Who could imagine a world where there is not only one super-smart, perfectly plotted, exquisitely acted comedy drama series pleasuring us (I am of course talking about Ted Lasso) but two? “Only Murders in the Building,” which I ignored for ages, is nothing like the soccer coach’s quest, but it has the same deliriously enjoyable feel. You simply don’t want any of the episodes to tick over. The ten-episode American show stars Steve Martin as a typically gauche, lovable dweeb, Martin Short as a hip, quipping producer, and Selena Gomez as a wary, feisty youngster. Each of them is pitch perfect in his or her role, and as a trio of true crime buffs thrown together, they are magic. Set in a posh New York apartment block, the visuals and music are a delight, as is the rapid-fire repartee. A clever plot concept ties it all together: when a young man in the Arconia is murdered, the trio elect to solve the crime while broadcasting their progress on a podcast. The plotline is zany, cozy, ridiculous, adjectives that should render the show as trite, but this is mitigated by the fact that every scene fizzes with inventiveness and class, If it took me months to get to this opening season of Only Murders in the Building, now I can shout: bring on Season 2!
Book, album, and movie reviews
