“Unraveling the Mystery: How ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Breathed New Life into TV Whodunits”
The Characters Are Funny
Only Murders showcases Selena Gomez’s known deadpan demeanor as Mabel Mora, combining that with misanthropic wash-up Charles-Haden Savage and penniless retired Broadway director Oliver Putnam, played by seasoned “funnymen” and long-time friends Steve Martin and Martin Short, respectively.
These actors work together to create three-dimensional discomfort and hilarity among all the expected melodrama of the genre. Doing this allows the show to bypass the modern trend of targeting single comedy audiences per show—not focusing solely on dry humor, cringe humor, or physical humor, but instead choosing a variety that pairs well with the expectations of anyone who’s listened to a true crime podcast or watched Murder, She Wrote.
