This article contains spoilers for Only Murders in the Building Season 3
Summary
- Only Murders in the Building’s third season debuts with higher ratings than its second season, maintaining its exceptional approval rating.
- The season 3 opener features a bold and unexpected twist, with Paul Rudd’s character being revived only to meet his demise by the end of the episode.
- The murder mystery genre’s recent resurgence and the talented cast, including Meryl Streep, contribute to the show’s continued success.
After delivering a perfect first season, and managing to maintain an exceptional approval rating through its sophomore outing, the chances of Only Murders in the Building maintaining the standard into is third season had the law of averages against them. However, it seems that the Steven Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez-led series just can’t do any wrong, with the season 3 double-episode debut scoring higher than the 98% received for the second season.
Following on directly from the events of season 2, the return of Only Murders in the Building saw the latest murder mystery being set in motion, with Paul Rudd’s Ben being revived after his initial “death” only to meet his maker under foul circumstances by the end of the season 3 opener. It is clear that the returning series has lost none of its audience pleasing potential, logging an impressive 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and an equally pleasing 92% from audiences. This puts it ahead of season 2, and only 1% away on both sides from the original season’s critic and audience scores of 100% and 93% respectively.
It is possibly not surprising that that series has continued to pull in some mighty scores, with murder mysteries being very much back in vogue right now. Recently, the likes of Poker Face and Knives Out from Rian Johnson have revitalised the genre, and the more than capable cast of Only Murders, which also includes Meryl Streep this time around, was never going to fail to capitalize on the movement. For everyone, it is clear to see that sometimes you really can’t get enough of a good thing.
Related: Only Murders in the Building Season 3: Everything We Know After the First Two Episodes
Only Murders Returned With an Unexpected Twist
Hulu
The third season of Only Murders in the Building returned to the story set up in the finale of season two, which seemed to show the death of Paul Rudd’s Ben. However, his character was revived and it appeared that his fate was not as sealed as believed. That was until he met his second, and more permanent demise by the time the end credits rolled. Discussing the new season’s opening twist, showrunner John Hoffman told TV Line:
“The part I liked the most is this twist on the classic murder-mystery thing, where you have a room full of people – suspects, potentially – and here we have the victim himself going around the room and picking out potential suspects for our audience at home, and then it’s a double twist [once Ben dies in the Arconia] that sets up our trio.”
It seems that, as the ratings suggest, the bold and unexpected opening has once again captured the imagination of both critics and audiences alike. Whether the show can hold on that near-perfect score throughout its third season is something that we will discover in the coming weeks, with new episodes being released weekly on Hulu.
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