In Defense of All the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Celebrity Cameos

This week:

• How trashy is the new Nicole Kidman series?
• I’m tired of this complaint about Only Murders
• I can’t believe this movie trailer is real.
• How do I get Beyoncé’s life?

Bring on the Stars!

I’ve been loving the absolutely delightful new season of Only Murders in the Building, which has gotten mostly positive reviews and responses. But I’ve been annoyed by the one criticism that I’ve seen pop up the most: That the sheer number of celebrity guest stars is distracting.

The first two episodes of Season 4 alone have seen appearances from Meryl Streep, Molly Shannon, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Kumail Nanjiani, Jane Lynch, Amy Ryan, Scott Bakula, and Richard Kind, among others. Given that the series has cast Tina Fey, Cara Delevigne, Amy Schumer, Sting, and Shirley Maclaine in the past, it can seem, at face value, like an overreliance on stars.

Only Murders in the Building

Eric McCandless/Netflix

The exhaustion with TV’s onslaught of cameos has included two Emmy favorites: Abbott Elementary and The Bear. Abbott brought on Taraji P. Henson, Ayo Edebiri, and Leslie Odom Jr. to great effect, but some fans thought blink-and-miss-it appearances from Bradley Cooper and Kevin Hart as themselves was jumping the shark.

And not only does The Bear feature the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Olivia Colman, Sarah Paulson, Joel McHale, Bob Odenkirk, and Jon Bernthal in recurring roles, it also casts stars like Josh Hartnett and John Cena in parts so small, you’re left scratching your head, assuming there’s more to come from them.

But here’s my thing: As a TV fan who came of age watching NBC’s Must See TV lineup and living for the litany of random people who stop by Friends or Will & Grace, and who was a sucker for the gimmick of stars cast for brief stints as Ted’s girlfriend on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, I love this stuff.

Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Elton John, and Jennifer Lopez all appeared on Will & Grace. Guest spots by Matt Damon, Kevin Bacon, Glenn Close, Mira Sorvino, and Sharon Stone are some of the most charming, funniest performances of their respective careers. The same could be said for Friends guests like Christina Applegate, Reese Witherspoon, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Danny Devito, Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Brooke Shields.

So as far as I’m concerned, there’s no limit to the number of celebrities Only Murders wants to cast. I’m a basic guy who finds the randomness of the appearances and the fun that these stars have with these bit parts a blast.

This Is Going to Be Interesting…

The trailer for the new film Nightbitch arrived this week. In the film, Amy Adams plus a mother who believes she is—and maybe she really is—turning into a dog. (Watch the trailer here.)

In the trailer, she is barking. She is eating food out of a bowl using just her mouth, no hands. She is running down the street with a pack of fellow dogs.

This is either going to be a masterpiece or the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m so excited to find out which.

How Do I Get This Life?

You know Beyoncé is beloved, because when she posts photos like this that appear to show a person who is living the absolute best life a human on this planet could possibly live, you don’t get offended that she’s shoving her success and luxury in your face. You think, “Good for her.”

Beyoncé is so great that she transcends my penchant for jealousy and pettiness. That’s powerful.

What to watch this week:

Look Into My Eyes: A fun look into the weird world of New York City psychics. (Now in theaters)

Rebel Ridge: The new Netflix movie should make Aaron Pierre a huge action star. (Now on Netflix)

The Perfect Couple: Silly, harmless trash. (Now on Netflix)

What to skip this week:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: I wanted to write about this movie, but Warner Bros. wouldn’t let me into a screening, so now I can’t recommend it. (Now in theaters)

The Front Room: I was rooting for this one, because I’m always rooting for Brandy. (Now in theaters)