Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return to solve yet another murder in the fourth season of their popular Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building.
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| Martin Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin are seen on the set of "Only Murders in the Building" on March 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) |
This season takes the show in a fresh direction, moving the beloved trio outside their familiar apartment building and into Los Angeles for the premiere episode—a first for the New York-based comedy.
At Thursday's Hollywood premiere at Paramount Studios, the cast and showrunner John Hoffman shared with Morfeli Reporter how season four broadens the scope of the Emmy-winning series.
“Obviously, we have an amazing cast, and now we're heading to Hollywood,” Gomez shared about how this season raises the stakes for the show. “It was a blast to film here, even if just for a brief moment.”
Martin chimed in, adding, “It was so much fun coming out here to shoot in a place where I grew up, and [Short] lived here for many years.”
Showrunner John Hoffman explained the move to L.A., saying, “This season’s victim is a Hollywood stunt double, and with the success of the podcast our trio has created, it wasn’t a huge stretch to imagine Hollywood knocking on their door for an adaptation.
So, it made sense to visit Hollywood briefly but return to New York because we’re very much a New York show, and that’s how it will always be.”
This season also ventures into new territory with a found-footage episode, shot using cell phones, security cameras, and unconventional filming techniques instead of traditional television cameras.
“It was really fun working on episode six,” Martin said. “We used mini cameras, iPhones, and hidden cameras. And once you got the shot, that was it—you had it.”
Hoffman added, “Episode six is our experimental leap, born from a season that explores film and its influence. Since movies have only been around for a bit over a hundred years, I thought, let’s experiment with an episode entirely through different types of cameras and see how that feels.”
Martin, with a laugh, noted, “The sloppier it is, the better—fitting perfectly with Marty’s performance style. But we had a great time shooting those scenes.”
Michael Cyril Creighton's character, Howard Morris, takes on the role of a cameraman for part of an episode, filming on an iPhone.
“For one scene, I’m actually the cameraman,” Creighton explained, describing the technical approach. “There are a few moments where the camera focuses on me, and I flip it around, but most of the time, it was like a dance with one of our amazing camera operators, Dan.”
Having been with the cast since season one and a series regular since season three, Creighton admits he was initially skeptical about the experimental episode's success until he saw the final result.
“We shot every scene three or four different ways, and it was a wild experience,” Creighton said. “I wasn’t sure how they would pull it off, but when I finally saw it, I was blown away. The director's vision, along with the editors and writers, really brought it to life in an incredible way.”
Hoffman added, “Everyone embraced it, and it adds a fresh spark to the season in a way that feels unique for the show.”
Season four of Only Murders in the Building premieres on Hulu on August 27, with new episodes releasing weekly.
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