The mystery-solving gang returns for the fourth installment with a fresh batch of guest appearances in the show’s starriest season yet. Fans have lapped up three star-studded seasons of this cozy murder mystery since it premiered on Hulu in August 2021.
Cast members, new and returning, all contribute to the show’s infectious charm and pitch-perfect chemistry, so let’s take a look at what (and who) makes season 4 its best showing yet.
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Given Gomez’s reign as a pop music darling, it’s easy to overlook the star’s acting credentials. But, from her breakout role in Wizards of Waverley Place to her critically acclaimed performance in OMITB, she has cemented her acting alongside two comedy legends.Gomez stars as Mabel Mora, a whip-smart young investigator who provides the cross-generational foil to Martin and Short’s hapless detectives. Her portrayal of Mabel earned the actress her first Emmy nomination.
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Martin Short is back as the eccentric theater director, Oliver Putnam, who roundsThanks to his decades-long partnership with Steve Martin, Short is given free rein to act out his most bizarre comedic impulses as the struggling director strains to revive his career and navigate the improbable twists and turns of life at Arconia.OMITB’s prestige comedy is a departure from Short’s work in films like Father of the Bride and The Three Amigos, as well as his one-season SNL stint. Season 4 sees him don his detective hat once more as the gang tracks down Sazz Pataki’s assassin.
OMITB’s entry into the pop culture canon was sealed with the casting of bona fide Hollywood royalty Meryl Streep.As Loretta Durkin-Putnam, Oliver’s wife and an actress whose star power has gone to seed, Streep became a standout guest star. The sweet between Streep and Short is the show’s most enjoyable relationship arc.Streep’s filmography speaks for itself – Mamma Mia!, Sophie’s Choice, and The Iron Lady – but with her move into television (including HBO’s Big Little Lies), the acclaimed actor is enjoying a second life on the small screen.OMITB has been renewed for a fifth season, which may clash with Streep’s upcoming shoot for The Devil Wears Prada 2. But fans have their fingers crossed Streep will still grace our screens next season.
Despite his character dying not once but twice in the previous season, Paul Rudd returns to the set of OMITB. Yep, in a classic tongue-in-cheek move, he now plays his former character’s stunt double, Glenn Stubbins.In episode 1, season 3, Ben Glenroy is pronounced clinically dead after being poisoned on-stage. After a miraculous recovery and return to Arconia, the killer strikes again, throwing Glenroy down an elevator shaft.Best known for his affable everyman persona in Ant-Man and Clueless, it was refreshing to see Hollywood’s “Nicest Guy” break free from pigeonholing to portray Glenroy, the egomaniac lead in Oliver’s stage production Death Rattle.
The beloved SNL alumni joined the cast of Only Murders in the Building as Bev Melon, a Paramount producer who meets with the trio to turn their podcast into a film.Shannon’s no stranger to recurring characters. During her tenure on SNL, she created one of one of the show’s most iconic characters: Mary Katherine Gallagher, the Catholic schoolgirl with showbiz dreams.The character proved so popular that she was made into a movie in 1999’s cult classic Superstar, starring fellow SNL cast member Will Ferrell.
OMITB shares the same goofy yet heartfelt spirit that makes Eugene Levy’s beloved sitcom, Schitt’s Creek, such a hit. Levy’s Emmy-winning performance as Johnny Rose feels like a precursor to his rendition (of himself, albeit) in season 4.Levy is cast as Charles in the new season and spends much of the show attempting to mimic his real-life counterpart’s every mannerism.Eugene Levy is best known for his roles in comedy films like the American Pie franchise and the Christopher Guest mockumentary trilogy, which includes Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind.
Another perfectly-judged cameo, this time from Zach Galifianakis, who wins the role of the fictionalized Oliver Putnam in the upcoming movie adaptation of the podcast. Galifianakis is a perfect match for OMITB’s wacky murder-mystery narrative.Since his starring role in The Hangover series, Galifianakis has enjoyed an unblemished comedy legacy. He is set to voice Jumba in the live-action reimagining of Lilo and Stitch.
OMITB often turns its satirical lens on the vapid world of Hollywood, and in a masterstroke of casting, the show called upon the award-winning director Ron Howard for a cameo in season 4.With his groundbreaking work on Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, plus his forays into acting (Happy Days), he’s the perfect guest star and the most meta insider joke of the show.
The cast of Only Murders in the Building gets a meta refresh in the form of Eva Longoria, playing a heightened version of herself. She lands the role of the fictionalized Mabel in the Hollywood movie production.Her guest appearance in Season 4 comes after years behind the camera as a producer and 12 years after her brilliant performance as the unfaithful Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives.
Fresh from a heart-rending turn in Pachinko, and with appearances in underground hits like Devs, Jin Ha’s career is going from strength to strength.He joins the cast of Only Murders in the Building in season 4 as Marshall P. Pope, a stand-in on the Ron Howard vehicle Project Ronkonkoma and purported screenwriter of the OMITB movie adaptation.
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Werber and Cohen tag team as the directing duo of the upcoming OMITB film adaptation, taking on dynamic dual roles that bolster the script’s layered storytelling.Cohen is best known for her Netflix comedy special, in which she combines stand-up routines with cabaret-style songs. Weber stars in 2024’s The Sympathizer.
Rudy Thurber is a Christmas fitness influencer living on the West Side of The Arconia and a welcome addition to an already stellar cast. Nanjiani has been singing the praises of OMITB’s “no-hazing” set, which he called “supportive, generous, and kind.”Nanjiani’s comedy legacy has expanded since his big-break roles in Silicon Valley and The Big Sick. His straight-faced approach effortlessly delivers OMITB’s absurd dialogue, perfectly complementing the show’s tone.
The eyepatch-wearing wild card of OMITB, Richard Kind’s hilarious guest appearance as Vince Fish cements his status as a comedy mainstay. A suspicious resident of Arconia’s West Tower, Fish, AKA “Stink-Eye,” is much more than meets the eye.An icon of television and film, Kind has previously starred in such shows as Mad About You and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, Mike and Molly… Few comedians boast the film creds McCarthy does. Now she brings her ferocious humor to OMITB in a move that’s sure to mark her out as a fan-favorite from the jump.McCarthy’s special guest stars in episode 7 of season 4, “Valley of the Dolls,” as Doreen, a creepy doll collector from Long Island and the sister of Charles Haden Savage himself.
Scott Bakula’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo may clock in at under a minute, but that’s all the time the iconic star of Quantum Leap and NCIS: New Orleans needs to showcase his dramatic versatility.With ties to the now-deceased Sazz Pataki, Bakula’s character provides crucial evidence that may help the crime-solving trio catch their killer.
Rounding out the outstanding guest cast for the fourth season, Tea Leoni appears as Eve Sterling, a mysterious figure who delivers yet more plot twists to confound our podcasting trio.From Madam Secretary to Jurassic Park III, Leoni has steadily become a national treasure and is a welcome addition to one of the best television casts.
FAQIs the Arconia a real building?Yes, the Arconia is, in fact, a real-life building and not just the backdrop for Only Murders in the Building. Based at 225 West 86th Street in New York City, The Belnord, as it’s called in real life, is a historic landmark that boasts one of the largest courtyards in the city. Better still, it’s available to visit in person.
FAQ
Is the Arconia a real building?
Yes, the Arconia is, in fact, a real-life building and not just the backdrop for Only Murders in the Building. Based at 225 West 86th Street in New York City, The Belnord, as it’s called in real life, is a historic landmark that boasts one of the largest courtyards in the city. Better still, it’s available to visit in person.
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