Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of Only Murders in the Building season 2.
Onto the next. After answering all the questions about Bunny’s death in season 2, Only Murders in the Building jumped right into the next mystery — with Charles (Steve Martin) right at the center of it.
During the season 2 finale, which aired in August 2022, a time jump allowed viewers a glimpse into how everyone’s lives changed since solving Bunny’s murder. Mabel (Selena Gomez), Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles found their own versions of success — until a new murder brought them right back to where they started.
According to creator John Hoffman, the Hulu series is always looking to balance comedy and drama.
“Within our show, there’s always odd humor in the midst of pain, in the midst of trauma and tragedy,” he explained during an interview with The Wrap that same month. “That’s, for me, where I find a great leveler for the kind of humor I love when it’s both awkward and in situations that you wouldn’t typically or shouldn’t be laughing — a laugh at a funeral or a laugh at a church are my favorite kinds of laughs in some way because everyone’s defenses are down.”
Hoffman continued: “And we’re dealing with something in a mutual way that feels, at the very nature of it, bigger and life-and-death and all of those things come up. So I think there’s an opportunity in those moments to find humor and connection.”
The decision to make Charles a prime suspect in season 3 comes shortly after Martin confirmed his plan to retire from acting after OMITB comes to an end. “When this television show is done, I’m not going to seek others. I’m not going to seek other movies. I don’t want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it,” the comedian told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2022.
At the time, the New York native opened up about how long he spent coming to a conclusion about the major life change. “We were very happy just doing the live show,” he added, referring to his ongoing You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today! tour with Short. “There may be a natural end to that — somebody gets sick, somebody just wears out — but I wouldn’t do it without Marty.”
Hoffman, for his part, previously weighed in on getting to collaborate with Martin on Only Murders in the Building.
“He told me recently, just dancing around the room, he would never have expected such a delightful thing,” the screenwriter told THR. “He said, ‘My career hasn’t had the mix of a warm, critical reception with a popular reception like this all at once. My movies get appreciated 20 years later.’ I hadn’t thought of that. I find it incredibly moving that he dove in with everybody in that spirit to lead the way.”
Scroll down to find out what questions were answered during the season 2 finale of Only Murders in the Building:
