Paul Rudd made an appearance in the season two finale of Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, and it was a total shock to viewers. The actor appeared briefly in the season finale, setting up storylines for the next third season. Fans may have assumed Rudd’s appearance was a one-off, but he has officially joined the cast for Season 3. The plot of Only Murder in the Building centres on the friendship of Charles Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mable Mora (Selena Gomez), an unusual trio who all have a penchant for real crime and podcasts. The second season concluded on a triumphant note when the three successfully identified the person responsible for the terrible murder of Arconia Board President Bunny Folger.
Oliver returns to Broadway in the last scene of Season 2 with a play that stars Rudd’s Ben Glenroy in a prominent role. Before going on stage, we observe some tension between Glenroy and his co-star Charles. Once on stage, however, Glenroy shows symptoms of poisoning by bleeding from the lips and eventually passing out in front of the crowd. With Charles being the last person seen in a heated exchange with him, suspicion has naturally fallen on him. This does a great job of laying the groundwork for the new mystery that will unfold in the next season. The series co-creator, John Hoffmann, called Rudd’s arrival in the franchise “auspicious” at the close of Season 2 and said of Glenroy, “he is certainly someone we want to know more about and see in our future Season 3.”
Hoffmann says Rudd’s role is “a definite source of many impending questions and, as often with our show, many surprises yet to come!” but he does not specify whether Rudd will be joining permanently or temporarily. The third season of the show was given the go-ahead in July. Only Murder in the Building’s comic take on the mystery genre has been praised by critics during the show’s two seasons on air. There are 17 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the show’s first season, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Martin and Short. The show was conceived by Martin and Hoffmann. Along with Short, Gomez, Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, and Jamie Babbit, they serve as executive producers on the show. The streaming service is now broadcasting both the first and second seasons. In the summer of 2023, Hulu will debut Season 3.