'Only Murders In The Building' Bridges The Broadcast/Streaming Gap With Impressive Network Debut

By Andrew Sanford | TV | January 5, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | January 5, 2024 |

I was excited for my parents when they started watching Ted Lasso. My multiple attempts to get them to watch it had failed, but someone convinced them (and I didn’t care who). When they told me they watched it on Netflix, I was confused. It’s not even that they thought this impossibility was the truth. They were insistent upon it. It turned out that someone had lent them the SAG screener DVDs.

It was a mistake (coupled with both parents’ inability to admit fault). I can let it slide despite them claiming for weeks that they had watched it on Netflix. When they told me they had started watching Only Murders In The Building yesterday, I was again perplexed. They don’t have Hulu, despite my giving them my account information on multiple instances. “Did you watch it on Hulu,” I asked. “Nope.” What was going on?!

They are still cable box people (as is their right) even though they barely use it. It is primarily there so my dad can mainline CNN while my mom stares out the window, questioning her choices in life. Still, now and then, they will watch something on cable, and this week, it was the network debut of the hit Hulu murder/comedy.

I was still pretty shocked. My wife and I were recently pondering what was on network TV. CBS has cornered procedurals. NBC… exists. ABC has taken to non-scripted programs like the many iterations of The Bachelor and Celebrity Jeopardy. They will also air movies they own. Movies that are (mostly) available to stream. This looks to be the play with Only Murders In The Building as well, and it seems to be paying off.

Despite debuting almost two and a half years ago, OMITB premiered on ABC to 3 million viewers. That’s a lot (relatively speaking)! It makes sense. My parents aren’t the only people their age who still have a cable box, and they love Steve Martin and Martin Short. It’s why I tried to get them to watch it in the first place. However, entering my Hulu password was too much for them. Flipping on a cable box that they already pay too much for? Easy peasy.