Only murders in the building have a big problem with each new season

“Only murders in the building” is a cozy mysterious show about three unlikely friends that come together to solve a murder in their apartment building. In season 1, the program firmly focused on the residents of Arconia, presenting us to a fun cast of eccentric New Yorkers played by actors largely unknown. However, in season 4, the series almost focused on celebrities, with actors such as Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis and Eva Longoria like themselves.

The main celebrities also played the original characters, like how Paul Rudd played Ben murder victim in season 3. Kumail Nanjiani played similarly to a suspicious neighbor in season 4, while Molly Shannon portrayed an eccentric producer of Hollywood that same season. It is a common trend on television: as a program becomes more popular, adds more and more famous names to its cast. But once you have stars from the list to join your series, how to raise the bar from there?

Talking with The Hollywood ReporterThe casting director of “Only murders”, Tiffany Little Canfield, explained how she felt about the growing focus of celebrities in the program. When asked if she felt any pressure to “upload the bet” with the launch of tricks in each new season, she replied: “Absolutely, I think we all feel that pressure because we want the audience to be so tickled when they begin to see the casts of the cast.

It is difficult to deny that celebrity casting has helped maintain “only murders” in the center of attention. In the period prior to each new season, there will be a series of funny headlines about how this and that celebrity will play a possible murderer. It is fun to know that actors such as Christoph Waltz or Keegan Michael-Key join the show (as both are in season 5), which also means that they can have the opportunity to do more to do a lot at the end of the season with a villain monologue.

When asked if he had any “white whales” of casting for the show, Canfield replied: “We already have it! Meryl.” In fact, Meryl Streep was not only delicious, since the long -term theater actor Loretta in season 3, but his continuous romance with Oliver (Martin Short) was a fun story in season 4 and, hopefully, will do the same in season 5.

Canfield also grateful Daniel Day-Lewis as another great actor who would love to choose, although he pointed out that “it seems impossible since he retired very publicly.” But given that day, Lewis recently not withdrawn to Star in the next direction effort of his son “Anemone” Maybe this Canfield’s dream is not completely dead.

Fans have their own white whales for the series. If you go to the “only murders” subnet during the low season, you will not see shortage of people who publish on how a particular celebrity they like should totally join the program. The “only murders” may not change their cast to the same extent as other murder-misterium franchises such as “Knives out” or “The White Lotus”, but its fandom maintains an excited energy similar to discussing the launch possibilities for each new installment.

Although the constant casting of celebrities has generated a lot of rumor for the show, not all fans of the “only murders” are happy with this trend. Especially in season 4, many people were frustrated by how the original residents of Arconia had remained. Outside Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton), almost all Arconia characters introduced in season 1 have been reduced to some short lines per season or completely cut from the show.

Some of this feels like a natural result of the series trying to maintain its fresh formula. After season 2, the program’s writers seemed to realize that it would be repetitive (and something unlikely) if all murders revolved around Arconia’s residents, so seasons 3 and 4 focused on the murders of people who do not live in the facilities. This is good, since the series does not have to explain why Arconia residents are no more terrified by their neighbors who die like flies, but it is also bad because those characters have felt more and more tangential to the main stories. Because of this, seasons 3 and 4 lacked that welcoming and community sensation of the previous seasons of the program.

Season 5 seems to have addressed this complaint, marking celebrity casting (at least slightly) and returning the mystery to the arconia itself. It is a pity that Poreo Lester (Teddy Coluca) has had to die for the program to finally give the attention it deserves, but nothing more, this means that the show can return to its roots correctly.

“Only murders in the building” occurs exclusively in Hulu.