Fan favorite Disney Plus and Hulu show may return sooner than you think

Only Murders in the Building fans have been whipped into a frenzy at the crime-comedy show’s second season reportedly received a release date.

The fan favorite Disney Plus and Hulu series, which holds a 100% ‘certified fresh’ rating among critics on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, seems set to return to our screens this summer. Or, rather, this winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere.

We already knew that Only Murders in the Building was getting a second season. The Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short-starring show was renewed by Hulu for a second outing in September 2021. That came after Only Murders in the Building was confirmed to be the most-watched Hulu comedy series of all-time (per Vulture).

Filming for the show’s second season began in December 2021 and, at the time of writing, appears to be ongoing. That didn’t stop fans from putting their detective skills to the test, though, after a teaser image was posted on Only Murders in the Building’s social media channels on Thursday, March 24. 

The picture, which shows the Arconia building’s elevator, wouldn’t ordinarily be that exciting. Look closer, though, and you’ll see that three of the elevator buttons are lit up. It’s this trio of lit up buttons – for floors two, six, and eight – that’s turned fans into would-be sleuths and appears to tease when the show will return.

Analysis: when is Only Murders in the Building season 2 releasing on Hulu and Disney Plus?

On the surface, it seems that there are only two potential date configurations that can be determined using these specific numbers: June 28 and August 26, i.e. 6/28 and 8/26.

However, there are a couple of other options. The number 2 could refer to the show’s next instalment – aka season 2. If it does, we can remove that from the equation, leaving us with the numbers 6 and 8. Using those digits only, we come up with June 8 and August 6, i.e. 6/8 and 8/6.

So which of these dates seems the most likely for Only Murders in the Building season 2? For that, we need to do a little more digging. The show’s first season debuted on August 31, 2021 – a Tuesday – with subsequent episodes released weekly after that point.

If Only Murders in the Building’s second instalment is similarly released on Tuesdays,  there’s only one date from the four above that fits a Tuesday release: June 28, 2022. That’s because June 8 falls on a Wednesday, August 6 on a Sunday, and August 26 on a Friday.

Of course, due to its popularity, Only Murders in the Building’s day of release could be altered by Hulu and Disney Plus for season 2. However a potential new release day – either Wednesdays or Fridays – would pit Only Murders in the Building against other Disney-owned originals. 

On Disney Plus for UK viewers, the likes of Ms Marvel and Obi-Wan Kenobi will be already be airing, or be set to launch, in June. Hulu subscribers in the US, meanwhile, may choose to watch new TV series in the Jessica Biel-starring Candy and Under the Banner of Heaven, which stars Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar Jones, instead. So it would make sense for Only Murders in the Building season 2 to follow its predecessor’s lead and release weekly on Tuesdays.

For more Hulu-based content, check out which movies and TV shows are leaving the platform in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, for Disney Plus fans, read our exclusive interview coverage of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight.