‘Only Murders in the Building’ Plans Return to New York Ahead of Season 7 Confirmation

Hulu’s beloved murder mystery comedy has always been anchored to one specific location, the Arconia, making its New York backdrop almost a character in its own right. This identity is set to change significantly in the upcoming sixth season, which takes Charles, Oliver, and Mabel across the Atlantic for the first time in the show’s history.

Titled “Only Murders in London” by Hulu, Season 6 follows the trio as they investigate the murder of true-crime podcast host Cinda Canning after she invites them overseas, swapping the familiar Arconia hallways for a new setting filled with English guest stars. This marks the show’s most substantial location shift since it briefly ventured to Los Angeles in Season 4, and production wrapped just last week after becoming the most logistically challenging shoot the series has undertaken.

Now, even before Season 6 has premiered, Deadline reports that the show’s writers room is making its own geographic move behind the scenes. According to the outlet, the writers room, which has been based in Los Angeles for the first six seasons, will relocate to New York for Season 7. This is a notable shift for a production team that has never worked from that city before, despite the show being set there.

Previously, the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ writers would complete scripting a season in Los Angeles before showrunner John Hoffman traveled to New York to oversee filming. This workflow was effective when the show remained close to home, but the complicated London shoot for Season 6 has altered the approach for what comes next.

With Season 7 expected to return the storyline to New York, keeping the writers room in Los Angeles would hinder the efficiency of writing and filming overlapping, which is essential for maintaining the series’ usual yearly release schedule. Relocating the room to New York allows Hoffman to manage both the creative and production aspects from one city, a change that reportedly some writers from previous seasons are also expected to join, participating in an in-person room led by Hoffman himself.

The scheduling pressure is palpable. Season 6 already represents the longest gap between installments in the show’s history, arriving 15 months after Season 5 instead of the typical 12-month wait fans have come to expect.

Technically, ‘Only Murders in the Building’ has not yet been renewed for a seventh season. However, given its status as a flagship Hulu series that continues to perform well, recently earning five additional Emmy nominations, that renewal is seen as almost certain. Streamers commissioning writers rooms ahead of formal renewals has become a common practice to shorten the wait between seasons.

This strategy allows Hulu to maintain momentum on one of its key titles without leaving fans in suspense for too long between cases. With Season 6 set to premiere on December 8 and already generating excitement thanks to guest stars like Tina Fey, Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep, and David Tennant, the early groundwork for Season 7 indicates Hulu is keen to keep the momentum of the Arconia trio going strong.

Whether Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are ready to swap London’s fog for New York’s skyline again remains to be seen once the mystery of Cinda Canning’s murder concludes.

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