NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (UPI) — Michael Cyril Creighton says that Howard, the enthusiastic, resourceful neighbor he plays in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, is becoming a more essential part of the mystery dramedy’s central sleuthing team with each season.
Kicking off Season 4 on Tuesday, the series follows actor Charles (Steve Martin), Broadway producer Oliver (Martin Short) and artist Mabel (Selena Gomez) as they investigate, for a podcast, the murders of quirky victims in the posh Arconia apartment complex.
“He is desperately searching for their approval, and I think he’s getting it a little bit more this season,” Creighton told UPI about Howard in a recent Zoom interview.
“He’s inserting himself very deeply into their investigation and is becoming even more of an integral part to both their investigation and their lives in a way that is very satisfying.”
This season sees the noted animal lover adopt Gravey, a rescue dog who gives Howard a reason to sniff around the trio’s latest case, the murder of Charles’ stunt double, Sazz (Jane Lynch).
“I’m not sure I can specifically say how, though,” Creighton said, guarding the show’s secrets until after viewers get a chance to watch.
“Howard is always looking for his own sidekick, in a way, and always looking to not be the supporting character, so she helps him, gives him the confidence to be the main character of his own story. She’s a little sidekick.”
The Dexter: New Blood, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and American Fiction actor had nothing but kind words for his canine co-star on Only Murders in the Building.
“Gravey is one of the hardest working actors-slash-dogs I’ve ever met,” Creighton said.
“She was such a pro. She never gave me any trouble and she always hit her mark. That dog has to do a lot of things in the first episode, and she does them beautifully.”
The first episode of the new season shows Howard pitching an idea to Mabel for a new pet-themed podcast.
“He would love to work with Mabel!” Creighton said.
“I think Mabel is Howard’s favorite,” he added. “Howard feels a real connection to Mabel because, in a way, he thinks he’s as cool as a young girl.”
The actor said he has also enjoyed playing a character whose previously undisclosed talents or knowledge frequently save the day.
“It’s incredible,” Creighton said.
“When I started the show, I was only supposed to do two episodes, and we all knew two things about him: he loved cats and he was a gossip,” he added.
“Now, by the fourth season, he has such a rich inner life. The writers add things to his life every single episode. I’m always constantly delighted, and in some ways challenged by all of the cool stuff that I get to do as this character. I love it.”
While the show’s writers welcome his input, there isn’t much time or space for improvisation once the cameras start rolling.
“I tend not to improv, just because I think the writing is so rich and so strong,” Creighton said.
“We’ll do a freedom take where we get to play around, but I sometimes have thoughts. I feel like i know Howard really well, but I also trust that the showrunner [John Hoffman] and writers know Howard really well, so I’ve never come across a script where I thought, ‘Howard wouldn’t say this.’ I always think, ‘Wow, you get me and him, yes!'”
Season 4 adds Eugene Levy, Zach Galfanakis and Eva Longoria as fictionalized versions of themselves preparing to play Charles, Oliver and Mabel in a movie.
The plot line, along with Sazz’s murder, take Charles, Oliver and Mabel to Los Angeles, but Howard and his extensive knit-vest collection won’t be heading to the West Coast any time soon.
“Someone has to keep the building safe,” Creighton quipped.
“I think Howard’s a New Yorker through and through, although I would love to see Howard in Los Angeles,” he added. “I think he would be very sweaty, but would have a really good time.”
The actor is also an apartment-dweller in real life, but he said he doesn’t keep tabs on his neighbors the way Howard does at the Arconia.
“I live in a building in New York — six floors, a few hundred residents,” he added. “I don’t really know anybody, so [the show is] a little different than my life experience, but I think I do understand the feeling of community and I think community is such a big part of living in New York. If you don’t have it, you’re lost. So, that, for me, is very universal.”
The show’s cast also includes Meryl Streep, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kumail Nanjiani and Richard Kind.
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