Only Murders in the Building concluded its second season with a much-needed time jump into the future, setting up a nail-biting season 3 mystery. The comedic Hulu whodunnit Only Murders in the Building stars co-executive producers Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin as Mabel Mora, Oliver Putnam, and Charles-Haden Savage, respectively—an unlikely trio of amateur sleuths with a knack for uncovering murder schemes.
Seasons 1 and 2 take audiences on a fast-paced, non-stop adventure. Mabel, Oliver, and Charles spend season 1 tracking down the murderer of their neighbor, Tim Kono. Though they uncover Tim’s murderer in the season 1 finale, they immediately begin a second investigation upon discovering another murdered neighbor, Bunny Folger, which is concluded in the season 2 finale.
Only Murders in the Building season 2 ends on a surprising one-year time jump cliffhanger. Oliver is directing a Broadway show starring a new Only Murders in the Building character, Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd), who is feuding with his costar, Charles. However, tensions are quickly extinguished when Ben drops dead on stage, bringing the trio back together for yet another investigation after a year of murder-less peace. The episode concludes with Mabel hilariously voicing the audience’s thoughts: “You’ve gotta be f****** kidding me.” Mabel, Oliver, and Charles can’t catch a break, paving the way for a third season full of more misadventure.
Why Only Murders In The Building Season 3 Needed A Time Jump
The one-year time jump is more important than viewers might assume. At the end of season 1, Only Murders in the Building revealed Bunny was murdered. Audiences were already familiar with Bunny and given the back-to-back nature of seasons 1 and 2, they were quick to start theorizing about how Tim and Bunny’s tragedies are connected. In retrospect, the seasons do appear somewhat connected since Bunny’s murderer was under Mabel, Oliver, and Charles’ noses from the beginning despite clues, like Cinda Canning’s supposed secret detective boyfriend, leading them in other directions.
Season 3 departs from the non-stop pacing of seasons 1 and 2, building some much-needed suspense. The one-year time jump means Mabel, Oliver, and Charles have had time to change and develop as characters. For example, Charles has a new girlfriend. Audiences have not been privy to these changes, as the time jump gave away little information other than the bare necessities: Ben has been murdered and the trio is connected to the event. Without a time jump, audiences would’ve been forced into another immediate mystery featuring a familiar cast of characters. Instead, Only Murders in the Building has shaken up the status quo. Mabel, Oliver, and Charles have lived their own lives since Bunny’s investigation, so any personal growth could change their seasons 1 and 2 dynamic. During the time jump, the trio could have met any number of new suspects with suspicious connections to Ben. Viewers will have a harder time predicting season 3 than previous seasons, meaning Only Murders in the Building will return fresher than ever.