Apple’s genre-defying detective story returns

Only Murders in the Building The Watchlist

Pictured: Only Murders in the Building and The Afterparty

// Armchair detectives are spoiled for choice this month

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By Fergus Halliday

Aug 23, 2023

2 min read

Published on August 22, 2023

Hulu’s star-studded Only Murders In The Building is back this month with a new season that moves the action from the eponymous apartment complex to the close-knit chaos of a Broadway theatre production. Throw in some new guest stars, including Meryll Streep and Paul Rudd, a fresh new murder to solve and it’s sure to be a good time for fans of the genre.

While the on-screen chemistry of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez does a surprising amount of the heavy lifting for a show this lighthearted, Only Murders In The Building manages to carve out a fun niche for itself by playing classic tropes against contemporary quirks. There are just as many jokes about CSI as there are Serial here. What’s more, it isn’t the only whodunnit worth watching at the moment.

The Afterparty has also returned for its sophomore season on Apple TV Plus, pitting an ensemble of new suspects against Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish and Zoe Chao, who all reprise their roles from the first season.

While Only Murders’ take on the whodunnit is more grounded, The Afterparty shoots for the moon. Each episode unpacks the mystery from a new perspective. One witness might remember events as if their life was a Wes Anderson film. Another might imagine the night of the murder as a Soderbergh-esque heist flick.

The Afterparty dials in on a very different take on the detective thriller, but both it and Only Murders In The Building are well worth a watch if you’re counting down the days until that third Knives Out film.

Stream Only Murders in the Building on Disney Plus

Follow the clues (links)

The Afterparty: Stream it on Apple TV Plus
Knives Out: Stream on Binge, Foxtel Now or Netflix
CSI: Stream on Binge, Foxtel Now, Paramount Plus or 10 play

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Written by

Fergus Halliday

Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.