Martin, all of which were created with single locations as their primary focus. As "Only Murders in the Building" producer John Hoffman described the experience of shooting the show during a pandemic, "At the end of it I just collapsed and thought, 'Oh my God, did we get it all in this crazy time?'" (via Variety).

Get it, they did. "Only Murders in the Building" found an unlikely trio of leads in Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, and the comedic murder-mystery broke Hulu viewing records with its premiere (via The Wrap). Following three residents of an Upper West Side apartment building in Manhattan who start a true-crime podcast as they investigate the possible slaying of a neighbor, the series delivered laughs and sobs in equal measure. It was, as Hoffman told the New York Times, about "three lonely people who find a sense of connection."

Season 1 of "Only Murders in the Building" dropped a shocking cliffhanger during its final episode in August 2021, and fans have been eagerly awaiting news of a second season to answer the new and burning questions created by that twist. Luckily, more episodes are on the way, so from the release date and cast to the nail-biting plot, here's everything we know so far about Season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building."

The release date for Season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building" was first teased with a cryptic post on the show's official Instagram page which depicted the elevator panel of the Arconia, the eponymous apartment building in which the series is set. The photo showed three buttons lit up: 8, 6, and 2. Fans spent a frenzied day trying to piece together the clue, as befits a murder-mystery show, but as any true crime afficionado knows, you've got to give your audience the answer eventually, and Hulu finally gave up the goods in an official announcement video.

The video, posted to Hulu's YouTube channel, shows Selina Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short goofing off in the Arconia's elevator, making quips and cutting each other's lines off while trying to reveal the release date before Martin realizes they've run out of time and the doors close, leaving a title card to spill the beans. It's now official: Season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building" will premiere June 28, 2022.

Season 1 of "Only Murders in the Building" had a truly knockout lineup of stars. The core trio of leads found Steve Martin as washed-up TV star Charles-Hayden Savage, Martin Short as down-on-his-luck theater director Oliver Putnam, and Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora, a young woman with a troubled past. Along for the ride was Broadway legend Nathan Lane as building resident and crooked deli owner Teddy Dimas, with James Caverly as his hearing-impaired son, Theo. SNL five-timer Tina Fey popped in for a few episodes as true crime podcasting star Cinda Canning, and even rock-and-roll superstar Sting came along to play himself. They were joined by talented character actors including Amy Ryan as Charles' romantic dalliance Jan, and Jayne Houdyshell as the building's sour-mannered co-op board president, Bunny.

With Bunny found dead at the end of Season 1, Houdyshell's return is uncertain, though perhaps she'll reprise the character in flashbacks. It also wouldn't be surprising to see Fey return, since we're told the plot of Season 2 will feature a competing podcast to that of the main cast. There has been no further casting announcement, though it has been confirmed that Martin, Short, and Gomez are all staying along for the second season.

Season 1 of "Only Murders in the Building" ended on a high note, with our trio of podcasting heroes having solved a murder that even the police couldn't and stopping the killer before becoming the next victims themselves. However, that all changed in the final moments of the season's last episode, when Oliver and Charles return to the Arconia after celebrating ... and they find Mabel soaked in blood and kneeling over the corpse of Bunny, the building's irritable co-op board president. Their triumph turns to horror, and the three friends are led from the building in handcuffs by the police.

The synopsis for Season 2 promises to pick up after that stomach-churning plot twist, with Charles, Oliver, and Mabel on the hunt for a new killer. But proving their innocence won't be easy. Not only are they implicated in Bunny's murder, the three podcasters are now the subject of a rival podcast (most likely the one started by Tina Fey's character, Cinda Canning, near the middle of Season 1). Their nosy New York neighbors in the Arconia are all too willing to believe the worst, adding yet another obstacle to their search for truth.

Co-created once more by John Hoffman and Steve Martin and executively produced by Martin, Selena Gomez, Jess Rosenthal, and "This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman, Season 2 of "Only Murders in the Building" promises to up the ante for our troubled troupe of crime-solvers, delivering new laughs and thrills aplenty when it premieres June 28 exclusively on Hulu.