This article contains spoilers for the first season of Only Murders in the Building.Like all phenomenal mysteries, Only Murders in the Building (created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman) leads our suspicion in many directions. It is an eccentric, unpredictable series with its own unique atmosphere, a satisfying concoction of dark humor and dark matters mostly set within the confines of great architecture. This blend is enhanced by the three stars of the show, a trio of very different characters, all with their own authentic flaws but one similar interest.

Only Murders in the Building follows the story of three residents of an apartment building, played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who share a passion for true-crime podcasts and decide to start their own after one of their neighbors suspiciously dies. Through their investigation, their personal lives and history are explored with both humor, intriguing mystery, and sadness, all while the show maintains an upbeat and charming tone. In a conversation with Collider, Steve Martin attributed the balance of comedy and melancholic scenes to the writing. The stars confirmed in the same interview that everyone who worked on the project made sure to make the set atmosphere “seductively positive”.

These strategies are ultimately what contributed to the success of the show. The series has been both critically acclaimed and very popular, Ricardo De Querol describes the show for El Pais as “[smelling] like a classic, an aroma of those gentle Crime Films of Old Hollywood, with a few drops of Agatha Christie and a lot of Woody Allen.” The writing certainly balances contemporary themes with older true crime tropes that never lose their appeal. According to Screen Rant, Steve Martin also insisted on avoiding an ambiguous ending and granting the audience the finale they’ve been waiting for. That being said, the journey to that conclusion is a complex mystery with lots of twists, and is crucially important to understand in order to appreciate the new second season, so MovieWeb has constructed a concise and comprehensive explanation of Only Murders in the Building.

What is the Murder in the Building?

Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin in Only Murders in the Building
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As mentioned above, Only Murders in the Buiding follows three characters who become entangled in a suspicious death in their building, the Arconia. There is Charles Haden Savage, a former television star played by Steve Martin, Oliver Putman, an in-debt Broadway director past his prime played by Martin Short, and Mabel Mora, a mysterious young woman renovating her apartment played by Selena Gomez. They are evacuated from their building by an alarm and, in the process of waiting to re-enter, bond over a true-crime podcast. The trio sneaks back inside the building when they learn a murder has occurred and found the body of their neighbor, Tim Kono. The police conclude that the incident is suicide while the three sleuths conclude that Tim Kono has been murdered and begin their own podcast (also called Only Murders in the Building), on the event.

Related: Only Murders in the Building Inspired by Apartment Hi-Rise with a Very Scandalous Past

As time goes on, the group attends Tim’s funeral and snoops in his apartment. They learn that Tim Kono had few friends and more enemies, and secretly, the audience learns that Mabel was childhood friends with the deceased. Mabel and Tim were a part of a friend group with two other young people, Oscar and Zoe, before the group had a falling out. Several years before, the group was at a party where Zoe mysteriously died, and the blame was pinned on Oscar. Tim Kono witnessed someone else murder Zoe, but never spoke up about who he saw, causing friction in his relationship with Mabel.

The Only Murder Suspects in the Building

Sting in Only Murders in the Building
Disney Platform Distribution

While there was the vague hint that Mabel could be involved in the murder, this is quickly extinguished by the other suspicious neighbors in the Arconia. The first suspect the group is led to is one building resident, Howard. The paw prints of Howard's cat were discovered in Kono's blood, but when they go to question him, they learn Howard is dealing with vasovagal syncope (so he couldn’t have murdered Kono) and also that his cat has died. Meanwhile, the group is also finding sinister notes along the way, including one that explains Oliver’s dog has been poisoned. After seeing Sting in the elevator (yes, the singer from the band The Police), Oliver comes to suspect the singer (a surprisingly funny actor) of the murder, and the sleuths chase down this lead.

Turns out, Tim Kono worked as Sting’s stockbroker but was fired after Kono lost the singer a substantial amount of money. Oliver and Mabel resolve their suspicions about Sting while Charles goes on a date with another building resident, Jan (a great Amy Ryan). Shortly after, Mabel pursues another lead, “Montrose Gems,” whose initials were found on one of the threatening notes. Oscar, one of the boys from Mabel’s old friend group, tracks her down after he is released from prison and the two discover that Kono was trying to take down a black market jewelry dealer named Angel. Meanwhile, the group’s podcast is taking off, and Oliver’s old Broadway associate, Teddy (another building resident), writes them a substantial check to make more episodes.

Related: Only Murders in the Building Gets Renewed for Season 3 on Hulu

However, the check leads the group to discover that Teddy’s account is also the black market jewelry dealer’s account. Charles, Mabel, and Oliver’s focus quickly fall on Teddy and his deaf son, Theo. After investigating, the group deduces that Theo is the jewelry dealer, and he admits that at that party long ago, he confronted Mabel’s friend Zoe about stealing one of his father’s rings and accidentally pushed her off the roof. Teddy attempts to convince the sleuths to end the podcast in order to protect him and his son, but Mabel and Oliver release the evidence anyway.

Meanwhile, Charles is distracted by his relationship with Jan, and the lead detective on Tim’s case reveals the podcast's discoveries are false because the man was actually poisoned before he was shot. Also, Theo and Teddy were not in the building at the time of Tim’s death. After Jan is mysteriously stabbed and survives, the group begins to believe that Kono had a secret girlfriend. Charles is still distracted by Jan, a professional bassoonist, and attends her concert only to discover that she lied about being the first chair. At the same time, Oliver and Mabel sift through Tim’s apartment another time. They discover a bassoon cleaner in his secret collection of sex toys, leading them to their final suspect.

The Murderer in the Building

Amy Ryan as Jan in Only Murders in the Building
Disney Platform Distribution

The group concludes that Tim Kono’s murderer is Jan. Reluctantly, Charles agrees to try to get Jan to confess and lures her into his apartment. She does explain, saying that she and Tim had a romantic relationship, but she killed him a day after they broke up. Jan used a slow-acting poison on Tim and then proceeded to shoot him to stage his death as a suicide. Jan also poisons an unknowing Charles with a handkerchief and plans to gas the entire building through the fireplaces. Despite Charles being incoherent, Oliver and Mabel rescue him, and together they try to prevent the gas from spreading and also confront Jan.

After Jan is arrested, the trio briefly celebrates the conclusion of their podcast on the rooftop and Mabel leaves to retrieve more champagne. Charles and Oliver get a mysterious text that tells them to leave the building, and so they frantically search for Mabel, who they find over of the body of the Arconia board president, Bunny Folger. The three are promptly arrested, and the series finale comes to a close.

Hopefully that explanation puts together the pieces that set up the excellent season, which has its own mystery we'll explore later. Two seasons of Only Murders in the Building are available for streaming on both Hulu and Disney+.