The first season of premiered on August 31, 2021, on Hulu. The series follows three strangers living in the Arconia, an upscale New York City apartment building, who bond over their shared obsession with a true-crime podcast. Core Premise
Charles is a lonely, retired, misanthropic actor who found fame in the 1990s playing a stoic detective named on a popular television procedural. Trapped in an anxious loop of isolation and regret, Charles uses his fictional acting skills to mask his profound social anxiety and grief over a fractured past relationship. Oliver Putnam (Martin Short)
Oliver convinces a reluctant Charles and a mysterious Mabel to document their investigation.
When a grisly death occurs inside the building, the local police quickly rule it a suicide. However, three eccentric neighbors who happen to share a deep obsession with the same true-crime podcast suspect foul play. They decide to form an alliance, initiate an independent amateur investigation, and launch their own audio show to document the case. To maintain focus and protect their neighborhood's reputation, they establish one core rule that gives the show its title: they will investigate Only Murders in the Building - Season 1
The first season remains a quintessential binge-watch for mystery lovers. You can stream the complete first season on Disney+ or Hulu.
: When a fellow resident, Tim Kono, is found dead in their upscale New York apartment building, the Arconia, the trio suspects murder and decides to investigate. They record their own podcast titled Only Murders in the Building to document their progress. Core Mystery
Amidst the investigation, Charles starts a romance with a soft-spoken bassoonist named Jan (Amy Ryan). The Killer Among Them The first season of premiered on August 31, 2021, on Hulu
The show explores several themes, including:
The aesthetic of Season 1 is crucial to its identity. The Arconia (filmed at the real-life Belnord building) acts as a living, breathing character. The production design contrasts the warm, autumnal, wood-toned apartments of Charles and Oliver with the cold, unfinished, industrial space Mabel occupies.
: The true murderer is revealed to be Jan Bellows , a professional bassoonist and Charles's girlfriend, who killed Tim after a romantic breakup. Trapped in an anxious loop of isolation and
The series was also a major awards contender, receiving 17 nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and ultimately winning three.
The legendary musician plays a fictionalized, highly intense version of himself, who hated Tim for mismanaging his finances.
The season centers on the death of , a resident of the Arconia whose death is initially ruled a suicide. Refusing to accept the official story, the trio begins their own investigation, recording their progress for a podcast they title Only Murders in the Building .
, has died in what the police quickly rule a suicide, the trio suspects foul play. They decide to investigate the death themselves and document their findings in their own podcast, titled Only Murders in the Building The Core Trio