With a second season that self-consciously plays to its strengths and layers the new mystery established by its cliffhanger conclusion on top of the old one, “Only Murders in the Building,” which has been a critical and commercial success, is understandably determined not to interfere with what is working. It’s just as carefree and entertaining, with numerous cheeky allusions to “Season 2.” (the podcast, naturally, but you get the idea).
The unusual trio of Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) turn their focus to the next neighbor to come up dead after solving the murder that occupied their previous excursion.
Additionally, they have fresh cameos to liven things up, like Amy Schumer as Amy Schumer, who quickly pitches Oliver on the notion of turning the podcast into a limited series because, well, showbiz, to an utterly enthusiastic audience.
Being quirky can be more difficult than it seems, but the show does a good job of pulling it off by using multiple narrators, getting Charles a new (and humiliating) acting role, and adding odd flourishes like having Jane Lynch play his stunt double or giving Tina Fey’s ruthless podcaster and her underappreciated assistant more work.
Again, the mystery itself doesn’t matter all that much because the episodes progress with different hints and disclosures and get their biggest laughs from bizarre moments as when Short pays homage to “Last of the Mohicans” while stranded in a stairwell during a power outage.
The program gets a lot of mileage out of those minor touches and the overarching concern with true crime, even though it may inevitably no longer feel quite as new this time around. Practically speaking, “Ted Lasso” did quite well, so it would appear that the timing of its reappearance was intended to maximize its visibility with the upcoming Emmy nominations.
