The Untold Truth Of Only Murders In The Building

The critical darling sendup to true crime podcasts "Only Murder in the Building" might just be one of Hulu's best shows. The comedy-mystery stars Selena Gomez alongside the legendary comedic duo of Martin Short and Steve Martin as they try to solve a murder that occurred in the historic Upper Manhattan building where their characters all live. The show revolves around the unusual trio of Charles-Haden Savage (Martin), a retired actor who once starred in a cop show of his own, struggling stage director Oliver Putnam (Short), and Mabel (Gomez) a mysterious young woman who knew the murder victim. You might come to see the hilarious hijinks of the three playing bumbling investigative podcasters, but you'll find yourself hooked by the deeper mysteries in the hearts of these characters. They don't truly know each other and each has a darker past than they make known.

The strange situations these characters find themselves in aren't the only unusual thing about "Only Murders in the Building," as some unique circumstances lead to the show's creation. These are the behind-the-scenes stories and production details that most fans don't know about "Only Murders in the Building."

While the grandiosity of the name "Arconia" fits the titular building, an apartment complex of that name doesn't exist in Manhattan — but that doesn't mean the building they shot for the exteriors of the Arconia is fabricated. In fact, it is a real building that resides on the Upper West Side of the city (via The New York Times). The name of the building is not Arconia, but the Belnord, and it is a famous building with a long history.

Originally built in 1909, The Belnord has been a luxury rental building for its entire 100-year lifespan. Covering a full city block at the intersection of West 86th Street and Broadway, the Belnord was described as the largest residential apartment building in the country at the time of its construction. The Belnord fell into disrepair in the 1970s, which led to tenants organizing. The result was a 16-year rent strike, the longest in the history of New York City. Throughout the years there have been various changes in ownership and interior renovations, but the Renaissance style of the building remains intact to this day.

While Steve Martin might not have been familiar with any of Selena Gomez's work when he called her up to be on "Only Murders in the Building," at least he had heard of her. The same cannot be said of Gomez's reaction to working with Martin Short. In fact, she wasn't even familiar with his existence. According to an interview Short did with Deadline about the making of the first season, Gomez didn't know much about Short prior to filming. Short said, "she's such a great actress because she pretended to know who we were."

According to Short, when the comedian asked Gomez what the first thing she did after finding out she would be working with him, she replied, "I Googled you." The comment just goes to show that on-screen chemistry can overcome even the biggest generational gaps. Now, let's just hope she did her homework and watched "Father of the Bride" before coming to the first day of shooting. 

While most of the show was shot on sets and interiors, it's obvious to anyone who has been to New York that parts of "Only Murders in the Building" are shot on location in Manhattan. However, these were difficult to shoot for reasons beyond filming the first season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (via Variety). The main problem, as it turns out, was Selena Gomez.

Gomez was a joy to work with according to Martin and Short, but her fame made it difficult to shoot her scenes in the city. Avoiding her dedicated fans, many of which are children, gave the crew difficulties trying to shoot scenes. This was especially tough for Selena. Anyone who follows Gomez knows she loves interacting with her fans. Aaron Dominguez, who plays Oscar in "Only Murders in the Building" told Town and Country, "there were people all over the place, paparazzi and fans everywhere. During all what felt like chaos at times — because we were trying to shoot a scene and there were people everywhere yelling her name — we were trying to stay within the scene."

In addition to the production design, the costuming is also an unspoken star of "Only Murders in the Building." Each character wears outfits that reflect their personality and mood. From the striking burnt orange attire and iconic Beats headphones that Mabel wears while making her series debut to Oscar's (Aaron Dominguez) tie-dye hoodie, each character's wardrobe helps the audience understand a little bit more about them. Sometimes, these choices even reflect the inner desires of the characters, such as the way Charles dresses like the detective he once played on TV. We also see characters like Jan (Amy Ryan), who dress a certain way to try and hide their true intentions. 

When discussing the costuming of Oliver with Martin Short, costume designer Dana Covarrubias came up with an especially funny quirk for the character (via Vulture). He would only dress in clothes he felt Timothée Chalamet would also wear. "We would hold up a piece of clothing and say, 'Would Timothée wear this?'" Covarrubias said. 

The biggest cameo in the first season of "Only Murders in the Building" is without a doubt the appearance of rockstar Sting. The musician who once fronted The Police shows up in episodes three and four. Upon realizing that Sting lives in the building with them Charles, Mabel, and Oliver soon begin to suspect that the English rocker might just be a prime murder suspect. The trio brings him a turkey in order to see inside his apartment in one of the show's most memorable gags.

During the filming of that episode, named "The Sting" — because what else would you call it — the cast of "Only Murders in the Building" got a private concert from the legend himself. There's a moment in the show where Sting improvs a song about the victim, Tim Kono. Since he had his guitar on him in between takes of that shot, Sting used some of the downtime to play songs from his long musical career (via The Wrap). Co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman said, "literally, we had like a Sting concert happening, unplugged, on our set. We were just in love with him. He was just brilliant."