And the award for most star-studded teaser trailer goes to… Only Murders in the Building!
Hulu on Sunday shared a first look at footage from Season 3 of the Emmy-nominated murder mystery featuring three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep. She’s one of several additions to the A-list ensemble, which now includes Paul Rudd (who was introduced in the Season 2 finale), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) and Ashley Park (Emily in Paris). They join returning series regulars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
The teaser, which is being shown during ABC’s Oscars pre-show coverage, reveals that Streep is playing a theatre actress named Loretta. She appears opposite Charles, Oliver and Rudd’s Ben Glenroy at a table read for Oliver’s play.
The streamer is also confirming that Streep is a guest star, not a series regular.
OMITB‘s Season 2 finale, which dropped Aug. 23, featured a one-year time jump and introduced Rudd as Charles’ problematic costar. On opening night of their play, TV’s erstwhile Brazzos confronted the Ben about his behavior. “Stay away from her,” he cautioned. “I know what you did.” Moments later, Ben collapsed on stage and died.
So, who is “her”? “Oh, I would love to tell you that,” series co-creator John Hoffman previously told TVLine. “I really would love to tell you that. But I also like that question being posed in the minds of viewers in between Seasons 2 and 3. I would just say this: It is definitely a question that we asked ourselves, and we sprang forward with a very definite answer.” (Hmm… could it be Loretta?)
What we do know heading into Season 3 is that sunnier days await Gomez’s Mabel Mora. “There’s brightness… a different color [in her life moving forward],” Hoffman teased at the time. “She has, over the last two seasons, been able to sort of take that shawl of heaviness off of her a bit…. There are certain new pressures ahead of her, and questions that she is asking herself about her own life, but she’s got a much more optimistic viewpoint.”
A release date for Season 3 has not yet been announced; the teaser only mentions that new episodes are “coming soon.” In the meantime, hit the comments with your reactions to the footage.