Only Murders in the Building: Season 2 Review

Only Murders in the Building's debut season was an absolute delight.

A zingy, peppy quick-witted take on the crime podcast genre which exploded in lockdown, the first series centred on three residents of the Arconia building in Manhattan, and a murder mystery of who killed building resident Tim Kono to be solved from within their walls.

But it was more than just a smartly-executed, clever take on the genre, partnering up Steve Martin's physicality, Martin Short's flamboyancy and Selena Gomez's millennial charm to killer effect, making it a series that zigged and zagged throughout (and only sagged when it became indulgent with its Sting cameo).

With the first season ending on a cliffhanger that seemingly placed Mabel as the murder of the trio's nemesis, the Arconia building manager Bunny Folger, season two quickly turned the crime investigators into prime suspects.

And it's here the second season picks up with the same kind of energetic and clever dialogue you'd expect.

But in truth, season two of Only Murders in the Building may be in danger of disappearing into its own meta world.

With knowing jokes about sequels, and terribly lame jokes, some of the pep appears to have gone out of the writing step here, as it becomes a little too self-referential and knowing. Chiefly, Short's character Oliver appears to have become reliant on bluster and gestures as the script demands, 

Lines like "We're getting the hang of this - you can absolutely tell it's our second season" the script's reliance of overly mocking itself and stopping shy of getting characters to break the fourth wall and wink feel a little to on the nose.

And the arrival of Amy Schumer to take Sting's place in the apartment is yet to feel like anything more than a casting decision and a knowing nod to the quirks of her comic persona, rather than real depth to the script. Occasionally too Mabel's one-liners feel a little forced, a quirk of overwriting and scripting than of a millennial snark that she's oft labelled with (though her wardrobe is still on trend and likely to be the envy of many watching)

But these are minor niggles in a show that's still head and shoulders above anything else around currently. From its addictive theme song to its breezy nature, Only Murders in the Building: Season 2 is still the delight you'd expect it to be - and this time adds a bit more depth to some of the other characters in the building - chiefly murder victim Bunny Folger.

Overall though, Only Murders in the Building remains a wonderful series that's worth investing time in. Whether it's from the central relationship of the trio and how they interact to the residents of the Arconia getting more time to shine (not to mention a few surprises on the way), the second series still remains a show to sit back and enjoy - even if occasional meandering from the central plot removes some of its urgency.