Consider This: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season Four

I think that the goal of Only Murders in the Building across season four was to try to make me cry as often as it could.

There are many reasons I enjoy watching Only Murders in the Building — the humor of course, the camaraderie between our three leads, and the clever twists of the characters and the storyline. But one thing it has been steadily doing over the years is dealing with deeper emotional pain. The loneliness of Charles and Oliver in their old age, and Mabel’s wondering where she fits in the world has always been a part of the show. But season three with Oliver and Loretta’s relationship gave me something I didn’t know I needed in Martin Short and Meryl Streep being in a relationship, and Loretta’s complexity with her long-lost son, which gave the show some deeper emotion. Now with season four, that emotional gut punch was stronger than ever.

The soul of this season was Charles and Sazz, be it in flashbacks or Charles having conversations in his head with Sazz. The scenes between these two was something to behold. Charles wondered if he was the target and Sazz yet again was protecting him. He doubted if he really knew her and what she actually thought about him. Even when Jane Lynch isn’t on screen, the way Charles takes care of Sazz’s ashes is beautiful from the start, with him washing himself but trying to save her was heartbreaking, and you feel like it is something you would do yourself in such a strange situation. The twists the mystery takes about why Sazz was killed as well as the threatening messages our leads get also add to the danger of this case and the stakes in a way we haven’t had since season 1. It all culminates in Charles and Sazz’s final “conversation,” which is incredibly touching as well as wrapping up so many details of the season emotionally and plot-wise.

While Charles and Sazz were my favorites, the whole core group has never been better. In a season filled with guest stars, our three leads are still the center and they too are going through a lot. Oliver is worried he isn’t good enough for Loretta and she will move on. These thoughts bring some great emotions while also leading to some of the humor of Oliver cyberstalking his own girlfriend. Mabel is not certain what her life is going to be and leaving the “main” part of the Arconia feels like a strange goodbye. Charles mentioning Mabel will probably spread her wings but thinking he and Oliver are stuck together was an incredibly loaded statement about their dynamic and how much they feel like a family and want to keep it.

This found family motif continues with a lot of the cast this season. At times the amount of new characters and famous guest stars did get overwhelming for me. Yet at the same time, the way this show made me feel for characters we had little history with was impressive. Starting with the “Westies” of the Arconia, which began to feel overused mid-way through the season. But when we find out what bonded them they go from quirky murder suspects to a found family that you end up feeling for them. Then we got Charles’ sister Doreen (Melissa McCarthy) for one episode, yet her and Charles’ conversation gives us a sense of sadness that their lives, even if not distant, just need a bit more time together. That and it gave me Meryl Streep beating up Melissa McCarthy the second thing I didn’t know I needed from Meryl Streep and this show.

The “actors” playing themselves–Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria–have some good bits being over the top “versions” of themselves. Zach delved into Oliver’s insecurities with some great put-downs. Eva’s antics worked about half of the time, while sadly I do not remember a lot of Eugene’s moments. Paul Rudd’s return as stunt double Glenn Stubbins was a low point for me. In Season 3 as Ben Glenroy he got to encompass a lot of complex character motivations by being funny but also tragic. Here he was just a weirdo that served a plot point but didn’t add much for me. Another actor could easily have filled this role and avoided comparisons.

In terms of nominations, Comedy Series and our three leads are safe, not just from having broken in before but the quality is still evident, and I see no reason to think they would lose out now. While it hasn’t got a directing nomination since season 1, the episode ‘Blow-Up,’ with its creative use of cameras, should be a strong contender to get back in. It missed out on Screenplay last year (a shame). The Bear, Hacks, Abbott Elementary, and What We Do in the Shadows all still feel safe to repeat next year. While Girls5eva and The Other Two are gone, English Teacher feels like it could easily take one of those slots. With one slot left Only Murders in the Building could get back in, but is far from a lock.

With all its guest stars, predicting who will and should be promoted is very difficult. I honestly think that Jane Lynch, if positioned right, could not only get a nomination but is a possibility to win this. I know it is early, but as a previous winner in this category and already nominated for this role as a guest and, with what she has done this season, in my book she is a lock. In the supporting actor category it is even tougher. I know many are thinking Zach Galifianakis has the strongest moments. I personally would go with series regular Michael Cyril Creighton with his podcast pitches and finding places in the film. But with such a large group in this show and a lot of returning well-loved shows, they may miss in this category. With The Bear’s spell broken with its recent comedy series loss, maybe Steve Martin can get a deserving Comedy Actor win. Though that is solely wishful thinking on my part.

This didn’t quite hit the all-time high season three was for me, but it still is one of the best comedy series on TV. All the guest stars were overwhelming at times, but could lead to some great comedic moments. The core cast has never been better, and it had some of the strongest bonding, making this show more of a dramedy than anything it has done before.

All four seasons of Only Murders in the Building stream exclusively on Hulu.