10 Best Dark Comedies Like ‘Only Murders in the Building’
It would be a crime not to watch them.
Only Murders In The Building has stolen our hearts since its premiere in 2021. While we never thought we would ever say the name of former Disney star Selena Gomez in the same sentence as Hollywood veterans Martin Short and Steve Martin, Gomez has more than proven her acting and comedic talents. The trio comes together brilliantly as strangers, all with the shared love of true crime podcasts, who investigate the shocking death in the apartment building they all live in. So, while we wait for the unlikely BFFs running amok in the Arconia to come back for season three (where they’ll be joined by special guest stars Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd, though we still don’t have a release date), you can keep yourself occupied with the following shows that you most certainly will love if you’re obsessed with Only Murders In The Building.
Search Party (2016-2022)
Search Party seriously flew under the radar with its story of Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat), who becomes obsessed with finding her missing college friend Chantal Witherbottom, and starts up a search party for her. Throughout its five seasons, the show descends into serious chaos, with murder, a court trial, abduction, and cults. The show, which also starred John Reynolds, John Early, and Meredith Hagner, literally deserved at least an Emmy nomination for the “roundabout chase” scene alone because IYKYK.
Dead To Me (2019-2022)
Christina Applegate is incredible as grieving widow Jen, who forges an unlikely friendship with a woman named Judy (Linda Cardellini). The pair comes together to get to the bottom of who killed Jen’s husband in a hit-and-run accident. Together, they unwittingly get into more drama and chaos amongst the suburban streets of Southern California. During its three seasons, the show was regularly nominated for Emmys, and it is not difficult to see why given its brilliantly dark comedic timing.
The Flight Attendant
The Flight Attendant was one of the biggest hits of 2020 when it came out. The show stars struggling alcoholic and flight attendant Kaley Cuoco as Cassie Bowden, whose life takes a turn for the worse when she wakes up next to a dead man in her hotel room. No spoilers, but chaos ensues, and the second season also doesn’t do her any favors as she once again becomes entangled in another international murder case. Kaley’s first big television comeback since The Big Bang Theory was well and truly worth it!
Veronica Mars (2004-2007, and also 2019)
Being a teenager at Neptune High comes with its usual angsts. Still, outcast Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), spends all her free time away from others her own age and solves the mysteries and crimes that take place in her wealthy Californian town alongside her private investigator father. The series was a runaway hit during its four seasons, so it was a shock when it was suddenly canceled. But fans were not disappointed as the cast reunited for an epic movie in 2015 before Kristen reprised her role for eight episodes in a show revival in 2019.
Monk (2002-2009)
Tony Shalhoub warmed our hearts as he played the titular role of gifted former San Francisco detective Adrian Monk, who battles with an obsessive-compulsive disorder while working as a private consultant with the police. While for viewers, it often seemed that his OCD would stop him from cracking some of America’s most complex cases, he always pulled through and proved us wrong. The show ran for seven years and remains a classic to this very day.
You (2018-)
We all know Joe Goldberg, who has assumed various identities during his reign of terror over the four seasons of You. While his obsession with women, creepy stalking habits, and, oh, of course, murder, are nothing to be taken lightly, the show won a whole different fanbase in itself thanks to lead actor Penn Badgley’s comic, mysterious, sarcastic, and almost soothing voiceovers that highlighted the inners workings of a serial killer. Season four recently hit the streaming service Netflix, so whether there will be a season five is yet to be decided, but we say the more, the merrier!
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window (2022)
This limited series very obviously pokes fun at the tropes within domestic mystery thrillers. The series stars Kristen Bell as heartbroken Anna, who watches the world go by from her living room window while drowning her sorrows in wine. As she sets her sights on a handsome new neighbor, she soon witnesses an incredibly gruesome murder. But, of course, no one believes her, and it makes her wonder whether she can actually tell the difference between reality or if her intense hallucinations are getting the best of her.
The Afterparty (2000-)
The Afterparty says it all in the name. Following the afterparty of a high school reunion, one attendee is suddenly found dead. The following episodes then break down each character’s version of what happened that night to get down the ultimate “whodunnit?” question. Is there a killer running loose in the former high-school friendship circle? You have got to watch this to find out! The series stars Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Ike Barinholtz, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, Jame Demetriou, and Dave Franco.
Scream Queens (2015-2016)
Scream Queens is another, dare I say, lighter passion project from the creators of American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, and focuses on a college campus, particularly a sorority that is haunted by the return of a serial killer. The show is, of course, a horror, but it’s ultimately a comedy, with hilariously dark performances from Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Jamie Lee Curtis, Keke Palmer, Abigail Breslin, Billie Lourd, and Glen Powell.
The White Lotus (2021-2022)
It’s moody, it’s romantic, it’s passionate, and it’s fun. The television landscape’s current obsession is The White Lotus, and it’s not difficult to see why. During both seasons of the anthology comedy-drama from Mike White, the everyday lives of guests vacationing at an upscale resort are explored, all with a mysterious murder thrown in. Both seasons brilliantly tied in all the shocking, mundane, hilarious, and creepy storylines, and Jennifer Coolidge finally saw award seasons success for the second installment. We love that for her!
(Featured image: Hulu)
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