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Only Murders in the Building season 4

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Only Murders in the Building
Season 4
Promotional poster
Starring
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkHulu
Original releaseAugust 27 (2024-08-27) –
October 29, 2024 (2024-10-29)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
List of episodes

The fourth season of the American mystery comedy-drama television series Only Murders in the Building, often abbreviated as OMITB, premiered August 27, 2024, on Hulu. The season stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are a trio of friends producing true crime podcasts that investigate murder cases in their apartment building, along with Michael Cyril Creighton.

Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep return from the previous season as special guest stars, along with Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, and Eva Longoria, who appear as fictionalized versions of themselves. In October 2023, Hulu greenlit Only Murders in the Building for a fourth season. Filming began in March 2024 in New York City, and wrapped in June 2024. The season consists of ten episodes.

Cast and characters

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Main

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Special guest

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Recurring

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Guest

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Episodes

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release dateProd.
code
311"Once Upon a Time in the West"John HoffmanJohn Hoffman & Joshua Allen GriffithAugust 27, 2024 (2024-08-27)4DWB01

After finishing the podcast's latest season, the trio goes to Charles's apartment to celebrate, unaware of Sazz's murder as the body has already disappeared. The next morning, Charles texts Sazz and receives a reply that she had to fly to L.A. to double for Scott Bakula. The trio is approached by Bev Melon of Paramount Pictures with a proposal for a film adaptation of their podcast, and they fly to L.A. to discuss the deal. At a party thrown by the studio, they meet the actors who will play them, namely Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria, with the latter advising a reluctant Mabel to use the money for her life rights to build something on her own. Charles runs into Bakula, who says Sazz never showed up on set, and upon visiting her Hollywood apartment, the trio finds miscellaneous notes revolving around Charles. Returning to New York, they discover blood prints and a bullet hole in Charles's window before locating Sazz's ashes and prosthetic parts in the Arconia's incinerator, while the person texting in Sazz's name sends an open threat to them.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1968 epic spaghetti Western film Once Upon a Time in the West.
322"Gates of Heaven"John HoffmanKristin NewmanSeptember 3, 2024 (2024-09-03)4DWB02

Suspecting the shot that killed Sazz came from one of the apartments on the west side of the Arconia, Oliver and Mabel investigate some of its residents. They meet Vince Fish, a friendly eye-patch-wearing man, and a Hispanic family of three, Alfonzo, Inez, and Ana, who invite them to a card game called Oh hell and tell them about an always locked apartment belonging to someone only known as "Dudenoff". Mabel discovers that one of Sazz's notes contains the code numbers for the apartment's lockbox, so they break in and find a pig in the bathtub and a ham radio. Meanwhile, as Charles mourns Sazz, he is visited by Jan, who broke out of prison and tells him that Sazz was poking around the building recently, fearing that another murderer might be targeting Charles. Jan escapes before the police arrive for her, and Charles reports Sazz's murder to them. While they investigate the incinerator, the trio uses luminol to locate where Sazz's body fell. They find she wrote "Tap in" on the floor with her blood as an encouragement for Charles to solve the murder, while Oliver realizes the code numbers spell "Oh hell" upside down.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1978 independent documentary film Gates of Heaven.
333"Two for the Road"Chris KochBen Smith & Pete SwansonSeptember 10, 2024 (2024-09-10)4DWB03

With the FBI taking over Sazz's case, Detective Williams decides to help the trio's investigation, providing them with information about the gun the sniper used. Concurrently, Eugene, Zach, and Eva arrive to study the trio's characteristics for the film. Spending the day with Oliver, Zach views him only as a narcissist until Howard tells him about Oliver's fighting spirit despite his failures, giving Zach a new perspective on the character's depths. Meanwhile, Mabel and Eva investigate Rudy Thurber, a Christmas-loving resident, after finding a piece of tinsel in Dudenoff's apartment. Under Eva's provocation, Rudy admits he actually hates Christmas, only uses the theme for his bodybuilder videos, and reveals that the piece they have found is not tinsel as it is non-flammable. Elsewhere, Charles and Eugene discover that Vince has a group photo of his neighbors, with one of them holding a pig and having their face crossed out. Mabel decides to use squatter's rights to stay in Dudenoff's apartment and force them to come back. Later, the trio discovers a frequency on the ham radio and makes contact with someone who warns them to stop their investigation.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1967 romantic comedy-drama Two for the Road.
344"The Stunt Man"Chris KochMadeleine GeorgeSeptember 17, 2024 (2024-09-17)4DWB04

The trio learns that Sazz visited a bar for stunt performers on the night of her murder, so they go there to ask some questions. With the help of Glen Stubbins, Ben Glenroy's former stunt double, Charles meets the bar's chiropractor, Dr. Maggie, who tells him that Sazz was planning to retire from stunt working. Meanwhile, after attempting to evict Mabel from Dudenoff's apartment, the residents of the West Tower confess to her that they are illegal tenants as all the west apartments are rented by Professor Milton Dudenoff, who resides in Portugal, but lets them live in the Arconia for $200 a month. They also reveal the person who warned the trio on the ham radio was just Rudy's paranoid ex-girlfriend, Helga, and that none of them had ever met Sazz. Charles performs as Sazz's double so that her stunt double friends can hold a proper funeral for her, and remembers Sazz's dream of opening a training camp for stunt performers after her retirement. As the trio goes to the location Sazz wanted for the camp, they are surprised to find Bev there, who points a gun at them.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1980 American satirical psychological anti-war action comedy film The Stunt Man.
355"Adaptation"Jessica YuJ. J. Philbin & Ella Robinson BrooksSeptember 24, 2024 (2024-09-24)4DWB05

Bev explains to the trio that she was trying to investigate Sazz's death because Sazz left her an unsettling voicemail about some problem with the film. Suspecting the killer is someone on the film, the trio interrogates screenwriter Marshall P. Pope, who is revealed to have been faking his appearance to look more like a creditable writer. Marshall proves he has an alibi for the night of the murder and questions Charles's theory that the murder and the disposal of the crime scene could be done in 12 minutes. After Oliver fails to reenact the murder in that amount of time, Mabel discovers that, on the photos they took of the film crew, someone has the same shoeprint they saw in Dudenoff's apartment. On a photoshoot with the cast and crew, Eva helps the trio set a trap with tacky mats so that the shoeprints can be visible, while Charles realizes the murder is, in fact, feasible in 12 minutes if two people are involved. As the trio discovers that directors Tawny and Trina Brothers have those shoeprints they are searching for, the lights suddenly go out and a gun is fired.

Note: The episode title refers to the 2002 comedy-drama film Adaptation, also featuring Meryl Streep.
366"Blow-Up"Jessica YuRick Wiener & Kenny SchwartzOctober 1, 2024 (2024-10-01)4DWB06

Zach and Glen are shot and hospitalized. Consequently, the trio deduces that Oliver was the intended target and that the killer is after the three of them. Detective Williams informs them that Dudenoff is not even in Portugal, and they learn that he was the film professor of the Brothers sisters. Williams sends Sazz's remains to Charles, who discovers there are two left shoulder joints in the box, leading them to believe that there was another murder in the building, which Sazz could have found out. The trio confronts the Brothers sisters, who admit that they were in Dudenoff's apartment on the night of Sazz's murder, but only to visit him and to place hidden cameras in the building for behind-the-scenes footage of the film. They become devastated when Mabel reveals that, according to Williams's identification, the other shoulder joint was Dudenoff's. The trio later simultaneously receives "I'm watching you" text messages from Sazz's phone and footage of themselves from the last few days. Realizing the killer has been monitoring their every move, they leave the Arconia in fear to find a safe place.

Note: The episode was filmed in found footage, showing all scenes as they were recorded by different types of cameras. The story is also split into a four-act narrative and presented in a mockumentary style by the Brothers sisters. The episode title refers to the 1966 psychological mystery film Blow-Up.
377"Valley of the Dolls"Shari Springer Berman & Robert PulciniMatteo Borghese & Rob TurbovskyOctober 8, 2024 (2024-10-08)4DWB07

The trio hides on Long Island at Doreen's home, Charles's extravagant sister. Bev and the actors later visit them, much to Mabel's chagrin, who wants to focus on the case. Loretta also visits and ends up in a brawl with Doreen due to the latter's crush on Oliver and her emotional overwhelm developed by her estranged relationship with Charles. While Doreen and Charles make amends, promising to visit each other more often, Loretta and Oliver talk about the future of their relationship, and Loretta accepts Oliver's marriage proposal. Wanting to help the investigation, the actors point out that the killer is possibly the mysterious person who left threatening letters in the Arconia throughout the podcast's first season and that the clues on Sazz's notes seem to confirm this theory. Later, Howard calls the trio and reports his discovery that the residents of the West Tower are individually cashing social security checks in Dudenoff's name.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1967 drama film Valley of the Dolls.
388"Lifeboat"Shari Springer Berman & Robert PulciniKristin Newman & Jake SchneselOctober 15, 2024 (2024-10-15)4DWB08

The West Tower residents arrange a meeting with the trio and the actors to clear their names in the murder investigation. They tell how they became friends with and got financial help from Dudenoff before he moved to Portugal a few years earlier. Doubting they tell the truth, Mabel brings in Helga after identifying her on Vince's group photo as another one of Dudenoff's friends, and she tells how suspicious the others have become after the trio's podcast about murders in the Arconia began. They then show a video made by Dudenoff that reveals the whole story: Dudenoff found out he was terminally ill, so he committed suicide, but asked his friends to hide his death from Helga and the authorities for the sake of all of their well-beings. Out of sympathy, Mabel decides to not use this information in their podcast, even if it leaves them without a lead. Helga, however, informs them that Sazz contacted her during her investigation and mentioned that her former stunt double protégé turned out to be dangerous. The trio speculates that it was Glen based on the movie he worked on with Sazz.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1944 survival film Lifeboat.
399"Escape from Planet Klongo"Jamie BabbitBen Smith & Alex BigelowOctober 22, 2024 (2024-10-22)4DWB09

The trio finds out that Glen actually replaced Sazz's protégé after he was fired from Project Ronkonkoma, the movie they have worked on. Learning that Ron Howard directed that movie, the trio tries but fails to track him down on the set of his new film, Escape from Planet Klongo. Meanwhile, Glen is killed after the hospital contacts Sazz's phone about his condition, preventing Mabel from asking him any questions about the protégé. Charles and Oliver eventually meet Ron Howard at a restaurant as he turns out to be Oliver's old acquaintance. He tells that Sazz's protégé was named Rex Bailey and shows them a photo of him. At the same time, Mabel discovers that Sazz's box of beers, which she brought with herself on the night of her murder, contains the original script for the Only Murders in the Building movie and it was written by Sazz. As Marshall arrives to discuss some changes in the script with Mabel, Charles and Oliver identify him as Rex Bailey and send this information to Mabel, only for Marshall to see the message.

Note: The episode title is the only one of the season not to refer to a real-world film, but rather an in-universe film.
4010"My Best Friend's Wedding"Jamie BabbitJohn Hoffman & J. J. PhilbinOctober 29, 2024 (2024-10-29)4DWB10

Realizing that by traversing the inner ledge of the building is how Rex carried out the murder in 12 minutes, Charles and Oliver do the same from Vince's window to reach and save a captured Mabel while Vince and Rudy help them distract Rex. Obtaining his gun, the trio forces him to reveal his motive for killing Sazz. He admits that he envied Sazz's talent after reading her script draft, so he stole and sold it to Paramount under a different name. When Sazz found out, she threatened to expose him, prompting Rex to use his hunter background and Sazz's investigative results to orchestrate her murder. He attempts to kill the trio as well, but they are saved by Jan who shoots Rex from Charles's apartment, avenging Sazz. The police then arrest her again. A few days later, during Oliver and Loretta's wedding, a woman named Sofia Caccimelio approaches Charles and Mabel to hire them to investigate her husband's disappearance. They turn her down despite Sofia's claiming that her husband has a serious connection to the Arconia. The next day, the trio finds Lester, the doorman, dead in the Arconia's fountain.

Note: The episode title refers to the 1997 romantic comedy film My Best Friend's Wedding.

Production

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Development

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On October 3, 2023, the day the final episode of the third season was released, Hulu renewed Only Murders in the Building for a ten-episode fourth season. The season was announced with co-creators Steve Martin and John Hoffman serving as executive producers, along with stars Martin Short and Selena Gomez, and Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.[2]

Casting

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Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis and Eva Longoria joined the cast for the season as special guest stars, and portray fictionalized versions of themselves.

Martin, Short, Gomez, and Michael Cyril Creighton all return from the previous season, making this season the first to not add any new actors to the main cast. In February 2024, Molly Shannon, Eva Longoria, and Eugene Levy joined the cast in undisclosed recurring roles for the fourth season.[3][4][5] Kumail Nanjiani and Zach Galifianakis were added in undisclosed recurring roles in March 2024.[6][7] In April 2024, Desmin Borges, Siena Werber, Lilian Rebelo, Richard Kind, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Catherine Cohen, and Jin Ha joined the cast in recurring capacities.[8][9] In May 2024, it was revealed that Melissa McCarthy joined the cast.[10]

Writing

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The episodes in the season were written by John Hoffman, Joshua Allen Griffith, Kristin Newman, Ben Smith, Pete Swanson, Madeleine George, J. J. Philbin, Ella Robinson Brooks, Rick Wiener, Kenny Schwartz, Matteo Borghese, Rob Turbovsky, Jake Schnesel, Alex Bigelow, [11]

Filming

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Filming for the fourth season began in March 2024 in New York City,[12] and concluded in June 2024.[13]

Music

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An album for the fourth season was released on October 25, 2024.[14]

All music is composed by Siddhartha Khosla[14]

Only Murders in the Building: Season 4 (Original Score)
No.TitleLength
1."Rush to Sazz"2:05
2."Super 8"1:20
3."The Westies"1:37
4."Cleaning Up Sazz"1:08
5."Westies Suite"3:02
6."Oh, Hell"2:00
7."I Have a Plan"1:35
8."What Sazz Would Have Wanted"1:40
9."Absolute Savage"2:18
10."38 Minutes"1:00
11."Mirrors"2:57
12."Sadd Pataki"1:07
13."Brothers Sisters"1:57
14."Cab Ride"2:13
15."Prime Suspects"1:46
16."The Meaning of Sazz"1:21
17."I Do"1:03
18."Out of Hand"2:06
19."Backstories"2:17
20."Dudenoff"2:35
21."Become a Killer"1:39
22."Do You Know What That Means?"1:32
23."Oh, No!"1:05
24."Emergency Contact"1:01
25."What About Happy Endings"1:29
26."The Fountain"1:03
Total length:45:00

Release

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The fourth season premiered on August 27, 2024, on Hulu. Subsequent episodes were released weekly until the season finale on October 29, 2024.[15]

Reception

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For the fourth season, the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 7.8/10, based on 71 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "The gang is back together in a more metatextual season full of famous faces, continuing Only Murders in the Building's reign as one of television's most delightful comedies."[16] Metacritic gave the fourth season a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 29 critic reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ Credited as a special guest star during the opening credits in the season alongside the main cast in the episodes he appears in, except in the fourth episode.
  2. ^ Credited as a special guest star during the opening credits in the season alongside the main cast in the episodes she appears in.
  3. ^ a b c Galifianakis, Levy, and Longoria, when they appear, are credited as special guest stars during the opening credits in the season alongside the main cast, except for in the first episode of the season.

References

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  1. ^ Cordero, Rosy (October 29, 2024). "Téa Leoni Joins 'Only Murders In The Building' For Season 5 As Co-Creator John Hoffman Teases Ideas From The Writers Room". Deadline. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Rice, Lynette (October 3, 2023). "'Only Murders In The Building' Renewed For Fourth Season By Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 14, 2024). "Molly Shannon Joins 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 22, 2024). "Eva Longoria Joins 'Only Murders in the Building's Season 4 Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2024). "Eugene Levy Joins 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 4, 2024). "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Casts Kumail Nanjiani (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 10, 2024). "Zach Galifianakis Joins 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (April 5, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Desmin Borges, Siena Werber, Lilian Rebelo As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Cordero, Rosy (April 9, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Richard Kind, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Catherine Cohen & Jin Ha To Season 4". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2024). "'Only Murders In The Building' Season 4 Gets Premiere Date & Trailer With Melissa McCarthy Joining Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "Only Murders In The Building". Hulu. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  12. ^ London, Rob (March 1, 2024). "Selena Gomez Announces 'Only Murders In the Building' Season 4 Is Filming With Sweet Message". Collider. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Peralta, Diego (June 11, 2024). "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Wraps With Hilarious Set Video". Collider. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  15. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 14, 2024). "'Only Murders in the Building' Heads to Hollywood in First Season 4 Teaser, Sets Premiere Date". Variety. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "Only Murders in the Building: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Only Murders in the Building: Season 4". Metacritic. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
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