With only nine episodes, the Hulu Original TV series “Only Murder in the Building” kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The many twists and turns in each episode created a sense of mystery. The show was directed by John Hoffman and Steve Martin and features Selena Gomez and Martin Short. 

Set in a luxurious apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, three true crime junkies find themselves wrapped up in a murder mystery when a death occurs in their building, The Arconia. 

The first of the main cast is Martin Short who plays Oliver Putnam, a one hit wonder director who fails to make any other good plays. Steve Martin is the second piece of the trio who plays Charles-Haden Savage, a one hit wonder actor. 

Actress and singer Selena Gomez completes the trio and plays Mabel Mora, a young, sassy adult in her early twenties living in her aunt’s luxurious apartment. She gets distracted from her main task of redoing her aunt’s apartment when caught up in the mysterious murder of former best friend Tim Cono. 

A playful dynamic develops between this trio. Martin is the older, less knowledgeable grandpa who serves as a sort of a father figure, Short is the fun and crazy uncle and Mabel is the cool and trendy young adult. 

Throughout the series, the trio begins a true crime podcast that records their journey of finding out the cause of this mysterious murder. The show is mostly comedic and although the plot line may seem scary, the light hearted jokes and lack of jump scares render it a comedy. 

The dynamic trio goes through lists of people in their building who could be potential suspects for Tim Cono’s death. Charles and Mabel question an obsessive cat lover, among others. They also seek out the host of their favorite crime podcast to ask for advice on how to uncover who the potential murderer could be. 

An interesting part of the series is how the storyline of Mabel’s character is drawn out in such a fascinating manner. The viewers of the show are able to see Mabel’s internal conflict right from the beginning. She struggles with maintaining a friendship with Charles and Oliver, and coming clean about her past with Tim Cono. Her flashbacks throughout the show really add to her story line and allow the viewer to a better understanding of why finding Tim Cono’s murderer is so important to her. 

Along their search to find the murderer, the trio is brought closer to one another. Charles and Oliver follow Mabel to Long Island and meet her mother. There, they discover Mabel’s past and find out the true story about her involvement with Tim Cono.

“Only Murder in the Building” would be a great series to watch as a family. However, because there is some foul language, I would recommend this show to kids 13 and up.

I haven’t been hooked to a show these past couple of months which is why I was hesitant to start this. When I found out it was a comedy, I prepared for disappointment as the last few comedic shows I have given a chance have been cheesy and vexatious. However, the show completely surprised me with a perfect balance of jokes and an interesting storyline to keep me entertained. This comedic mystery did not disappoint.