'Only Murders In The Building' returns with A-list thrills for its third season

Now into its third season of evil hijinks, 'Only Murders In The Building' is able to cast a wider net for sinister stars. Bringing in Oscar-winning talent in the form of Meryl Streep, and unofficial friend of the website and ageless wonder Paul Rudd, shows just how far the show has come from its relatively modest beginnings. No doubt the success of 'Poker Face' has allowed the show's producers to justify roping in this kind of talent when the latter turned each episode into a guest star extravaganza.

At its core, 'Only Murders In The Building' gets so much of its charm is how keenly aware it is of the central cast's talents. Martin and Short bounce off each other like rubber and glue, while Gomez brings a dry wit to the proceedings with ease. This time around, the trio are being pulled apart at the seams. Short's high-strung theatre director finally has a chance to make a return to Broadway with a ridiculous show about murderous babies. Selena Gomez, meanwhile, finds herself possibly in a romantic entanglement with Jesse Williams' character and unsure if she's even going to stick around in New York anymore. Steve Martin, on the other hand, comes unstuck on stage and spends much of the season trying to master a "patter song", even devoting an entire episode to blacking out from the stress of it all.

In fact, much of this season is devoted to the stage itself and the cast of characters' love for it. There's all sorts of wonderful anecdotes and asides about theatre traditions and superstitions, not to mention the many real and unlikely ways one can potentially be killed in a theatre - from falling sandbags to tripping over electrical wires, to prop knives as real knives, and much more besides. Beyond that, the season also explores the tight-knit, sometimes incestuous bond that develops in a company of actors, and how easily relationships spring up when everyone is in the trenches.

Meryl Streep shines as the downtrodden, over-the-hill actor who finally gets her moment in the spotlight and becomes an unlikely romantic interest for one of the trio. Paul Rudd channels his overbearing persona seen in the likes of 'Wet Hot American Summer' and 'Parks & Recreation' into his douchebag A-list actor character with varying results, oftentimes over-indexing on certain attributes in an attempt to make the character as unlikeable as possible. There's also a glut of cameos this season from Broadway icons, including a terrific one-off scene with the great Mel Brooks, that again speaks to the love of theatre in this scene.

There are darker, edgier, and bloodier murder mysteries out there, but none have the same level of - dare we say it - comfort that's baked into 'Only Murders In The Building'. Maybe it's the autumnal colours of New York, maybe it's the lighthearted banter between the main characters who actually seem to enjoy each other's company, or maybe it's just the cosiness of a good murder. Whatever it is, 'Only Murders In The Building' makes a delightfully warm treat of cold-blooded murder.