Only Murders in the Building, season 2 review: a fond and fun homage to screwball comedies
“It’s very rare for a true crime podcast to do a sequel,” says Steve Martin’s character, Charles, in the second series of Only Murders in the Building (Disney+). “So we have a real opportunity here.”
If you watched series one, you’ll know this is a show that neatly riffs on our love of podcasts such as Serial. It’s also a fond homage to screwball comedies from Hollywood’s golden era, utilising the estimable talents and chemistry of Martin and co-star Martin Short. They play two ageing luvvies, Charles and Oliver, and they do it well. In the first series, they teamed up with a neighbour and fellow true-crime enthusiast, young Mabel (Selena Gomez), to investigate a murder in their Manhattan apartment block and record a podcast about it. Now, we pick up where the first series left off, with Gomez being discovered kneeling over the body of another Arconia building resident, Bunny. Are the trio being framed for a crime they didn’t commit?
Martin and Short are skilled at conveying the insecurity and ego of actors: watch Martin as he turns up to a meeting about the reboot of his old detective show – the success of the podcast has reminded people that he’s not actually dead – only to discover that a black woman has been cast in the lead, and he’s now relegated to a bit part. The Arconia’s other residents also return, minor roles but each a comic delight, plus Tina Fey as famous podcast host Cinda Canning, now making a podcast about the makers of the Only Murders in the Building podcast being in the frame for murder themselves.
As for the plot, it’s baggier than the original story, and the balance is tipped further towards drama. Bunny is found dead, a painting goes missing, and there’s a link to Charles’s father. There are three new characters introduced: Shirley MacLaine doing her best Shirley MacLaine as Bunny’s mother; Cara Delevingne making little impression as an art gallery owner and potential love interest for Mabel; and Amy Schumer as herself. She has moved into the apartment previously owned by Sting, but I’m afraid that Sting was funnier. Never mind. The show still sails along on the charm of its two older leads.
