‘Only Murders in the Building’ Showrunner Explains *That* Dead Character’s (Sort of) Return: ‘Sweet and Right’
Getting killed off in an earlier season of Only Murders in the Building hasn’t stopped Paul Rudd from returning. That’s right, the actor, 55, is back on the hit Hulu original series. But not as Ben Glenroy. He’s playing someone else with a Glenroy connection (and a similar name) that felt “right” to showrunner John Hoffman.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Only Murders in the Building Season 4.]
Paul Rudd plays Ben Glenroy’s former stuntperson in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4
The Schmackary’s Cookies-obsessed Glenroy didn’t come back from the dead for a second time when Rudd showed up in Only Murders in the Building Season 4. Nor as a ghost or even Glenroy’s long-lost identical twin brother. (Glenroy survived being poisoned in season 3, only to fall to his death after being pushed down an elevator shaft.)
Instead, Rudd returned to the show playing an entirely new character—Glenroy’s former stuntperson, Glen Stubbins. So, how did the writers make it happen? Well, according to Hoffman, Rudd’s return aligned perfectly with the latest season’s central storyline about the death of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles-Haden Savage’s (Steve Martin) longtime stuntperson on the fictional cop-drama, Brazzos, and friend.
“I love Paul Rudd and Paul Rudd loves being on the show, and we’re doing a season about stunt doubles,” Hoffman told TheWrap. “We had a season last season where Ben Glenroy died, and who was Ben Glenroy’s stunt double is not an unfathomable question.”
Hoffman went on to explain that having “dopplegängers all throughout the season” also helped. “It just like like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s how we bring him back!’” he said of Rudd. “All of that paralleling with Charles and Sazz felt sweet and right, and a beautiful opportunity for Paul to come back.”
Rudd improvised the ‘Lucky Charms boy’ line in the funeral scene
Rudd’s latest turn on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 had him improving during filming. Hoffman revealed the Ant-Man star came up with the “Lucky Charms boy” part of Stubbins’ eulogy himself while they were filming “The Stunt Man” episode, which began streaming on Sept. 17, 2024.
“I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what do you want to say?’” Hoffman recalled. “And he just said, ‘Well, what if I did this?’ I said, ‘We’ll do that.’ And then we ended up cutting the other thing we did.”
Expect to see more of Rudd in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4
Fans of Rudd’s can rejoice because his appearance in the especially star-studded season—it’s guest stars galore—isn’t over after just one episode.
“There’s a lot going on with that character beyond this episode,” Hoffman told the outlet of Stubbins, teasing that “there’s more to come.”
So, look out for Rudd and his stunt double character in upcoming episodes of the award-winning series alongside Oliver (Martin Short), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Charles as they set out to solve yet another murder at The Arconia.
New episodes of Only Murders in the Building drop every Tuesday on Hulu.
