Streaming services have revitalized TV murder mysteries, and one show in particular has thrived because of this trend: Hulu’s popular crime comedy-drama. While many detective shows feature celebrity guest appearances, this show takes it to an extreme with an unusually large number of well-known actors.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Only Murders in the Building boasts an exceptionally talented cast, perhaps the best the mystery genre has ever seen. Led by co-creator Steve Martin, alongside longtime friend Martin Short and the fantastic Selena Gomez, this charming murder mystery continues to improve with each new season.
This show isn’t just Martin’s best work on television and a career highlight for Steve Short – it’s currently the most impressive project Adam Gomez has been involved in. It also gives us surprisingly different performances from Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd. If the best murder mystery show was judged on its cast alone, this one would undoubtedly win.
Only Murders In The Building Has An All-Time Great Cast
Beyond its main stars – comedy icons Steve Martin and Martin Short, and pop sensation Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building boasts an incredibly impressive lineup of guest stars. The show features acting giants like Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd, as well as talents such as Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, and a whole host of other well-known faces.
The show has not only helped established actors like Michael Cyril Creighton and Jackie Hoffman land their most visible roles to date, but it’s also launched the careers of rising stars such as James Caverly and Teddy Coluca. And that’s just the main cast – this doesn’t even include all the great guest stars and cameos!
Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building boasts an incredible cast, featuring Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, and Keegan-Michael Key. These high-profile additions would be a major expense for most shows, and even Téa Leoni and Bobby Cannavale would have been considered huge stars for any series.
| Only Murders In The Building Cast Member | Character | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Martin | Charles-Haden Savage | 1–5 |
| Selena Gomez | Mabel Mora | 1–5 |
| Martin Short | Oliver Putnam | 1–5 |
| Michael Cyril Creighton | Howard Morris | 1–5 |
| Meryl Streep | Loretta Durkin | 3–5 |
| Da’Vine Joy Randolph | Detective Donna Williams | 1–5 |
| Jane Lynch | Sazz Pataki | 1–5 |
| Amy Ryan | Jan Bellows | 1–2, 4 |
| Tina Fey | Cinda Canning | 1–3, 5 |
| Paul Rudd | Ben Glenroy, Glen Stubbins, L.E.S.T.R. | 3–5 |
| James Caverly | Theo Dimas | 1–3, 5 |
| Nathan Lane | Teddy Dimas | 1–2, 5 |
| Jackie Hoffman | Uma Heller | 1–5 |
Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building playfully acknowledged the show’s popularity with celebrity cameos. It featured Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifianakis appearing as themselves, hoping to portray the main characters – Charles, Mabel, and Oliver – in a movie based on their true-crime podcast.
No Other Mystery Series Features So Many Major Stars
Big-name actors appearing in murder mysteries isn’t a recent trend – think of all the famous faces in Agatha Christie adaptations. However, the TV show Only Murders stands out with its remarkably star-studded cast, surpassing anything we’ve seen before in the genre.
Look, I love a good mystery, and I was excited about the Thursday Murder Club on Netflix with its amazing cast – Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and all those big names. But honestly? The Hulu version just blows it away. Martin, Gomez, Short, Streep, and Lane are incredible, and they really bring something special to the story that the Netflix cast just couldn’t match. It’s not that the Netflix actors are bad, it’s just that the Hulu group is on another level!
| Oscar Winners In Only Murders In The Building‘s Cast | Number Of Oscars | Movies Won For |
|---|---|---|
| Meryl Streep | 3 | Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie’s Choice (1982), The Iron Lady (2011) |
| Shirley MacLaine | 1 | Terms of Endearment (1983) |
| Da’Vine Joy Randolph | 1 | The Holdovers (2023) |
| Dianne Wiest | 2 | Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Bullets over Broadway (1984) |
| Christoph Waltz | 2 | Inglourious Basterds (2009), Django Unchained (2012) |
| Renée Zellweger | 2 | Cold Mountain (2004), Judy (2020) |
It’s interesting to compare Renée Zellweger’s guest appearance on season 5 of Only Murders in the Building to her role in the popular 2002 film Chicago, which also involved a murder mystery and featured a famously star-studded cast. However, Only Murders has actually earned more acting awards and has greater influence within the industry than Chicago did.
The actors in this Hulu murder mystery have collectively won an incredible 11 Oscars, 12 Emmys, 3 Tonys, and 5 Grammys. While Chicago has as many Grammy winners as Only Murders in the Building, its cast has roughly half the total number of Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards.
Who Could Join OMITB For Season 6
Hulu isn’t revealing which guest stars will appear in season 6 of Only Murders in the Building just yet, but we can make a good guess about where many of them are from. With the show filming in London this season, it’s likely we’ll see a lot of British actors joining the cast.
As a big mystery fan, I’ve been thinking about potential cameos for Only Murders in the Building, and it would be so clever if they cast someone like Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman – you know, the Sherlock guys – or David Tennant and Olivia Colman from Broadchurch. They’ve both been amazing in those kinds of TV mysteries recently. It’ll be interesting to see if the show’s creators go that route with future guest stars!
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2026-04-18 18:25