‘Only Murders’ Co-Creator John Hoffman On the Exploration of The Arconia’s History

With such immediate success with its first season, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, the sophomore outing had a lot riding on it. Could it capture that zippy magic? Could it make another mysterious death plausible at the same address? By steering our beloved trio towards a more grounded, emotional place, co-creator John Hoffman expands on the world of the Arconia while never forgetting to give us a cheeky wink before the credits roll.

The Arconia has always been a huge part of Only Murders (the titular role of the Building, if you will) but Hoffman literally takes us within the walls when tunnels are discovered. It’s eerie and dark but also expands on the playground of such a historical place. We come to laugh at the antics of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, but the image of a masked killer stalking residents in the middle of a blackout is enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. That balance is always on Hoffman’s mind.

I pick Hoffman’s brain about perception of characters and how those characteristics are revealed over the course of a season. Bunny Folger (rest in peace…) has a scratchy, snappy personality, but season two offers some insight to her loneliness. On the other side of that, Poppy is meek and hides a lot of insecurities in fear of being scolded by tougher people all the while hiding something dark inside herself. And then you have Amy Schumer lusting after Charles-Haden Savage–all right out there in the open.

Hoffman and I talk about being self-aware when building a second season and bringing Shirley MacLaine into the fold. He is a collaborator who is interested in character and the innerworkings of relationships of those close to one another. We see that even in the current, ongoing third season (color me even more obsessed).

Only Murders could be run-of-the-mill, but it never is. The care in the creation of these mysteries bleeds through into the expansion of this specifically curated New York world. Nothing is open and shut, and isn’t that worth celebrating?

Only Murders in the Building is streaming now on Hulu.