How only the murders in the building got the most famous, loveliest cast on TV

There are only murders in the building is the kind of show that attracts viewers the second it’s announced, simply because of who’s in. As it turns out, the same goes for the other actors.

The program was first introduced to John Hoffman, formerly a writer on series including Grace and Frankie and Seeing, with Steve Martin has been attached as a star and co-creator, and his friend Martin Short packed as colead. From there, the creators behind the comic book murder mystery — follow three neighbors who together create a true-crime podcast about a murder that took place in a luxury apartment building. on their Upper West Side — being able to fill its cast with just any one of them on their dream list.

Said cast will continue to include many people: Selena Gomez in the final lead role, the monstrous and enigmatic Mabel; Nathan Lane like a lurking villain; Jane Lynch at a tactful late arrivals location. There are also A-list cameos and hit productions by the leading actors, with breakout appearances by lesser-known actors. and surprises along the way so as not to overwhelm.

But what is the key to striking the right balance between being famous and not-so-famous? How did they hide a killer among such big names? And maybe who Not expected choice? We spoke with showrunner Hoffman and the casting director Tiffany Little Canfield for a breakdown of this irresistible population assembly.

Leaders

John Hoffman: Steve Martin has an idea and he shares it with Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. And then they took me to Steve, to perform and executive produce and co-create with Steve. I crossed my fingers that that would be fine. When I sat down with him over dinner, I knew the show would also feature Steve and Martin Short. That’s the catch, right away.

Tiffany Little Canfield: We started working immediately with Mabel, and we made a dream list of amazing actors John and Dan could meet and work with — Selena was at the top, of course.

Hoffman: The whole program is built on the classic combined with the modern in our mind. And that’s what we’re thinking in theory: How do we take these two classic, legendary comedians and then pit them against the clash of something New? York, modern now and find the classic-meets-modern around New York? Once Selena Gomez was raised, it was like, oh. It was really a light bulb moment.

Canfield: As a cast director, it’s wonderful to have the person of your dreams taken care of and available. Because so often, especially someone like Selena, who’s polyphonic – even if they wanted to do it, time just couldn’t. But we did a meeting with her and the boys and it went great.

Hoffman: I followed her on Wizards of Waverly Place and I immediately recognized: She had a vibe of her own, with a kind of dry, laser-like glint beneath her wit.

Building

Canfield: The tricky part about casting is that there are so many of our actors, the crucial thing is our cast of guests — there’s certainly a huge financial disparity. It also has a schedule difference, because when someone is a guest, you are dealing with them with their professional readiness. Their full-time job is not your job, and you don’t pay them enough to make them full-time. But on our show, the challenge is, with a murder mystery, you can’t lose anyone!