‘Only Murders in the Building’ Co-Creator Defends Choice to Have All Those Season 4 Celeb Guest Stars
One thing is for sure in Only Murders in the Building Season 4—there are tons of celeb guest stars. But not everyone’s a fan. The Hulu original series has received criticism for including so many guest stars. But co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman’s OK with it. What he said about having celeb guest stars on Only Murders in the Building. Plus, his answer when he asked himself whether it was too much.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from the Only Murders in the Building Season 4 finale.]
‘Only Murders in the Building’ has many celebrity guest stars in season 4
From the start Only Murders in the Building Season 4 set the tone that it’d be star-studded. It began when Oliver (Martin Short), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Charles (Steve Martin) left New York for Hollywood.
The trio went to Paramount for a meeting with studio executive Bev Melon, played by Molly Shannon. Later they discovered Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifianakis were playing them in the movie version of their podcast.
By the time the season wrapped on Oct. 29, 2024, there’d been a whopping 20 celeb guest stars, according to Elle. Only Murders in the Building Season 4 saw the return of Paul Rudd and Jane Lynch (Sazz Pataki). Meryl Streep and Melissa McCarthy memorably fought over Oliver.
Other appearances included Ron Howard, Scott Bakula, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Kind, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, just to name a few.
The ‘Only Murders’ creator thinks it makes ‘sense’ given the season’s movie storyline
Speaking to The Wrap, Only Murders in the Building co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman defended the show’s large number of celeb guest stars despite some criticism throughout the season. (Rolling Stone, for instance, said they took the show “too far away from its core characters.”)
“This season I’ve read of some people who are bothered by how many guest stars and all that sort of thing,” Hoffman said. “But I would only say this is a season where we’re at the movies and we’re making a movie. So the people around it should pretty strongly be people who make these things.”
He continued, saying at one point he even questioned the addition of so many celeb guest stars. Ultimately, though, it felt right.
“So that was a concern in certain ways that I was like, ‘Oh, are we going too far with all of this?’ Hoffman said. “But once you get down to it, you’re like, ‘OK, [it’s a] story that has to make sense for this narrative.’”
Téa Leoni guest stars in the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ season finale
The final episode of the season, which dropped on Oct. 29, 2024, isn’t without some new additions. Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Episode 10: “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” includes an appearance by Téa Leoni (via Yahoo).
In it, the Madam Secretary alum plays Sofia Caccimelio, a mysterious woman who asks Charles and Mabel for help. With what? Her husband, Nicky Caccimelio, has gone missing. As it’s not within the walls of the Arconia, Charles and Maybel decline not once but twice. Finally, Sofia hands them her business card revealing her name.
Setting up another mystery for Only Murders in the Building Season 5? Fans have to wait and see what happens when the next season gets underway.
Only Murders in the Building Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Hulu.
