It’s not new for shows to be referenced by other shows. This can go either horribly or fantastically. In the case of Only Murders In The Building… it’s gone down an absolute storm.
Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, Only Murders In The Building has it all, whether that’s mystery, drama, comedy, heart, shocks, suspense—it’s simply a real winner all around, and one of the crowning achievements of season 3 is just how terrific a cast they’ve managed to assemble. It’s hard to top the cast of Selena Gomez or Martin Short. Why not bring in Meryl, the queen of cinema?
The 74-year-old and three-time Academy Award winner joined the Hulu and Disney+ series as Loretta Durkin, an actress who landed a small role in Oliver’s Broadway show. The writers wryly winked at her audience, knowing that she was an iconic actress.
In episode 3, Grab Your Hankies, Loretta discovers that she’s landed an audition for a certain project. It’s hilariously described as the “offshoot of an offshoot of a Grey’s Anatomy spinoff,” and it’s titled Grey’s New Orleans: Family Burn Unit.
Running with the joke, Loretta explains that the role is “for the mother of a dermatologist, so she has a backstory. Lines! And the producers said they might give her a limp, so, it’s juicy!”
Fans and detractors of the ABC medical drama alike are sure to get a great laugh out of it, but it’s made even funnier by the fact that a Grey’s Anatomy veteran, Jesse Williams, also debuted in Only Murders In The Building this season.
Jesse plays Tobert, a camera operator and documentarian who’s helping to capture the behind-the-scenes experience of Ben’s Broadway debut for a documentary film. The actor played fan favorite Dr. Jackson Avery for an impressive 12 seasons of Grey’s on the whole and finally left in 2021.
“It’s so funny that Loretta is doing an audition for a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off when they have Jackson Avery RIGHT THERE,” one fan tweeted. “I love this show, truly peak comedy.”
Another wrote “I’m still not over the Grey’s Anatomy reference in the recent episode,” with yet another fan agreeing it was a “perfect” moment. Others have gone as far as to say that the scene had them “in tears”, or that they had to pause it just to hop on Twitter and share their appreciation for a moment.
Considering it’s struck such a chord with Grey’s enthusiasts, it’s not too surprising that Jesse himself was a huge fan of the joke.
“Jesse was very sweet about that,” Only Murders In The Building’s boss and co-creator John Hoffman You can tell them by clicking on the link TVLine in regard to the Grey’s joke.
“He was howling [during the Zoom table read] About the Reference And it’s a real homage. I mean, has there been a more successful show than Grey’s Anatomy? It’s a huge windfall for the actress [like Loretta] to have that opportunity.”
He added that “Watching Meryl Streep get excited about that for herself is just a dream.”
Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK are now streaming Only Murders In The Building, season 3.
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