I’ve been waiting for the third season of my favorite Hulu series to return... and recently learned it won’t premiere until sometime this summer.
Bummer.
I’m talking about “Only Murders in the Building,” the runaway streaming hit that stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.
You know, the procedural crime dramady that’s about podcasting.
Yes, there’s a show that features podcasting as a story element. That tells you how mainstream this medium has become.
For those of you not familiar with “Only Murders” here’s a synopsis of season one –- three unlikely building mates meet in a restaurant when a building emergency forces everyone to evacuate. The three bond over trying to listen to the latest installment of their favorite true crime podcast. When they return to the building, a real murder occurs, involving a person each one of them has had some contact with.
The trio decide to launch their own investigation into the murder, and one member – Martin Short’s flamboyant, and broke, theater director character – decides they should record their findings in a podcast, like the true crime one that brought them together and they become unlikely cult podcast stars.
Season two finds the trio involved in another murder in the building and once again podcasting – this time the original true crime podcast that brought them together – plays a pivotal role.
The show is a hoot, but more than that, it shows the power and reach of this new broadcast medium.
If you haven’t caught “Only Murders” I encourage you to find a way to get hooked before season three begins.
And if you haven’t listened to a podcast – or aren’t sure what one is – I hope you’ll delve into this new medium.
There are so many topics to explore –from politics to health and wellness to spirituality to history to money matters ... and so much more . Take your pick. There’s a podcast for you.
The power of the podcast is one of the reasons I found the work of a dedicated group of podcasters at the Pleasant View Senior Center in East Longmeadow so exciting. Here’s a group of elders embracing this new medium and using it to create a kind of living town history, giving their peers an opportunity to tell their stories and have them preserved.
I was honored to be a “fly on the wall” during one of the team’s recording sessions, and this month’s feature story takes you along.
Who knows, maybe there’s a podcast – or a podcaster – in you?
As always, thanks for reading,
Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
