13 Shows Like 'Only Murders in the Building' That'll Tickle Your Funny and Mystery Bones After Season 3
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The Arconia isn't the only building where residents drop dead. Television has long known that murder mysteries don't have to be super serious. There are tons of shows out there that blend death and thrills with comedy. Here is what to watch if you like Only Murders in the Building. They may not have Meryl Streep or the musical elements Only Murders season 3 has served up, but they will keep you laughing and guessing simultaneously.
Are any shows really like this show? It feels like lightning in a bottle sometimes, especially when it comes to the chemistry between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Only Murders in the Building is a thriller comedy dialed directly into our obsession with true crime. If you love this show, you might have the sneaking suspicion you could solve a mystery. You might also have a dark sense of humor. Keeping these things in mind, here are the 13 shows I think you might like to watch next.
The Afterparty
Each season solves a murder mystery that takes place at or around an afterparty. Season 1 was set in the aftermath of a high school reunion, and season 2 took place after a wedding. But wait, there's more! Each episode is a genre parody centering on a different character/suspect or witness as they relay the events of the evening and their role from their own unique POV. It's dark, funny, and ever-changing.
The Horrors of Dolores Roach
There's not a lot of mystery to this murder tale... but it is based on a fictional crime podcast, and podcasts factor into the show. It's also based on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Dolores is an ordinary ex-con trying to start fresh who ends up with a supply of, uhh, fresh meat. It's very silly and very bloody.
Poker Face
In this how-catch-em series the audience knows who committed the murder at the beginning of every episode and then gets to delight in watching Charlie Cale put the pieces together using her "super power." The series was created by Rian Johnson, so if you like Knives Out and Glass Onion you know exactly how complex, sometimes twisty, and absolutely nasty in its biting satire the show is willing to get.
Pushing Daisies
This mystery series delves in the macabre and actual magic. Ned, a pie maker, has a terrible gift. He can bring dead things back to life with a single touch, but only for a minute or someone else drops dead. To avoid that consequence, he must touch the resurrected person a second time. The local private investigator wants to use him and his power to solve murders, but he'd rather not cause any more trouble than he has.... especically after resurrecting his childhood sweetheart.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
The series is based on Douglas Adams' novel series by the same name. If you know anything about Adams and/or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you know his dry sense of humor could rival Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building without lifting a finger. The show, which stars Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood, is also a mystery! If you couldn't tell that by "detective" in the title, of course. It's a funny little show that's unafraid to get real weird.
The Good Place
This sitcom isn't so much a murder mystery as it is a sustained existential crisis and moral mystery. What it has in common with with Only Murders in the Building is a little different. Both shows cast older comedians in new roles where new audiences can discover their talent, and old fans can watch them spar with younger actors. Only Murders has Steve Martin and Martin Short. The Good Place has Ted Danson.
Psych
We can only hope that Shawn and Gus will end up like Charles and Oliver one day. And if they keep making movies... they might! The long-running murder mystery comedy is about a guy who pretends to be a psychic but is actually just really good at detective work.
Based on a True Story
This hidden gem is, like Only Murders in the Building, about ordinary true crime fans who start a podcast about a local murder. There's just one catch: they know who the killer is and invite him to co-host the show. He's also a serial killer. Worst idea ever? Maybe so, but it definitely makes for good television.
Search Party
Only Murders fans might appreciate this dark comedy about millennial friends who decide to solve the mystery of their missing classmate for a few reasons. Both NYC-set shows shoot in New York City, not Toronto or a studio lot. They both have impressive lists of guest stars. And if you like Mabel, you'll love (or love to hate) Dory.
Bad Sisters
The Apple TV+ series sometimes feels more Big Little Lies than Only Murders in the Building. The deaths on Only Murders feel tragic. On Bad Sisters, the character who dies sucks so much.But this Irish murder mystery is much funnier than anything you'll find on HBO–at least, funny in the way Only Murders is.
Black Monday
Black Monday is another underrated hidden gem. If you haven't watched yet, you're welcome! There are three whole seasons, and you're going to be obsessed. It's not really a murder mystery, but it is a very dark comedy about the stock market in the '80s. (If this is a requirement for you, people do die.)
A Series of Unfortunate Events
If what you're looking for is a show like Only Murders in the Building the whole family can watch, I can't recommend this adaptation of the Lemony Snicket book series enough. It turns up the mystery without losing any of the twisted jokes and literary references. I feel like Mabel, Charles, and Oliver of Only Murders would feel very at home in the VFD.
American Vandal
I'm kind of surprised we kept making true crime documentaries and podcasts after American Vandal ripped the whole genre to shreds with two seasons of perfect, hilarious parody. They nailed every single trope. They used bathroom humor to say some really profound things about media. It's actually wild and so impressive.
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