Pop star and actor Selena Gomez (at right) creates sparks with Steve Martin and Martin Short via some witty,cross-generational banter.Supplied
Much like Woody Allen’s monologue at the start ofManhattan,I adore New York City and idolise it out of all proportion. I’m also obsessed with podcasts. And I would gladly watch read the phonebook. SoOnly Murders in the Building had me at hello.
Set in New York? Check. Gently parodying true-crime podcasts? Check. Co-created by and starring Martin as a former TV detective whose catchphrase was,“This sends the investigation into a whole new direction”? Check. Co-starring Martin Short as a failed theatre director following his disastrous staging of aSplash musical? Check. Then there’s pop star and actor Selena Gomez,who creates sparks with the two 70-something men via some witty,cross-generational banter.
This trio live in an Upper West Side apartment building called the Arconia and they’re drawn together by a shared love of the podcastAll Is Not OKin Oklahoma (with a host played by Tina Fey). A murder in the building prompts them to start their own podcast,and soon enough their lives are in danger as they become embroiled in the investigation itself.
The story is billed as a comedy-mystery,but it is so much more. One episode focuses on the story of a black lesbian cop who’s on the murder case;another is dialogue-free,composed entirely from the perspective of the deaf son of the main suspect.
Each of the three main characters is missing something in their life,has a big regret and is holding onto a secret. There are plenty of laughs – not least in the finale where Martin does a phenomenal stretch of physical comedy – but there’s real heart to the story,too. And does the ending leave it wide open for season two? Check.
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