Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building is here and wastes no time in delving into another enthralling case but the Hulu comedy also takes aim at Paramount+ in a surprise streaming wars joke.
Since it first arrived on Hulu in 2021, Only Murders in the Building has had plenty of fun with its cozy murder mysteries as the show’s writers haven’t been afraid of sneaking in several references and nods to the audience and season 3 is no different.
Only Murders in the Building’s fourth wall breaks and audience nods
Throughout Only Murders in the Building and most notably in season 2, the series has featured several references that wink at the audience to suggest its characters know they’re in a TV show.
There are a few key examples of this in season 2’s finale, one where an exasperated Oliver says, “This is really not feeling like a finale yet, is it?”
While Later in the episode, when preparing for the killer reveal party, Mabel asks if Oliver can speed up, to which he responds, “We can do this production fast or we can do it well.” When Mabel asks for it to be done quickly, he answers, “Well, then I will not take responsibility for the reviews,” which is likely a nod to the reception of the season 1 finale as some viewers felt that its killer reveal was rushed.
Season 3 also continues this trend as during episode 2, Charles and Mabel believe they have found the killer in record time, with Charles remarking that it usually “takes us at least eight episodes.” Of course, this is a reference to the fact that the trio has their own podcast, but it also doubles as a sneaky reference for the audience.
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Only Murders in the Building takes aim at Paramount+
Another of season 3’s fourth-wall-breaking jokes takes place in episode 2 as Oliver finds his Broadway comeback on the line after the death of Paul Rudd’s Ben Glenroy.
Despite the huge stakes, Oliver is confident in his ability to persuade his show’s producers, Donna and Cliff, and says that he only needs five minutes in a room with someone to convince them to do anything.
Charles is unconvinced, however, and scoffs at Oliver’s suggestions.
But Oliver is quick to respond, saying that “I convinced you to get Paramount Plus.”
“No, I wanted that!” argues Charles, to which Oliver retorts with a wry smile, “Did ya?”
Not content with only firing shots at the show’s critics, Only Murders in the Building takes aim at one of Hulu’s rival streaming competitors with this jovial jab.
Oh the irony
While Oliver’s comment appears to be a subtle takedown of the streaming service, the irony is that Paramount+ actually has more subscribers than Hulu.
As of June 2023, Paramount+ has a fanbase of 60.7 million while Hulu only has 48.2 million (as of April 2023) subscribers by comparison.
It should be noted, however, that there are a few caveats to these subscriber figures.
The first of which is that Paramount+ is available around the world while Hulu is a US-only streaming service.
On top of that, Only Murders in the Building is shown internationally on Disney+ which has more subscribers than both Hulu and Paramount+ combined with a whopping 157.8 million as of April 2023.
Only Murders in the Building season 3 is streaming now on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally after premiering on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
The post Only Murders in the Building takes aim at Paramount+ in sly streaming wars joke appeared first on HITC.
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