Two new episodes of Hulu’s hit show Only Murders in the Building were released last Tuesday. Season 2 had its fair share of cameos and guest stars, but this season has brought two heavy hitters to the cast: Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd. While Rudd is no stranger to the television scene with his recent performances in The Shrink Next Door, Living with Yourself, and an episode or two of various TV shows, Meryl Streep’s television appearances are few and far between. Her recent return to television occurred in 2019 with season 2 of Big Little Lies. Having her join a comedy series as a supporting actress in its third season seems strange, but she is a great addition to the cast, as well as Paul Rudd.

The premise of season 3 is Oliver’s return to Broadway 15 years after “Splash”, his absolute failure of a production. He is now directing the play “Death Rattle”. Unsurprisingly, this is a murder mystery, which adds another fun meta layer to this season. Charles plays a supporting role in “Death Rattle”. In the actual show, Streep plays Loretta Durkin, an actress who fell in love with the theater at an early age, only to spend all her life working to be denied nearly every single time. When Oliver saw something more in her audition, he cast her as the nanny in his play. In these first couple of episodes, she has had the most time with Martin Short, with whom she has excellent chemistry. Also, the lack of ego for Streep to play an actress with a reputation for being subpar is refreshing.

Season 2 ended with Ben Glenroy (Rudd) dying on stage opening night, and season 3 flashes back to show the lead-up to this moment. The character is nearly insufferable, but with Paul Rudd at the helm, he makes Ben goofy and likable, especially in the flashbacks. Episode 2 reveals a one-way rivalry between Charles and Ben that stretches back to Ben’s childhood. I love this choice because Ben is given a sympathetic background while Charles is oblivious. Rather than having their relationship be a simple clash of egos between male stars, it is a great example of how even the smallest comment can change one person’s entire life.

Mabel is going through a housing crisis because her aunt told her that she plans on selling the apartment she has fixed up for herself. She will be forced to leave the iconic building and head to a different borough. She tries to avoid this impending change by throwing herself into the mystery of Ben’s murder. He was an important part of her childhood through his role on the popular show “Girl Cop.” After her father died and was emotionally abandoned by her mother, she relied on that show to get through a tough part of her life. She begins to talk to a dead version of Ben, just like she did with Tim Kono. She likes to imagine those who have died as a way to cope and solve their death. I love how each of the gang has a connection to Ben.

Episode 2 dives right into the mystery. While at Ben’s funeral, the trio immediately focus on their ulterior motives. Mabel and Charles are investigating a potential stalker of Ben’s while Oliver is searching out his producers to see if he can keep the show and his comeback alive. He ends up having a heart attack at the same time Mabel and Charles are kidnapped. Loretta is nowhere in episode 2, which is intriguing. Also, it seems that Detective Williams is no longer on their case. She was replaced by the straight-laced Detective Biswas (Gerrard Lobo), who saves Charles and Mabel from the stalker.

A couple of other people worth pointing out this season are Ashley Park and Jesse Williams. Park is an actress in Oliver’s play, and seeing her so soon after Joy Ride is such a pleasure. As for Williams, I am happy to see him in a new role after years of playing Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey’s Anatomy. He stars as the documentarian of Ben Glenroy’s Broadway debut. He asks to be invisible in episode 1, which makes sense with the character but sets off red flags in my mind. I hope we get to see more of him! Also, in episode 2, there is a fun little jab at a competing streaming service, which is so accurate and hilarious. Overall, I enjoyed the first two episodes and cannot wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds.