Everybody’s Talking About “Only Murders In The Building” — Here Are 23 BTS Facts And Details About The Show You Probably Didn’t Know
1.
Steve Martin created the series with John Hoffman, and originally, the series was meant to feature three older actors. While mapping out the show, they realized they didn’t want the three main characters to be too similar and wanted to bring in someone “unexpected.”
2.
Steve initially had no interest in starring in the series, but Martin Short urged him to do it. He later told producers that he might appear in the show if Martin did too.
3.
Steve was always certain he wanted Selena Gomez to star as Mabel, even though he’d never seen her act on Disney Channel.
4.
Steve and Martin were unsure of how Selena would vibe with them before meeting on set. Before filming, they’d only ever chatted on Zoom, but once they got going they realized they’re a perfect trio.
5.
Selena is also a major true crime fan in real life. She’d even just gotten home from CrimeCon right before she started on OMITB.
6.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph got hired after Steve Martin saw her in Dolemite Is My Name.
7.
While the Arconia was made up for the series, several outdoor scenes were filmed at the Belnord, an actual luxury apartment building in NYC.
8.
Nathan Lane, who plays Teddy Dimas, had about six weeks to learn American Sign Language (ASL) with his interpreter Doug Ridloff. All of his dialogue with his onscreen son James Caverly, who is deaf in real life, was done through ASL.
9.
During Season 2, Howard and Jonathan’s first date ends in disaster when we learn that Jonathan is allergic to Howard’s cat, Sevelyn. But the same thing actually happened to Michael Cyril Creighton in real life, except he was the one allergic to cats.
10.
During Season 1, Charles plays the concertina in several scenes along with Jan and her bassoon. In real life, Steve Martin actually knows how to play the concertina, along with several other instruments like the banjo, guitar, mandolin, and upright bass.
11.
In 2022, Steve shared that OMITB would probably be his last acting role in his six-decades-long career. “When this television show is done, I’m not going to seek others,” he said. “I’m not going to seek other movies. I don’t want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it.”
12.
The music for Oliver’s musical Death Rattle Dazzle was written by Broadway songwriters and composers like Sara Bareilles, Pasek and Paul, Michael R. Jackson, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman.
13.
During the filming of Season 1, Sting performed an impromptu private concert for the cast.
14.
This year, composing duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul won an Emmy for their work on the song “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” earning them EGOT status.
15.
The character Cinda Canning is based on real-life podcaster Sarah Koenig. Sarah is best known for her critically acclaimed true-crime podcast Serial.
16.
A running joke in the series is that Cinda Canning only hires assistants who look just like her. One of her assistants is played by Steve Martin’s wife, Anne Stringfield, who many people — including Steve and Tina — have pointed out looks like Tina.
17.
Andrea Martin plays Charles’ hair and makeup artist, Joy. She is actually Martin Short’s ex-sister-in-law. Andrea’s ex-husband, Bob Dolman, was Martin’s late wife Nancy’s brother.
18.
There are also several jokes thrown in that reference Steve Martin, Martin Short, and their decades-long careers. In Season 1, Jan serenades Charles with the song “Under the Bamboo Tree,” and in the 1983 movie The Man With Two Brains, Steve sings that song to a brain.
19.
Another joke thrown in is during Season 3, Loretta (Meryl Streep) mentions losing a role in Little Shop of Horrors to Ellen Greene. Steve Martin starred alongside Ellen in the film adaptation of the musical in 1986.
20.
In Season 3, Charles and Oliver lie their way into a courtroom, saying they’re “fathers of the bride.” Steve and Martin both starred in the 1991 film Father of the Bride.
21.
In Season 2, there’s an exterior shot of the building of Alice’s art gallery. That building exterior is the same one used throughout the entirety of New Girl.
22.
It took four days to film the moment in the Season 2 finale where Charles, Oliver, and Mabel map out who murdered Bunny. The writers kept the murderer a secret, so most people learned of the big reveal while filming the scene.
23.
Finally, Dana Covarrubias, the show’s costume designer, said that Charles, Oliver, and Mabel’s clothing is symbolic of who they are as characters. Charles is “the kind of guy who wants to wear the same thing essentially every day” and is obsessed with repetition. Oliver “knows how to get what he wants and uses his clothing to do it.” And Mabel “uses her clothing as armor” and for hiding secrets.
