Just under two weeks ahead of its return, the reviews are out for the upcoming third season of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” and the good news is the quality has remained.
The new run currently holds a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes though its average rating, which was 8.0/10 for the first two seasons, has dropped to 7.4/10 for this season.
Reviews however are only for part of the season, not the season as a whole, so have to be measured on that account. Reaction seems to be either it has maintained the quality of the first two seasons, or has slipped slightly with a lot of the drop seemingly coming down to those early episodes separating the core trio too much.
Here’s a sampling of reactions:
“If this does end up being the end of Only Murders in the Building, at least the show can go out with a bang. A-” – Remus Noronha, Collider
“Romance may be ephemeral at the Arconia but friendship never dies. The only way a series this campy works is if its emotional intelligence is as high as its hijinks and Only Murders in the Building is on the case. ” – Sherin Nicole, Geek Girl Riot
“The show’s writers find an ingenious way to allow their locale, The Arconia – the setting for all of these unfortunate ends – to be a part of the action and make the whole ordeal ‘eligible; for Charles, Oliver and Mabel’s podcast. In lesser hands, Only Murders… could have become just another statistic in the cosy crime boom; instead, we’re treated to a must-watch mystery romp..” – Thomas Smith, NME
“Only Murders in the Building retains its cast’s killer chemistry and superb wit, but the extra focus on the theatrical provides refreshing new complications to the Charles-Oliver-Mabel dynamic” – Belen Edwards, Mashable
“While the show still delivers some strong performances from this season’s guest stars Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep, it’s lost sight of what made the first two seasons of the true-crime spoof so compelling.” – Samantha Nelson, IGN
“Even when it is working familiar tropes, the ace up Murders’ sleeve is its three leads, in particular the Martins (Short and Steve). The ease of their interplay is infectious, the tenor of their snark just-so. They come to entertain, to bring something of the joy of the theatre to the small screen.” – Benji Wilson, The Telegraph
“It’’s not that Season 3 is anything close to bad — it’s just that they’ve shown us in previous seasons how great this concept, and the chemistry within, can be. By separating the cast as much as the show does, a touch of that magic is missing.” – Mary Stroky, Consequence
“Only Murders in the Building” kicks off its third season on August 8th with a double episode premiere.
