Wondering if Only Murders in the Building on Hulu is ok for kids? Rated TV-MA for language and mature content, Only Murders in the Building is not particularly kid friendly, but it is a fantastic show. This True Crime murder podcast come to life is quirky and intriguing. Here’s what parents need to know in this Only Murders in the Building Parents Guide.
Only Murders in the Building Parents Guide
In Season 1, neighbors in the same building – Oliver (Martin Short) , Charles (Steve Martin), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) – are an unlikely trio. Bonded by bring True Crime podcast fans, when there’s a suicide in the building, the three of them are not convinced it was indeed a suicide. As they try to solve this murder mystery, they are in it for different reasons. Mabel’s hiding that she knows the deceased from childhood, Oliver is a down-and-out director who is behind on his rent and building fees, and Charles is an ex-TV star who doesn’t really like people. The twists and turns will keep everyone guessing.
In Season 2, there’s another murder in the building, and this time it’s a friend.
Now in Season 3, you guessed it. Another murder. And Mabel is sick and tired of murders happening around her.
Why is Only Murders in the Building Rated TV-MA?
Only Murders in the Building is rated TV-MA for language, brief nudity, and suicide/murder talk which means some content may not be suitable for kids under 17.
Language
There is a lot of language including many uses of f*ck, sh*t, a**, damn, and g-ddammit.
Mature Content
The premise of the show revolves around a death in the building. You do see a dead body, as well as some blood. The character does talk to another and you can see some blood on the face, a bit of disfiguration, etc.
One female character is seen in the shower and you see her back as well as a glimpse of side boob.
Talk of death and strained family relationships may be upsetting to some kids.
There is talk of sex, sex toys, and deviant sex.
Is Only Murders in the Building Appropriate for Kids Under 16?
Some kids and teens may want to watch as Selena Gomez is one of the stars. Her character is very subdued and pensive. Only Murders in the Building is witty, yet bizarre, and some teens may not pick up on the subtle humor. The whole show is a bit meta and eccentric.
Oliver, Charles, and Mabel chronicle their investigation and paint the picture of the victim for their new podcast, “Only Murders in the Building.” Each character in the building adds a piece to the puzzle and will leave you chuckling as well as thinking, “What the…?” Not only is the main cast star-studded, but there are plenty of celebrity cameos to leave you wondering who the next suspect is in the podcast.
Not exactly the most upbeat show, but the well-written script and different comedic style keeps me coming back for more. There just may be too many f-bombs for the younger audience.
In Season 3, the cast gets even more stars with Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep, and it’s a musical! Only Murders in the Building is for more mature audiences, but it’s never boring. It’s certainly one of the best shows on TV right now.
Philip
Monday 15th of January 2024
I find the excessive over use of "f*ck" so distracting that it detracts from the brilliant writing, wit and acting in this series. I know that it is available on different platforms and I would certainly not pay to stream it. I'm watching it on broadcast cable TV where they have, thankfully, beeped out and "pixelated" the mouths of those saying it. I'm sure that it would get a much larger and wider age-ranged international audience if they continue this series and totally remove the swearing. They might be trying to emulate New Yorkers while alienating millions of other viewers.
tanialamb
Tuesday 16th of January 2024
I think we may be in the minority of hoping for less profanity. I haven't watched it on ABC yet, so I am curious what the show looks like there. I've recommended it to others before and they also found the use of f-words distracting.
PJ
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
I wish I would have seen reviews like this earlier. My wife and I signed up for Hulu mainly to be able to watch this show--the promos looked so good. We say that the show is not even parent-friendly. There is way, way, waaaaay too much cussing. It does not do anything to help the story. I don't know.. it makes me think that these actors feel they have to show that they are 'grown up' by how many times they can throw in a cuss word. It became distracting from the story to me, so much so that it became a joke and I was more interested in counting cusswords than trying to get into the story. After a couple of episodes, my wife and I were so disgusted by it, we stopped watching the show and will not finish it. I am severely disappointed that great performers as Steve Martin and Martin Short felt they had to resort to such behavior to try to make a show successful. Well, in our opinion, they have failed. Shame on them!
caribbeandialogueedusolutions
Tuesday 7th of November 2023
@PJ, Definately agree with you. I understand how you feel because I had the same experience with Ryan Reynolds, "6 Underground". Within the first 10 minutes the cussing was seriously start to get to me. I had to turn it off, and I never even gave it another chance. Criminal Minds (season 1-15) was the same thing for me. I watched the first episode of Season 16 and the badwords got to me. I won't be watching Criminal Minds Season 16 for this reason.
tanialamb
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
I agree that there is way too much language and that it doesn't add anything to the story. However, I at least appreciated that they weren't trying to market this to children, because there are worse shows that do. And some of my friends use that much language in real life, so I think it's just a writer preference. Shows like this and Ted Lasso really don't need the language, because they are so good without it, but it's unfortunate that they're like that.
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