8 TV Shows Like Only Murders in the Building for More Murder and Comedy

Despite its protagonists' constant proximity to murder, Only Murders in the Building is alive and well. In its three seasons of streaming, the Hulu comedy series has become one of the most delightful and charming shows on TV. Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, the series stars Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as neighbors living in the fictional Arconia building on the Upper West Side. Although the three hadn't interacted beyond elevator pleasantries, they're brought together by a shared love of true crime podcasts and a death in their building. They strike up an unlikely partnership and start their own podcast, which gains a passionate following, and find themselves investigating a different loosely connected murder each season. Funny and heartfelt, the show serves as a gentle skewering of the true crime fan community.

If you're left wanting more after the season 3 finale and can't quite wait for the just announced fourth season, there are several other series that can help fill the Only Murders in the Building void in the meantime. If you're looking for shows with similar comedic tones, murder themes, or keen portrayals of New York City, we've picked out a variety of shows that can help tide you over until your favorite crime solvers are back.

Only Murders in the Building Watch on Hulu

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The Afterparty

Fans of Selena Gomez's Mabel will find lots to love in millennial murder comedy The Afterparty, Apple TV+'s ensemble anthology series. In the first season, when a pop star is found dead at a high school reunion, everyone in his graduating class becomes a suspect. In each episode, Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) interviews a different suspect to try to understand what happened that night. The greatest gem of the show is that each suspect's perspective is shared in a vastly different pop culture genre. One witness (Ilana Glazer) tells the story as a psychological thriller, while another (Ben Schwartz) relays his version of the story as a big-budget, show-stopping musical production. In Season 2, a murder at a wedding follows a similar formula, resulting in more laughs.

Based on a True Story

The most clear-cut play off of the success of Only Murders in the Building is Based on a True Story, Peacock's answer to the comedic (true) crime craze. The show follows a pregnant woman, Ava (Kaley Cuoco), who is obsessed with murder podcasts and finds herself in a struggling marriage with her husband, Nathan (Chris Messina). The two deduce that their plumber-turned-friend is a murderer and, rather than turn him into the police, opt to start a podcast wherein they interview him about his crimes. Much like Only Murders, the show both satirizes true crime fans and provides a genuinely compelling thriller.

Search Party

Fans of the unconventional investigators of Only Murders in the Building will find a familiar set-up in Search Party. When a group of college friends find out that an old acquaintance has gone missing, they make it their mission to find her — despite never knowing her that well. Helmed by Dory (Alia Shawkat), who feels lost as the aimless assistant to a rich lady, the investigation becomes less about the missing girl and more about Dory herself. The show gets progressively wacky as the seasons go on, possibly because of its switch from TBS to Max, but it's so firmly rooted in its incredible characters that audiences can't help but go along for the ride, which becomes as much a story about a generation as it is about crime.

Castle

As the oldest show on this list, Castle is a remnant of the punchy crime dramedies that used to dominate the network TV landscape. The series follows mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) after he convinces the mayor to let him shadow NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) in order to research his next novel. While the pair butt heads at first, Beckett eventually comes to respect Castle as a crime-solving asset and their partnership slowly blossoms into love. Like Only Murders, the show features a fun depiction of wealthy Manhattanites (Castle's loft will please fans of the Arconia) and a few surprising camoes (including Castle's poker buddies James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and Dennis Lehane).

Dead to Me

Only Murders in the Building fans will find a twin flame in Dead to Me's macabre sense of humor. The show follows Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini), two grieving women who meet at a support group and foster a deep connection with one another. Things take a turn when Jen discovers, to her horror, that they have more in common that she realized. Raising kids, dealing with exes, and outsmarting the police are just some of the things that the two women grapple with, but the dark and offbeat show is ultimately about the power of found family and forgiveness.

The Flight Attendant

Another Kaley Cuoco series, The Flight Attendant offers a dark and twisted (but still technically comedic) look into alcoholism, trauma, and international murder conspiracies. When flight attendant Cassie (Cuoco) wakes up in Bangkok next to a murdered man, one of the passengers from her last flight, she flees the scene and the country on instinct. As she attempts to piece together the drunken night that led up to his death, she must also grapple with her inner demons and the looming threat behind every clue she uncovers. Much like Only Murders in the Building, each episode throws the show into a new and unexpected direction, so viewers never quite know what's coming next.

American Vandal

Set at an average public high school each season, the anthology comedy American Vandal approaches a truly juvenile crime spree with utter seriousness and a commitment to gumshoe detective work. Rather than podcasts, the mockumentary-style series makes fun of popular true crime documentaries like Making a Murderer. In the first season, American Vandal follows high schoolers Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck) as they attempt to discover who spray painted 27 penises onto cars at their school. The main suspect, Dylan (Jimmy Tatro), has been expelled, but the duo believe that there's a chance he's innocent and set out to prove just that. In the second and final season, things don't mature much as the duo try to nab a criminal dubbed "The Turd Burglar." It's a lot smarter than it sounds, trust me.

Poker Face

Inspired by Columbo, Poker Face moves beyond the traditional whodunnit murder mystery and instead utilizes the "howcatchem" formula. The series, from Knives Out director Rian Johnson, starts most episodes by showing audiences who the culprit is. Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), a human lie detector on the run, is then left to put the pieces together as she stumbles from town to town. The show offers an easy-going blend of comedy and murder and shares Only Murders in the Building's knack for epic guest starring roles, including performances from Judith Light, Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Hong Chau.