After growing up watching Wizards of Waverly Place, when I heard that Selena Gomez was to be starring in her first major television role since 2012, I knew I had to watch it. Only Murders in the Building is a comedy-mystery hybrid following three unlikely friends in an apartment building, solving the murder of someone they met in the elevator of their building. The only thing bringing the trio together is their love of true-crime podcasts, with Mabel Mora (played by Selena Gomez) who lives alone and is currently redecorating her aunt’s apartment, Olivier Putnam (played by Martin Short, also known for his work as Jack Frost in The Santa Clause 3) a former musical director, and Charles Haden Savage (played by Steve Martin, who I know best as the father in Cheaper By the Dozen) a former television actor. The finale of the show aired last week, with season two promised to be as just as to die for.
As a true crime junkie myself, Only Murders in the Building also serves as a reminder that the people affected by crimes are real people with real feelings. As each of the main characters is affected by the crimes in different ways, the show provides a new perspective on what happens behind the scenes and stories of true crime. The ethical nature of getting a profit from true crime episodes is also a main theme of the show, with the question of whether it’s ethical to get a profit from other peoples’ trauma being often addressed. It has opened my own eyes to certain true crime shows and the need for sensitivity when discussing other people’s stories, and I can not wait to see what stories are told in season two!