Episode 65: John Hoffman, "Only Murders in the Building"
12/03/21 • 39 min
Host Geri Cole talks to John Hoffman—co-creator and showrunner of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING—about the art of putting together a compelling mystery in a writers' room, how his own life experience shaped his connection to the series, and the creative value of staying in bed.
Spoiler Alert: This episode contains lots of big reveals. We recommend you watch the series before you listen.
John Hoffman is a writer, director, and actor who wrote and co-starred in the 1997 Disney Channel original movie NORTHERN LIGHTS before making his theatrical film debut (as both writer and director) with the 2003 MGM/Jim Henson Pictures comedy GOOD BOY!. Since then, his credits have included the 81st Academy Awards (for which he earned an Emmy nomination), the HBO series LOOKING, and the Netflix series GRACE AND FRANKIE.
Hoffman is currently the showrunner of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, which he co-created alongside Steve Martin. The mystery-comedy series follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years, but the secrets they keep from one another might be even more explosive. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.
The 10-episode first season is now streaming on Hulu, and the series was renewed for a second season in September 2021.
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Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives.
Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/
Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Host Geri Cole talks to John Hoffman—co-creator and showrunner of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING—about the art of putting together a compelling mystery in a writers' room, how his own life experience shaped his connection to the series, and the creative value of staying in bed.
Spoiler Alert: This episode contains lots of big reveals. We recommend you watch the series before you listen.
John Hoffman is a writer, director, and actor who wrote and co-starred in the 1997 Disney Channel original movie NORTHERN LIGHTS before making his theatrical film debut (as both writer and director) with the 2003 MGM/Jim Henson Pictures comedy GOOD BOY!. Since then, his credits have included the 81st Academy Awards (for which he earned an Emmy nomination), the HBO series LOOKING, and the Netflix series GRACE AND FRANKIE.
Hoffman is currently the showrunner of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, which he co-created alongside Steve Martin. The mystery-comedy series follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years, but the secrets they keep from one another might be even more explosive. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.
The 10-episode first season is now streaming on Hulu, and the series was renewed for a second season in September 2021.
---
Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives.
Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/
Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Previous Episode
Episode 64: Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, "PEN15"
Host Geri Cole speaks to PEN15 co-creators, co-writers, and co-stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle about how the duo met (at an experimental theater program in Amsterdam), how PEN15 has become even more honest and raw in its second season, and the curious case of writing for yourself as a 13-year-old.
Maya Erskine is a writer and actor known for her onscreen roles in several comedy series, including MAN SEEKING WOMAN, HEARTBEAT, CASUAL, and INSECURE.
Anna Konkle is a writer, actor, and director, known for co-starring in the Fox police procedural ROSEWOOD.
Together, Erskine and Konkle co-created, co-write, and co-star in the Hulu series PEN15. The "traumedy" follows fictionalized versions of Maya and Anna as teenage outcasts in the year 2000, during a period when the best day of your life can turn into the worst with just the stroke of a gel pen.
The series, which premiered in 2019, is available to stream on Hulu. Part two of Season 2 is scheduled for release on December 3.
---
Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives.
Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/
Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
Next Episode
Episode 66: Amanda Peet and Jennifer Kim, "The Chair"
For the latest live taping of OnWriting, Amanda Peet and Jennifer Kim join host Geri Cole to discuss their work on the new Netflix (academi)comedy-drama series, THE CHAIR.
Amanda Peet is the co-creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer of THE CHAIR. You may also know her from her extensive acting credits, including DIRTY JOHN, BROCKMIRE, and TOGETHERNESS.
Jennifer Kim is a writer on THE CHAIR, as well as a staff writer for the upcoming Mel Brooks variety series HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART II, which was announced earlier this fall.
THE CHAIR is the story of Professor Ji-Yoon Kim—the newly appointed chair of the English department at the prestigious Pembroke University, and the first woman of color to hold the position. The first season of the comedy-drama series follows Kim’s efforts to meet the dizzying demands and high expectations of a failing English department all while trying to ensure the tenure of a young black colleague; negotiate her relationship with her crush, friend, and well-known colleague Bill Dobson; and parent her strong-willed adopted daughter.
The show was released in August 2021 and is available to stream on Netflix.
---
Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives.
Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/
Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast
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