Selena Gomez made her long-awaited return to scripted television this year in Hulu’s new comedy, Only Murders In the Building, in which she stars alongside comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short. The series follows their three characters, as they bond over their love of a true crime podcast and come together to solve a murder in their apartment building. The streamer recently dropped the show's Season 1 finale and, now, it seems the newbie hit has set a major record.
Craig Erwich, who presides over the streamer's original content, revealed that the new show is now "the most-watched comedy ever on Hulu, by a good measure," according to Vulture. Though Erwich didn't given specific figures, this doesn't come as much of a surprise. It was previously reported that the comedy raked in nearly a half-billion minutes of audience viewing within its first weekend, during which the first three episodes premiered. The streaming exec went on to say that the show's audience continued to grow from there, and stats acquired independently by the trade (courtesy of Parrot Analytics) seem to back up his comments.
It's honestly not too surprising that the series, which Steve Martin co-created, has turned into a success. Hulu has promoted the series well since it was first announced during Disney's Investor Day livestream last year. And of course, it has plenty of star power behind it. It seems these elements, combined with an interesting premise and smart writing, were the correct ingredients for success.
Only Murders In the Building is a comedy that is fit for true crime fans. It’s a captivating series that features a murder mystery that even some of the best crime solvers may not have even been able to crack. The season finale ended with a bloody cliffhanger so, if Hulu were to have axed it, it would have been a cruel end for the series.
The show even holds another distinction, as it was also the most-watched across SVOD titles on the streaming platform, according to Deadline. In addition, it's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with 100% on the average Tomatometer and 94% for the average audience score. This bodes well for the show's future, and it could mean audiences could get more of it beyond the second season.
A release window has yet to be given Season 2 of Only Murders In the Building, but filming will reportedly begin next month, according to Craig Erwich. With this, one may be able to assume that the new episodes will arrive in late 2022. If you haven't already, make sure to stream the first season so you can see why it’s been crowned Hulu's most successful comedy series.
Check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 fall TV schedule to see what other shows to watch before the year comes to an end!
