Alan, I actually think Only Murders in the Building is one of those shows that can handle having so many special guest stars, partly due to its meta nature, but also because its three leads are the kinds of actors who would be called upon to be Special Guest Stars in others shows (and in fact have been for many years before this show pre…
Alan, I actually think Only Murders in the Building is one of those shows that can handle having so many special guest stars, partly due to its meta nature, but also because its three leads are the kinds of actors who would be called upon to be Special Guest Stars in others shows (and in fact have been for many years before this show premiered). Given how famous Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez have been for a long time, having all these guest stars almost feels like they're inviting all their friends to the sandbox they've created to play in (and given all three of them are producers and Steve Martin co-created the show, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case). Or maybe guest stars are just something I'm not generally bothered by, because I love watching great actors do their thing.
I'm only on the first season but it does seem strange to me that in the first season Sting plays himself and that's the whole joke but in later seasons they have super famous people like Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep et al playing characters
This was/is my big problem with this season in particular — even though we’re only a couple of episodes deep so far — but kind-of in reverse. Sting’s cameo as himself was enough of an isolated bit and, frankly, Meryl Streep was so good last season, that her playing a would-be nobody worked for me. (Paul Rudd was too schticky.) I found it much more jarring in this season’s premiere for her to share time in the same setting as the actors playing themselves as the main characters’ film counterparts, especially with more recognizable names/faces/mannerisms thrown in the mix back at the building. Although I’d usually find it refreshing for Levy, Galifianakis, and Longoria to be playing “themselves” with a wink I’m just all the more taken out of the story by the clash of levels of fictionalization, especially since Levy’s c.v. has plenty of Steve Martin and Martin Short on it.
Alan, I actually think Only Murders in the Building is one of those shows that can handle having so many special guest stars, partly due to its meta nature, but also because its three leads are the kinds of actors who would be called upon to be Special Guest Stars in others shows (and in fact have been for many years before this show premiered). Given how famous Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez have been for a long time, having all these guest stars almost feels like they're inviting all their friends to the sandbox they've created to play in (and given all three of them are producers and Steve Martin co-created the show, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case). Or maybe guest stars are just something I'm not generally bothered by, because I love watching great actors do their thing.
I'm only on the first season but it does seem strange to me that in the first season Sting plays himself and that's the whole joke but in later seasons they have super famous people like Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep et al playing characters
This was/is my big problem with this season in particular — even though we’re only a couple of episodes deep so far — but kind-of in reverse. Sting’s cameo as himself was enough of an isolated bit and, frankly, Meryl Streep was so good last season, that her playing a would-be nobody worked for me. (Paul Rudd was too schticky.) I found it much more jarring in this season’s premiere for her to share time in the same setting as the actors playing themselves as the main characters’ film counterparts, especially with more recognizable names/faces/mannerisms thrown in the mix back at the building. Although I’d usually find it refreshing for Levy, Galifianakis, and Longoria to be playing “themselves” with a wink I’m just all the more taken out of the story by the clash of levels of fictionalization, especially since Levy’s c.v. has plenty of Steve Martin and Martin Short on it.