Did you see it coming? The third season of Only Murders in the Building has finished, and the killer of action-hero-turned-theater-actor Ben Glenroy — played by the ever-hilarious Paul Rudd — has finally been revealed.
Now, take heed, because serious spoilers lie ahead. So, if you’re not looking to know what went down this season, you better run like it’s a cold and rainy night at the theater and the ghost of Gideon Goosebury is after you…
What happened this season on Only Murders in the Building?
Only Murders in the Building premiered in 2021, and the comedy-slash-murder mystery became an instant hit. Viewers loved following the trio of retired TV star Charles-Haden Savage and Broadway director Oliver Putnam — played by longtime friends and iconic comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short — and young artist Mabel Mora, played by pop star and actress Selena Gomez. Each season, the unlikely team and friends work to solve a murder that takes place in their New York City apartment building, The Arconia. As they work, they broadcast their findings through their podcast, called — you guessed it — “Only Murders in the Building.”
Season 3 of the series took us deep into the heart of the Broadway world, as Oliver works on his grand return to the stage after a long, storied career that catapulted to a halt when his play, Splash!, ended abruptly after an actor fell to his death during a live performance. On this season, the series became a show within a show, following Oliver’s fraught production of Death Rattle, a murder mystery play (later turned musical) about whether three infant triplets murdered their own mother. It sounds bleak, and pretty ridiculous, but the dark comedy is what makes this show truly a gem. No one can deliver a pithy patter song debating which of the three infant triplets committed homicide quite like Steve Martin. (If you’ve been watching the show and had the sing-songy refrain “which of the Pickwick triplets did it…” stuck in your head for weeks, you’re not alone).
Of course, as you could expect from a show about murder doing a play about murder, there is an actual murder on opening night! The show loses their star, Ben Glenroy. At first, he’s poisoned, but somehow survives. Then, after his miraculous resurrection, he is mysteriously pushed into an empty elevator shaft, falling to his death.
Suddenly, everyone in the cast, including the ever-fabulous Meryl Streep — who plays struggling but talented actress Loretta Durkin — is a suspect. Charles, Oliver, and Mabel set out to revive their podcast and solve the mystery of who killed Ben Glenroy. But of course, there’s plenty of obstacles — and a ton of laughs — along the way.
Who killed Ben Glenroy?
This season had ten episodes, and each week, the trio eliminated suspects for Ben’s untimely death and found new ones. A major clue for the team comes in the form of a silk handkerchief, which Ben was holding at the time of his death. Since Ben gave out the hankies as a gift to the cast on opening night, the team is sure one of the cast members must be the murderer.
At first, Charles suspects that Kimber – played by Ashley Park of Emily in Paris fame. Kimber played Ben’s love interest, and she is suspiciously missing her hankie. However, it turns out she simply sold it for some extra cash. The team next suspect Jonathan, played by Jason Veasey, who is Ben’s understudy. He has an obvious motive, perhaps wanting the starring role for himself. But Mabel discovers that Jonathan has no real connection to the murders, and Oliver, who is dating Loretta, secretly suspects her after finding a scrapbook in her apartment with clippings that appear to be about Ben.
The team then turn their attention to Dickie — Ben’s manager and adopted older brother — who was always in his brother’s shadow. Later, it is revealed that Dickie is Loretta’s biological son who she gave up for adoption when she moved to New York to become an actress. However, Dickie has an alibi during the time when the murder took place, and it turns out Loretta’s scrapbook wasn’t the work of a stalker, but of a mother following the life of her son from afar. Both are eliminated as suspects. The team finds a shredded piece of paper in an office, and with the help of Howard, reassembles it. It turns out to be a bad review of the play, singling out Ben as the root of the problem.
But who would be so worried about a bad review that they would resort to murdering their lead? The trio suspects producer Donna and her son, Cliff. The team confront Donna, who surprisingly, is all too eager to confess. She admits that she poisoned a cookie that Ben ate before the show. But then who pushed Ben into the elevator shaft? When Mabel spots Cliff heading to the stage attic, she corners him, and he confesses that during a post-show tussle with Ben, he accidentally pushed him to his death.
The killers are found and arrested, and with a murder solved and a hit play on their hands, the trio head to the after-party to celebrate. But since this show is, well, this show, there’s no way the night can be murder-free. Charles’ much loved body double, Sazz — played by Jane Lynch — shows up to party with the crew. When she heads up to Charles’ apartment, she is shot through the window, and collapses to her death.
When will Only Murders in the Building return?
The big question on the mind of every Only Murders in the Building fan is now: Who killed Sazz? That’s a question for next season, which will likely return on streaming service Hulu in the summer of 2024. Despite the fact we have to wait an entire year to know who killed the beloved Sazz, the good news is that you can re-binge the series in its entirety while you wait. Seasons 1-3 are now available on Hulu.