Only Murders in the Building Season 3: Review

The play's the thing in this third time around in the Arconia building in New York.

Once again Martin Short and Steve Martin pursue their squabbling relationship as two theatrical types and Selena Gomez channels young energy into a storyline that seems to be about her resolving being stuck in life.

As you'll recall from the end of season two, the trio found themselves facing another murder when the leading man in Short's Oliver's production Death Rattle keeled over, bleeding out on opening night.

But as Charles (Martin) and Mabel (Gomez) begin to investigate, not everything is as it seems.

While this third outing of Only Murders in the Building doesn't feel as fresh as the first season did, there are vicarious pleasures to be had in Short and Martin's endless squabbling and perennial prattle.

Add in the vainglorious acting of Paul Rudd's character Ben Glenroy and throw in Meryl Streep into the mix and there's certainly enough star power and wattage in the latest season, even if the shine doesn't quite feel there this time around.

Yes, once again there are meta lines about solving things in a certain number of episodes and a nod or two to the genre in general, but in parts, a third outing for Only Murders In The Building feels disappointingly a little tired and drawn out when it should zing.

The writing's impeccable and with the theatrics extending this time to actual theatrics and rug pulls, there's something about the season that doesn't feel as grounded as the first. It meanders in parts and patience will be tested by just how far the story doesn't go in a certain amount of time.

Like any good murder mystery though, there's enough of a crowd of suspects to get things going, and with the likes of Ashley Park, Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd and a few new faces, Only Murders in the Building has one hell of an ensemble cast to show off and narratively nourish.

Whether it does so with all of them is debatable, but the show's pleasure resides mainly in watching Short, Martin and Gomez bicker, squabble and sleuth.

"Who are we without a homicide?" one character asks early on, and there's plenty of truth in this question, especially with the show apparently cooking up its final year. It may delve a lot more into the personal this time, but thanks to stellar work from the core trio in previous years, it's easier to be more forgiving as time goes on and the show's central tenet becomes hoarier by the episode.

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 stars streaming on Disney+ from August 8.