Warning: This post contains spoilers for season 1 ofOnly Murders in the Building, including the finale.
Who knew a bassoon cleaner could both look so sensual, and ultimately reveal who a killer is?
“There’s a lot of clues in every episode.
Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ on Hulu.Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu
“It’s very gratifying that people are leaning in, and finding it fun.”
That was before we had shot the end of [episode 9].
Did Amy know going in that it was her?
Amy Ryan in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ on Hulu.Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu
I know sometimes actors like to not be aware until the moment they’re shooting the big scene.
Amy did know, definitely.
And I just find her remarkable.
Jane Houdyshell and Martin Short in Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building.'.Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu
There are ways in which I found her performance riding that interesting line.
Did anyone else figure it out before you told them?
You know, it was pretty, pretty well kept.
Steve Martin and Amy Ryan in ‘Only Murders in the Building.'.Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu
And I thought,okay, [maybe] there’s something of that that we could use.
But I think we got by on that?
I think so too.
So it was really a thrill for the most part.
Maybe it was someone on a Reddit board who might’ve recognized this.
It was just a few days before it was revealed, I thought,good for them.
The way the item looks, there’s still some plausible deniability.
Like even if it looks like this, you don’t know what you’re talking about.
It could still be a sex toy.
But yeah, that also was part of the appeal of it.
Even when you find it, you are [still] wondering, and that’s a good thing.
What was the most challenging part of the finale to write or film?
Isn’t it crazy?
Hopefully we did that.
But it had to cover all the tones in the show.
So we figured,okay, I want Tim Kono to narrate.
So that was one thing, and then we thought of it in sections.
Then, we have a really clear delineation mark.
[Laughs] Stand off in a boiler room.
Did they all prepare for their finale stunts together?
I have to say, Steve Martin just bowled everybody over in that last episode.
He had all of the ideas for the physical movement of that.
We have many other things that are on the cutting room floor actually.
But we picked our best, and he was happy with what’s in.
So it was just remarkable though to see him do that over and over again.
We found that it shocks people.
You’re likely going to be in the show even as a victim.
I love how that was teased early on.
I was wondering when that was going to come back.
Yeah, we did our best to have everything come around, and not everything came around yet.
Can you share where season 2 will pick up?
Let’s see, the second season, I’m really happy with the direction it’s going.
And that has been really fun to write, especially for these three people.
Is the setting going to change at all?
Will they still be in the Arconia?
Or mostly in jail, or in court?
And so, for our second season, it’s got to remain squared and centered around that.
But we’ve already been talking about a potential hopeful future for the show that continues beyond that.
Is there one thematic tease you could give us for what we can expect from season 2?
That’s the one question you could tee up.
One I have is who knew knitting needles were that lethal?
That might be answered as well, I promise.
Oh, I love all of the theories that went deeper on Jan’s motives.
I was fascinated by someone who had her related to Zoe (Olivia Reis) at one point.
They were making her a little more tied in relationally to people.
That was interesting to me.
That all felt like a piece to me, but anyway, I love the theories.
I love people examining it.
It challenges us in season 2, for sure.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
