The trio is trading the Arconia for London, and the guest list for the move is starting to look like a who’s who of British television and film. Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building has added a fresh round of recurring talent for its sixth season, and the names attached say a lot about how big this overseas chapter wants to be.
David Tennant and Nicola Coughlan headline the latest group, joined by Jodie Whittaker, Jim Broadbent, Richard Ayoade, Adrian Lukis and Kathryn Hunter. If you are keeping score on the genre crossover, that is two former Doctor Who leads in Tennant and Whittaker, two Harry Potter alumni in Broadbent and Hunter, and a Bridgerton favorite in Coughlan all landing in the same season. For a show that has built its reputation on stunt casting that actually pays off, this is a deep bench.
These additions stack on top of an already loaded roster. Season 6 had previously confirmed Jennifer Saunders, Sean Teale, Simone Ashley, Amar Chadha-Patel, Rhea Norwood, Matthew Beard, Sharon Horgan, Martin Freeman, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Jamie Demetriou, Anjana Vasan, Jane Horrocks, Derek Jacobi and Lesley Nicol. Put the two lists side by side and the season is shaping up as the most British installment the series has attempted.
That tracks with where the story is headed. For the first time in its run, the comedy mystery is leaving New York City, sending Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) across the Atlantic to untangle a new case in London. Production is underway in the UK right now, which explains the heavy lean toward local talent. When you move the whole operation to another country, you may as well hand the surrounding roles to people who can carry them, and this cast can.
Tennant comes in hot off the Disney+ series Rivals, where he plays Tony Baddingham, along with a recent turn in the Netflix and Amblin film The Thursday Murder Club. Coughlan, fresh off anchoring Bridgerton Season 3 and a hosting stint on Saturday Night Live UK, has Season 4 of Channel 4’s I Am on the way. Whittaker, who made history as the first woman to play the Time Lord on Doctor Who, recently turned up in Netflix’s Office Romance. Broadbent, an Oscar winner for Iris and an Emmy winner for The Street, has long been one of those actors who quietly elevates anything he touches.
The supporting names carry weight too. Ayoade, the BAFTA winner from The IT Crowd, has been popping up in Wes Anderson’s recent work and is part of the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 voice cast. Lukis recently appeared in How to Make a Killing and Heads of State. Hunter, an Olivier winner, has racked up credits across Poor Things, Andor and Black Doves. Whatever roles these performers fill, the show clearly wants its London detour to feel like an event rather than a gimmick.
Only Murders in the Building comes from co-creators Steve Martin and John Hoffman alongside 20th Television. The Season 6 executive producer lineup includes Hoffman, Martin, Short, Gomez, Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, Ben Smith, Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan.
No premiere date has been set, but with cameras already rolling in the UK and a cast this deep, the anticipation is more than earned.
Sources: DEADLINE
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