Reflecting the three stars on screen, Only Murders in the Building relies on a trio of editors to help bring the comedy and intrigue of the show to the screen
By Jenny Priestley
Published: December 9, 2024 Updated: December 10, 2024
Reflecting the three stars on screen, Only Murders in the Building relies on a trio of editors to help bring the comedy and intrigue of the show to the screen
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
What happens when you take two baby boomers, a millennial, lashings of comedy and a murder mystery? You get 49 Emmy nominations, and the most-watched comedy premiere in streaming service Hulu's history.
Only Murders in the Building launched on Hulu in the United States and Disney Plus internationally in August 2021, and has just wrapped up its fourth season, with season five already commissioned.
Martin Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin on set (Disney/Hulu/Eric McCandless) The show was created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, and reunites Martin with his Three Amigos and Father of the Bride co-star Martin Short, with actress/singer Selena Gomez appealing to the younger generation.
Each season follows the trio as they investigate suspicious murders in their Upper West Side apartment building, the Arconia, and produce a podcast about each case.
Three editors Due to the pandemic, the show's second season began filming later than planned which meant all of the editors involved in season one were no longer available. Shelly Westerman, Payton Koch and Peggy Tachdjian joined the show in season two and all have received Emmy nominations for their work on season three.
A mutual friend recommended me, explains Tachdjian. They reached out to interview me, but at the time, the schedule didn't work, and I wasn't going to be available. I recommended Shelly and she got the job right away. A few weeks later, their schedule was pushed and she called me and told me that the third editor had dropped out. So I reached back out and asked if they were still looking, and it just worked out perfectly.
Westerman, Koch and Tachdjian had all worked together previously on a number of projects for Ryan Murphy Productions, with Koch working as an edit assistant to Westerman. Shelly got the job on Only Murders and she called me up and said, come and be my assistant on season two, let's edit everything together, and we'll try and get you the bump up, says Koch. I was like, done! Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm on my way.
The pair collaborated on season two, editing every scene of their allotted episodes together. At the end of season two, showrunner John Hoffman told Koch he would be making the move up to editor when the show returned. Two seasons later, and here we are. It's just been the most amazing experience, and I'm eternally grateful, he says.
For all three editors, joining Only Murders in the Building gave them the opportunity to work with two comedy icons. I grew up watching Steve and Marty, says Westerman, and then when I met John Hoffman he was just lovely. It was an easy decision and I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity.
When we were first reached out to about the show, season one hadn't even aired yet. There was only a teaser trailer. I saw that it was Steve and Marty and Selena Gomez, who I didn't know that much about at the time but I've grown to love now, adds Tachdjian. I was just really kind of fascinated by the trio, and it just looked really fun. We'd all come from working on Ryan Murphy shows where there's a lot of horror or kind of dark stuff, and this was just a very light comedy so it felt really exciting. Also, I'm from New York. I loved the idea of working on something that was taking place in New York, where the city feels like a character, so that was kind of exciting for me.
Three takes Working with two hugely experienced comics in Martin and Short means that on average, the editors receive between 2-3 takes of each scene due to how well-rehearsed the cast are before the cameras begin rolling. There are gags that Steve will do and the director will tell me he's been rehearsing for three weeks, says Westerman. I'll be like, what? He's Steve Martin! The director will say no, he's very rehearsed, very ready to go and there's very little ad-lib.
Photo by: Patrick Harbron/Hulu Of course, each director works differently. Koch cites the season finale of season two where director Jamie Babbit shot 52 hours of footage for a 30-minute episode. [There] was a huge scene with all the characters, he explains, it was the biggest scene I've ever had to do, and it was the most amount of footage that we've had on the show. Normally it's 20-25 hours of footage per show.
All of the editors get involved with the show during production, cutting dailies as soon as they're available. Each episode takes around two weeks to put together the first assembly before the editors work with the episode director on the final cut. The show has been edited in Avid Media Composer right from the start.
My whole career has been in Avid so I don't even know how to use anything else, states Tachdjian. I really love the workflow. I love the ease of it. I feel I'm very fast on Avid. I can do everything I want to do. There are so many tools that help us day to day to be faster, more organised, more efficient.
I've spent 28 years editing on Avid, adds Westerman. I like the ability to customise it. My layout looks pretty simple. I'll see my assistant's layout, and I'll say, are you running a spaceship here?
Each editor has a specific tool within Media Composer that helps with their work. For Koch, it's fluid morphs. Those are helpful when the producers are telling us to make it faster and pace
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
11/09/2026
Spark series gains compact modelling stompbox
Positive Grid's Spark amps have become a popular part of the company's line-up, offering a convenient ...
11/09/2026
New flagship sequencing plug-in revealed
Rapid Flow have just launched a new 16-track sequencer plug-in which they say has been designed for total rhythmic...
11/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz unveils the air-cooled R&S TM1 medium-power UHF transmitter at I...
11/09/2026
Friday 11 September 2026
Sky Sports extends US Open deal to 2030
Sky has agreed a three-year extension to its US Open deal, ensuring Sky Sports & NOW remains ...
11/09/2026
Wuppertal September 11, 2026
A Decade of Innovation: AMP VISUAL TV Builds on Ten Years of MediorNet EvolutionAMP VISUAL TV is continuing the evolution of its ...
11/09/2026
Wuppertal September 11, 2026
Mediacom Deploys Riedel Easy5G for Wireless Camer...
11/09/2026
Wuppertal September 11, 2026
Touring Video Expands Flexible Production Workflows With Riedel MediorNet and hiRiedel Communications today announced that Tourin...
11/09/2026
Wuppertal September 11, 2026
Riedel Technology Powers Record-Breaking Esports World Cup Production in ParisFrom July 6 to Aug. 23, 2026, Paris hosted the Espo...
11/09/2026
Article courtesy of Digital Production
Read the article
With Baselight 8 coming in 2027, the interesting part is not the number of new buttons. Some features...
11/09/2026
It's almost iPhone Pro time. Starting Saturday, September 12, at 1 p.m, cust...
11/09/2026
RT has today announced Benetti Menswear as the sponsor of its 2026 Amgen Irish Open coverage for a sixth consecutive year, further strengthening the heritage c...
10/09/2026
Editing, restoration & mastering suite upgraded Acon Digital Acoustica 8 audio editing restoration mastering software.
Acon Digital have just launched the la...
10/09/2026
Classic synths & drum machines available to play
Based in Reading, UK, Readipop are a music and arts charity with a long track record of innovative, partici...
10/09/2026
Popular model updated & new addition introduced
With many of the models in Neumann's KH family now boasting onboard DSP and support for the company'...
10/09/2026
Improved desktop interface announced
The latest iteration of Arturia's flagship desktop audio interface has just arrived, introducing improved preamps, ...
10/09/2026
Progress needs proof: Rohde & Schwarz showcases its trailblazing test solutions ...
10/09/2026
The beloved duo are back with big challenges and even bigger laughs as they discover if you're ever truly too old to try something new.
Previous praise for...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Sky News Defence Insider app launches as new researc...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Award-winning network Sky Mobile to offer Apple iPho...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Sky unveils gripping teaser for The Good Daughter, coming this NovemberTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy options a...
10/09/2026
Harmonic Leads the New Era of Broadband Connectivity at SCTE TechExpo 2026 Showcase Spotlights Include:
New cOS SensAI intelligence fabric unleashing data-pow...
10/09/2026
RT to Broadcast Amgen Irish Open free-to-air
New multi-year agreement will see RT continue to bring the Amgen Irish Open to Irish audiences
Ryder Cup hig...
10/09/2026
More than 30 women report allegations of sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying within National Ambulance Service
Tonight on RT Prime Time, 9:35pm, RT One ...
10/09/2026
Series 3 of Nero's Class begins Friday 11 September on RT Listen
The third...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
Chennai/Luxembourg, 9 September 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, today announced the inauguration of its new office in Chennai, India, marking a s...
09/09/2026
September 9 2026, 22:35 (PDT) Cinema Sunshine Becomes Japan's First Exhibit...
09/09/2026
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Tom Daley adds final stitch to giant Baa-Ewe' t...
09/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures Integrates Barometer into Speakeasy to Maximize Podcast Revenu...
09/09/2026
Baselight-powered color comes natively to Media Composer, connecting creative de...
09/09/2026
RT brings three packed days of live radio, entertainment, news, weather and fun
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, Oliver Callan, Today with David McCullagh,...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
September 08, 2026 NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Soundcraft today announced the launch of its Signature Plus Series Analog Connected Mixing Consoles. As the next genera...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
08/09/2026
BERLIN, September 8, 2026 - J nger Audio will introduce a major expansion of its flexAI audio processing platform at IBC 2026. The flexAI system adds autonomous...
08/09/2026
New Vendor-Agnostic Broadband Intelligence Fabric Reduces Operational Complexity and Improves Service Quality for Broadband Service Providers SAN JOSE, Calif. -...
08/09/2026
Arvato Systems Brings TI Expertise to the Stage
Panels, workshops, and real-world examples at the TI-SUMMIT 2026
Arvato Systems, a partner of the TI-SUMMIT 2...
08/09/2026
On October 1, Apple Arcade is rolling out a lineup of fun new games for players ...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
Reflecting the three stars on screen, Only Murders in the Building relies on a trio of editors to help bring the comedy and intrigue of the show to the screen
