S5 E3: Rigor

Summary

Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast

S5 E3: "Rigor"

Release Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Michael Cyril Creighton

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Overview of the Episode

Episode 3 of the Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast, hosted by Michael Cyril Creighton (who plays Howard Morris), dives into Season 5, Episode 3 (“Rigor”) of the hit Hulu series. With guests Beanie Feldstein (the new pop sensation Althea, aka "Thee"), composer Siddhartha Khosla, and Jane Lynch (Saz Pataky), the podcast unpacks behind-the-scenes stories, the complexities of joining an established ensemble, playful reflections on on-set antics, character insights, and the evolving musical language of the show. The episode balances deep personal moments, industry banter, and light-hearted games, giving fans an all-access pass to life at the Arconia, both on and off screen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

[00:00] - [01:28] - Cold Open & Episode Recap

• Playful Cold Open: Michael opens with tongue-in-cheek advice for murder victims alongside Jane Lynch, highlighting the episode’s blend of humor and darkness.

  • “For a murder victim? Well, first of all, it is an honor. Keep me in the front of your mind. Suffer over my death.” — Jane Lynch (00:02)

• Episode 3 Recap:

  • Oliver moves the dead body via laundry cart, leading to an impromptu autopsy.
  • Mabel reconnects with childhood friend Thee, who is now a pop star living in the penthouse.
  • The trio investigates a note found in Nikki’s mouth and meet three billionaires in the Velvet Room, with a finger missing from one.

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[02:06] - [11:12] - Interview with Beanie Feldstein (Thee/Althea)

Joining the Show as a Pop Star

• Beanie’s Fandom:

  • Beanie was a huge fan of the show before joining. “I was such a fan of the show... I was like, I'll hold a plant, I'll stand in the back. Like, I don't care what the part is, like, I'm in.” (02:28)
  • Felt excitement and nervousness about working with an established, playful cast.

• Althea’s Introduction & Evolution:

  • Early scenes showed Althea as Mabel’s emo-punky teenage friend (03:38).
  • “I got to be with Tim Kono... I was like, I’m with Tim Kono, this is so fun.” (04:05)
  • Transitioned to “the lineage of penthouse owners”—a running show joke, now with Thee joining Sting, Amy Schumer, Ben Glenroy, and The Brothers Sisters. (05:19–05:27)

• On the “Suspicion” of New Characters:

  • Beanie and Michael joke about Thee’s true intentions: “At this point in the show, you could be a bad guy.” — Michael (05:36)
  • “She’s got a lot to hide under that fake fur, all that pink pose.” — Beanie (05:43)

Working with Comedy Legends

• First Scene with Steve Martin:

  • Beanie describes being “shaking in my boots” meeting Steve Martin for the first time, calling him (and Marty) heroes for aspiring comedy actors. (06:03)
  • She struggled to make eye contact, overwhelmed by the moment.
  • “He was gracious and hilarious and perfect and all the things that you would want him to be.” (06:27)

• Across from Selena Gomez:

  • “To play a pop star across from Selena is so funny. And there were moments where I was just like, I can’t believe I’m saying this to you.” (06:47)

Pop Star Inspirations & Character Building

• Inspiration for ‘Thee’:

  • “Visually, we’re definitely a lot of inspiration from Sabrina Carpenter... early Ariana Grande... maybe like a splash of JoJo Siwa.” (08:06–08:37)
  • “It's the big bows, you know, the big bows. Like early JoJo Siwa, early Ariana Grande, and current Sabrina Carpenter.” — Beanie (08:37)

• Althea’s Otter & Extremes:

  • “Do they allow pets? Cause I have an otter and my last co-op, they were such dicks about it.” — Beanie (08:48)

Anticipating Audience Response

• The “delicious” dynamic of Thee and Mabel, as total opposites with shared history—anticipates drama and comedy as their relationship unfolds (09:07–09:46).

“Dead Giveaway” Game ([09:46]–[11:13])

• Rapid-fire trivia covering episode details; Beanie effortlessly wins, highlighting her attentiveness and good humor.
  • Notable answers: “The Velvet Room” (10:24), “an otter” (10:31), “paparazzi” (10:38), “cleaver” (10:45), and “poker face” (11:03).

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[11:21] – [25:48] - Interview with Jane Lynch (Saz Pataky)

Saz in the Afterlife

• Jane’s Real Life:

  • Jane is calling in from Oxford University, taking a Shakespeare summer class in a dorm (11:43).

• Shakespeare Dreams:

  • “Now I adore Shakespeare. And [our tutor] just has... opened my heart and mind to the nuance and the intricacies of these plays and why we say he's a genius.” (12:06)

• Saz’s “Metaphysical” Existence:

  • Saz is “very much connected to one Charles Hayden Savage. 20 years I spent mirroring you, getting down your mannerisms, your gait, your speech patterns. But one thing I could never get about you is how someone as wonderful as you could think so little of himself. ...It is her job now to watch over him...” — Jane Lynch (13:35–14:32)

• If Saz Were Alive:

  • She’d be “training the next generation of stunt people... it’s an art, it’s a discipline, it’s sacred...” and carry on the family tradition. (14:39)

• On Saz & Jan’s Relationship:

  • Describes their connection as “ancient,” and fondly recalls the jail breakup scene:
    • “Jan, we need to talk. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I think we should see other people.” — Jane as Saz, referencing a favorite moment (15:14–15:40)

Impactful Character Deaths

• Jane reflects on the show killing off loved secondary characters (herself, Lester the Doorman) to raise emotional stakes.
  • “To kill him... that actually means something. It hurts.” (17:37)

Advice for a Murder Victim

• “First of all, it is an honor...it also means that your character, even if you’re not there, is being talked about.” — Jane Lynch (17:50)

Saz’s Stunt Work & Mirroring Steve Martin

• Jane nearly risked injury practicing stunts—“I almost killed myself. I was like, oh, my God, I'm not 17 anymore” (19:59).
• On set, Jane mirrored Steve Martin’s movements exactly for Saz’s character: “If he crossed his leg at a certain point, I would mirror it. The exact same thing at the exact same time.” (20:28)

Fondest On-Set Memory

• The deep emotional connection between Saz and Charles was most memorable:
  • “There is a scene where we’re sitting on the end of the bed and [Steve] says, you’re the best friend I ever had. And in rehearsal...he started to cry.” (21:58–22:37)

Playful Banter

• Michael and Jane imagine Jane as Howard’s stunt double—“You have to shrink. I’d have to shrink. Absolutely. I love the wardrobe though.” (20:33–20:46)

Lighthearted "Cause of Death" Game ([23:26]–[25:12])

• Michael quizzes Jane on real and fake unusual deaths (Tennessee Williams’ eyedrop cap, Segway inventor, etc.), providing laughs and odd facts.

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[26:20] - [41:48] - Interview with Composer Siddhartha Khosla

Creating the Soundworld of Arconia

• Magic of the Theme Song:

  • Siddhartha calls writing the theme “a lightning in a bottle moment.” (26:41)
  • Nearly overlooked his now-iconic melody; John Hoffman (showrunner) immediately recognized it as the show’s heart. (29:04)
    • “It was my least favorite piece...and [John] goes, 'That’s the theme of my show.'” —Sid (29:31)

• Artistic Approach:

  • Sought to prove he could compose orchestral music; wanted a “chamber orchestra” feel that evokes the history of Arconia (pilots scored during the pandemic). (27:16, 31:19)
  • Developed variations on the theme for each season, and special motifs for each story arc (e.g., mobster theme, billionaire theme, Saz’s theme).

• Musical Easter Eggs & Inside Stories:

  • The mobster theme: A waltz built off the main theme’s first notes with a “smoky, criminal” feel. (30:01)
  • Soprano opera at the end of last season (when Lester’s body was found) possibly inspired the new opera singer character, Rainy. (33:46)
  • John Hoffman requests thematic material (“can we make it feel a little Germanic?” for the billionaire theme). (36:52)
  • The soundtrack album sometimes gives away plot twists—titles like “Poppy’s the Killer.” (37:32)

Working with the Cast

• Steve Martin’s Musicianship:

  • Steve paid composer Sid a unique compliment: “Your score on the show has space in it.” (39:20)
  • Sid recounted a “magical” moment playing the piano theme for Steve, and being shown Steve’s bluegrass album in return.

• Favorite Characters:

  • Sid, unprompted, gushes about Howard: “You feel like you’re very Lynchian...I love you, I laugh with you, and then I also don’t know if I can trust you sometimes. Like, it’s all of it together in just a really cool way.” (34:42–35:34)

• Season 5 Musical Highlights:

  • Emotional “Lester theme” floats through the season, deepening connections to his character and family. (35:58)
  • The “billionaire theme” uses horns, a slightly militant and Germanic flavor, adding new tonal color. (36:52)

The Secrets of Arconia Continue

• Sid is most excited for fans to experience how the music accompanies newly unveiled secrets and world-building:
  • “This season, I think with...the Lester story, Mob story...there’s more secrets to Arconia...and it’s all scored beautifully.” (40:45–41:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For a murder victim? Well, first of all, it is an honor. Keep me in the front of your mind. Suffer over my death.” — Jane Lynch (00:02)
• “To play at that level with you all is like the greatest dream of my life.” — Beanie Feldstein (02:28)
• “She’s got a lot to hide under that fake fur, all that pink pose.” — Beanie Feldstein (05:43)
• “He’s gracious and hilarious and perfect and all the things you would want him to be.” — Beanie on Steve Martin (06:27)
• “To kill him...that actually means something. It hurts.” — Jane Lynch on Lester’s murder (17:37)
• “You have incredible timing musically...my hair on my arms, like, they go up, really.” — Siddhartha Khosla on Steve Martin (40:20)
• “It was a magical moment that I could never recreate.” — Siddhartha Khosla on the show’s theme song (26:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–01:28 | Cold open, show intro, and recap of S5E3 | | 02:06–11:12 | Beanie Feldstein interview (joining, inspirations, pop star life)| | 09:46–11:13 | "Dead Giveaway" game with Beanie | | 11:21–25:48 | Jane Lynch interview (Saz reflections, advice, memories) | | 23:26–25:12 | "Cause of Death" game with Jane | | 26:20–41:48 | Siddhartha Khosla interview (theme genesis, sound evolution, working with cast)| | 37:32 | Composer album titles as spoilers, industry in-joke | | 40:20 | Siddhartha’s story about playing his theme for Steve Martin | | 41:08–41:36 | Teaser about Arconia’s endless secrets |

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Episode Tone & Style

The podcast maintains a tone matching its source: witty, warm, self-aware, and highly collaborative, blending affectionate roasts, playful insider references, and earnest admiration for the show's creative process.

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For New or Returning Fans

Whether or not you’ve seen “Rigor” or Season 5, this episode provides rich context about how new characters and performers are integrated, the show’s meticulous and evolving approach to sound and theme, and reasons why Only Murders continues to feel fresh and resonant even five seasons in.

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Next episode teasers include:

• Showrunner John Hoffman on crafting characters
• Costume designer Dana Covarrubias on “crafting alchemy”
• Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz on duck à l’orange

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Closing Advice:
“Please don’t get murdered.” — Michael Cyril Creighton

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Transcript

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Any advice for a murder victim?

[Jane Lynch]

For a murder victim? Well, first of all, it is an honor. Keep me in the front of your mind. Suffer over my death.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, hello and welcome to Hulu's Only Murders in the Building official podcast. I am your host, Michael Cyril Creighton. I play your favorite trio's fourth wheel, Howard Morris. Not to be confused with rigor mortis. Aha. No rigor mortis. We're dissecting episodes, sharing behind the scenes stories, and playing games with some of the amazing actors, writers and crew from season five of Only Murders in the Building, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.

[Beanie Feldstein]

This does make for a good opening twist of our podcast.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Today's show is all about episode three, rigor, and we have got quite the musical lineup. We'll talk with the amazing Beanie Feldstein about what it's like to be pop sensation Thee in the arconia. We'll chat with composer Sid Khosla about crafting the music of the show season after season.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Da da da da da da.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And we'll learn how the perfect stunt is like a song with our very own Saz Pataky, the wonderful Jane Lynch. Saz is here, but first, a quick recap of episode three. So if you haven't watched, stop, come back. I will be here. And Oliver, whatever you do, don't touch the body. Panicked about leaving evidence behind, Oliver wheels the dead body upstairs in a laundry cart. That leads to an impromptu autopsy.

[Jane Lynch]

Autopsy. Step one.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Mabel runs into an old childhood friend who's now a famous pop star and living in the penthouse.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Althea Mabel Mora.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

The trio pieces together what the note in Nikki's mouth said that night. The trio finds three billionaires at the Velvet Room, and one of them is missing a finger. This season, we are introduced to the hottest, newest pop sensation that ever hit. Althea, AKA played by the lovely and amazing Beanie Feldstein.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Hi.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Hi, Beanie. I'm happy you're here.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I'm so happy to be here. This is so fun.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I was so thrilled when I found out you were playing thee. I'm sometimes the last person to meet someone, so I always get like the rundown from the pas. And you were there a few days before I started working, and I was like, how's Beanie Feldstein? And they're like a dream. Everybody said she's a dream. She's so sweet. She's so nice. And they were right.

[Beanie Feldstein]

This is literally the best job ever. Like, when they called me, I was such a fan of the show. And my wife was like such a big fan of the show. And I was already like, I was like, I'll hold a plant, I'll stand in the back. Like, I don't care what the part is, like, I'm in. And then when they told me, when John told me what the part was gonna be, I was like even more excited and a little bit scared. And I couldn't imagine like the crew and the cast and how like unbelievably kind and playful everyone is at like such a high level. To play at that level with you all is like the greatest dream of my life. It's been so fun.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You were so game for it. It's like it could be really. Because the show's been established. It's been around for five seasons.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Season five, baby.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. It's like a well oiled machine. I think sometimes that's harder to jump into a show that's already established, even if you love it. And you just immediately came in guns a blazing. So the first time we see you. Yes. Is in episode two.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Hey, no hating on B port rich boy Lester. If a few other people come with cooking supplies, they're with us.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

We got a little glimpse of the back in the day.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Back in the day. Althea, she's kind of like a little bit emo girl, punky. Like her and Mabel are like, you know, in their all black and like kind of punky vibes. And you're kind of just like, oh, this is this girl that she mentions. But I was really excited cause I got to be with Tim Kono. And I was like, oh, I'm like in the legend of the show. This is so fun.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I love that Tim Kono is in that episode. And it's just like if you're looking at the wrong part of the screen, you would miss him. Like, oh, that's Tim Kono.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Yeah. It's so like amazing the way they bring everything together in this show. So I was like nerding out. I was like, I'm with Tim Kono. This is so fun.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

But yeah, I have never met Tim Kono.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Are you serious?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I'm serious. I've never met him. I know.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I've heard he was kind of having a moment of like being back because he hadn't been on the show on the set.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Well, the crazy thing is that lobby that you're walking in, that lobby is a rebuild of a real lobby that we shot in in the first season, my first episode. And it looks exactly like it. It feels like you're in that real lobby again. But I think the scale is actually a little bit smaller.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Is the real lobby the same building on the Upper west side?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No, it's a different building on the Upper west side. And I think they were like, you can't be here all the time.

[Beanie Feldstein]

And you guys are like, we have 900 scenes in the lobby, so we're just gonna build the lobby. The first time you see Althea, she's just a friend of Mabel's, and you don't really know. Just they're kind of breezing through the lobby.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Having a good time as teenagers.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

The second time we see her.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Second time we see her. How are you, Mabel? I am great. And it's so crazy and wild that I ran into you, but I got a better run. Thank God you haven't changed a bit. I'll be seeing you all the time. I just bought the Penthouse. I was also really excited, as a fan of the show to be in, like, the lineage of Penthouse.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, right. It was like, Sting, Amy Schumer.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Yep.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Ben Glenroy.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Right.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

The Brothers Sisters.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Yeah. And thee.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And thee.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Quite a lineup.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. Do you think she's there to stay?

[Beanie Feldstein]

I hope so.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

We don't know we don't know we don't know what ends up happening to.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Thee we don't know what ends up.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Happening to thee I'm constantly suspicious of every character that walks in that building. So at this point in the show, you could be a bad guy.

[Beanie Feldstein]

She's got a lot to hide under that fake fur, all that pink pose.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What was it like filming that paparazzi scene?

[Beanie Feldstein]

Well, so I was, like, dealing with all of that, like, establishing Fee as she's gonna be the rest of the time. But also, it was my first scene with Steve and growing up. I'm gonna speak for you now, too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Please do.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I just feel like anyone that wants to be an actor and specifically wants to do comedy, he's a hero. Like, him and Marty are, you know, the dream, the absolute dream to get to learn from and work with. And so I was shaking in my boots a little bit to work with Steve, and I kind of struggled to look him in the eye for, like, an hour. And I was like, I'm just losing my mind internally that this is happening. And he was gracious and hilarious and perfect and all the things that you would want him to be. And that was also, like, you know, so emotional to like, witness someone that you love so much live up to all of your expectations while trying to be, like, this obnoxious Pop star.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. Like, really making bold choices.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Also, to play a pop star across from Selena is so funny. And there were moments where I was just like, I can't believe I'm saying this to you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes. Yeah.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Like, we did a little improvisation about, like, you'll get used to the paparazzi, sweetheart. And it was just, like, making me laugh so, so hard. And Selena was like, this is so funny. And she's such an angel.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It is. It's like the three of them five seasons in, and it's still like, I'm comfortable with them. We're very friendly. I, I, I respect them so much. And I, I, I.

[Beanie Feldstein]

They love you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's nice.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I can see it. They love you. It's so sweet.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's really nice. But even, like, at this point, I still have in my stomach those little butterflies because it is, you know, the three of them together, it's almost too much.

[Beanie Feldstein]

It really is overwhelming. Thank God Marty came later for me. So I had, like, a little bit of. I was like, just the two of them and then.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

But I could see Marty going crazy for thebe because the first thing Marty ever said to me on set was when I was crying in the lobby in episode two of season one, just sobbing about my dead cat. And he goes, you made a lot of choices. And I like the big ones. And I always liked the big ones. I love him. So he loves a bold.

[Beanie Feldstein]

And Thea is a bold choice.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

She is a bold choice. Did you look in look to any actual pop stars for inspiration?

[Beanie Feldstein]

This is a good question. I mean, visually, we're definitely a lot of inspiration from Sabrina Carpenter, who is kind of, you know, that girl right now in our, in our actual life. So I feel like Sabrina a little bit of, like, early Ariana Grande, like, with the ponytails and, like, the little bows and like, maybe like a splash of jojo Siwa.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

There is a splash.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Sorry.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

There is a splash of Josh.

[Beanie Feldstein]

There's a little splash.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. Maybe like a little more than a splash. In a perfect way.

[Beanie Feldstein]

It's the big bows, you know, the big bows. Like early JoJo Siwa, early Ariana Grande, and current Sabrina Carpenter.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, it's great.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Had a manic baby.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Main face.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

She's. I love her.

[Beanie Feldstein]

She's crazy. Do they allow pets? Cause I have an otter and my last co op, they were such dicks about it.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What are you excited to show audiences?

[Beanie Feldstein]

Well, we've set up a lot of dynamics here. Right. Like, Mabel is sort of agog at seeing the in her lobby and the prospect of her living in her building.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Beanie Feldstein]

And they are just this current iteration of them are such polar opposites. Right. Like, Mabel is so grounded and so focused and so kind of, you know, serious. She takes things seriously and finding herself.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Like, becoming truly becoming a woman and like, learning to be powerful.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Totally. And Thea is like this kind of manic baby energy that's like, you know, this hugely famous person, but is so far from the girl they were together. And so I'm excited for audiences to see how that relationship, you know, extends in Arconia.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's delicious. It's exciting. It's delicious. Now we're gonna play a game called dead giveaway. I have 10 things listed on here, on this card that are in the episode. I'm gonna explain them to you, and we're gonna see if you can get them as many as you can within 60 seconds.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Okay.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And if you win, you get a prize, which is a gently used pair of tongs from Sur La table. Not the Sur La Table tongs.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Okay. Fancy with the prizes.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Okay.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I'm honored.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Are you ready?

[Beanie Feldstein]

Yes. I'm never ready, so we might as.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Well go 60 seconds now. Okay. Okay. This is what the casino is called. This is the name of it.

[Beanie Feldstein]

The velvet Room.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

This is what you go up in an elevator. This is a pet that Thea has. She owns an.

[Beanie Feldstein]

An otter.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes, that's right. This is what was taking pictures of you.

[Beanie Feldstein]

A camera.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No, the person holding the camera.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Oh, paparazzi.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

This is what a dead body was in that they were wheeling the laundry cart. Yep. This is what was in Nikki's chest.

[Beanie Feldstein]

A cleaver.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yep. This is what the is. She's sort of really into herself.

[Beanie Feldstein]

She is a self centered narcissist.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes. This is what your album is number one on.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Oh, Wanda.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Fine. And this is what we're playing in the casino.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Roulette.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Face, face. Blank face. I don't have a blank face.

[Beanie Feldstein]

A poker face.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Sorry.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I think you're the first person to get all of them right. Thank you so much for being here. I love you so much.

[Beanie Feldstein]

I love you too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And we're gonna talk more.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Okay.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Later.

[Beanie Feldstein]

You hear that, Brazos? You still got it. Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What up? The my stud double from Brazos.

[Jane Lynch]

Saz Pataky. Happens all the time.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Joining me now is someone very special. Saz Pataky may be dead in the only murders in the building universe, but she's very much alive in our hearts. Welcome the wonderful and iconic Jane Lynch. Hi. Jane.

[Jane Lynch]

I'm Michael. It's good to see you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Good to see you. So, Jane, first question. Where are you right now and what are you doing?

[Jane Lynch]

I am at Oxford University, Merton College in the uk, and I am taking a summer school class and I'm in a dorm room right now.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Wow.

[Jane Lynch]

I'm taking Shakespeare, and it's the second time I've done this. And we studied five plays over three weeks.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Were you a Shakespeare person before this?

[Jane Lynch]

Not like Die Hard, but I had been in a Shakespeare company as a young person, the Chicago Shakespeare Company. I studied theater in a master's program. We did a lot of Shakespeare, and I loved it, but I didn't adore it. Now I adore Shakespeare. And she just has. Our tutor has just opened my heart and mind to the nuance and the intricacies of these plays and why we say he's a genius.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Do you have a dream role in a Shakespeare play?

[Jane Lynch]

Let's see. Oh, that's a good question, because someone asked me that yesterday.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh.

[Jane Lynch]

Helena in the Winter's Tale.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Although I would kill it.

[Jane Lynch]

Do you know the Winters? Oh, well, thank you. Well, the woman at the rsc, and I wish I knew her name, absolutely slayed it. So for me to say, oh, yeah, I'd love to do that part is a little bit of hubris on my part, but she was wonderful. It's a great. Oh, my God. He writes for women. Boy, does he write for women.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Did you decorate your dorm room?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

No.

[Jane Lynch]

No posters.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No posters of Tartuffe posters or some Shakespeare posters?

[Jane Lynch]

Nothing like that. Oh, how funny. Gosh.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

So we're five seasons in. You and I never got a scene together. I did pitch you in season one as my stunt double, but they just keep pairing me with animals. I do have a question. We are going to talk about the afterlife now.

[Jane Lynch]

Sure.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Where do you think SZASZ is right now?

[Jane Lynch]

Right now?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Jane Lynch]

You're asking a metaphysical question, right?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I am. Absolutely.

[Jane Lynch]

And I'm here to answer it.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I'm ready.

[Jane Lynch]

I think she was a really pure soul. When she transitioned, she went to a plane that is still very much connected to the Earth, and very much connected to one Charles Hayden Savage. 20 years I spent mirroring you, getting down your mannerisms, your gait, your speech patterns. But one thing I could never get about you is how someone as wonderful as you could think so little of himself. I think her love for him is ancient and his for her. And he doesn't even realize how deep it is. I think it's an ancient, ancient Connection. It is her job now to watch over him and let him make his mistakes and everything. But he will always know because he's a very solitary guy. He doesn't conn very easily with people, but he does know now that there's one person in this universe that loves him unconditionally.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, it's just Sz. Saz is his person. If Sz was still alive, what do you think she would be doing right now?

[Jane Lynch]

She'd be at the trampoline park, and she'd be training the next generation of stunt people. Like she wanted to. She wanted to pass it on. You know, it's an art. It's a discipline. It's sacred. And I think that she wants to see the next generation coming up have that kind of reverence, the kind of reverence that her father, who was Slim Pataky, her father, who was a stuntman himself, passed on to her. And she wants to do that for the next generation. She wouldn't be doing that.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

And I forget, did she break up with Jan?

[Jane Lynch]

Yeah, but, you know, that's all we. That's another one. That's an ancient connection, Michael. That one's gonna go on and on. That was one of my favorite things to do any scenes. Any scenes with Jan. But when I got to go to the jail and break up with her for Charles. Jan, we need to talk. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I think we should see other people.

[Beanie Feldstein]

Is he. Are you. He's breaking up with me. With you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That was incredible guides.

[Jane Lynch]

Remember, I had. You know, if you're not an actor, you might not know what sides are the days work.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. The tiny little script. It's like a tiny version of the script.

[Jane Lynch]

Right, right, right. And she's, like, going through her lines, and it's like, hold on, I'm almost off book.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Okay.

[Jane Lynch]

All right. Yeah. I love. That was one of my favorite things to do.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I can almost guarantee that Jan has her cell block decorated with some pictures of you.

[Jane Lynch]

Oh, I'll bet she does, too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

We were really excited to see you in this season, ever so briefly in episode two. That was really fun. What was it like coming back to the set?

[Jane Lynch]

In the past, I didn't expect to be coming back, but then when I got the call, you know, come back for. It was just a small scene, but I was like, I love it.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's so satisfying. I don't know if you've seen it, but that episode is so special because you get to see sort of all these characters that we've loved in a different time and sort of what made them who they are. I love that you are all talking about, like, you and Steve are talking about. Charles audition for Gladiator. My agent sent me some script. Gladiator. It's between me and this guy Russell Crowe.

[Jane Lynch]

You like your chances?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Well, he's not gonna get it. Listen to this. Are you not entertained? Oh, so good.

[Jane Lynch]

I always wanted to do Chariot work. Oh, my God.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That would have been a real.

[Jane Lynch]

Are you not entertained? Wasn't that his line?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, exactly. What was your reaction last season to Lester, our doorman, being murdered? How do you feel about that?

[Jane Lynch]

I think it's. You know, one of the things they did when they killed me is they killed a character that people care about. If I could be so bold as to say that about my character. And I think the same thing with Lester, and he was unlikely. You know, he was one of those characters that wasn't in every episode, but when you saw him, it was like, oh, that guy.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Jane Lynch]

And, you know, to kill him.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Jane Lynch]

You know, that actually means something. It hurts.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, it does. And I'm excited for you to see how it all pans out because he's giving such a beautiful performance. I guess my question for you would be any advice for a murder victim?

[Jane Lynch]

For a murder victim. Well, first of all, it is an honor, and I'm sure that Lester knows that it's an honor, because not only does it show that they care about you so much that they want the emotional impact of your passing to be, you know, kind of the emotional machine of the season, it also means that your character, even if you're not there, is being talked about.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I know. All we want is actors, right? Just keep saying my character's name.

[Jane Lynch]

Stop talking about me. Keep me in the front of your mind. Suffer over my death. So even if I wasn't in an episode, I think I was in half of them last season, I knew that they were talking about me.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, yeah. That whole season was about you. That whole season, what I loved so much is, you know, we always knew that Saz was a good time gal and sort of likable and easy to be around. But the amount of depth that we got in season four and the amount of insight we got into who she was as a person, it really hit home. It was beautiful. So great job.

[Jane Lynch]

Yeah, thank you so much. I thought it was too. I thought, you know, they just kept giving me such wonderful things, and I didn't know in the beginning of the season, you probably don't Know in the beginning of the season what you're gonna get. Our showrunner, John Hoffman, reveals it, you know, and says, oh, we've got some things in. And I was just so floored by the stuff I got, the scenes I got to do with Steve.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What kind of prep went into becoming Charles stunt double? And a follow up question. What kind of prep would you have done to be Howard Morris stunt double?

[Jane Lynch]

Two very different answers.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes, yes.

[Jane Lynch]

The first one being Steve's stunt double. I knew that I was a character in my own right. So I worked on the character more than I worked on the fact that, you know, I would be a stunt person. I knew I wouldn't be doing my own stunts. Although I must tell you, there was a scene where I was supposed to do two forward somersaults and then two backward somersaults and then get up. I went out and bought a mat at the sports store. I thought, I'm gonna show up knowing how to do this. And the thing is, they would have never let me do it anyway.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

No, it's all liability.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Liability.

[Jane Lynch]

But I almost killed myself. I was like, oh, my God, I'm not 17 anymore. But I did try it. Now I have a mat that's sitting, you know, collecting dust in the corner of the basement. So for the. When I got on set for the first time, Steve, we decided, anything he did, like in the rehearsal, I watched him. You know, if he crossed his leg at a certain point, I would. I would. I would mirror it. The exact same thing at the exact same time.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, that's awesome. And now if you're gonna be my stunt double, Howard's stunt double, how would you prepare for that?

[Jane Lynch]

How would I prepare for that? Well, let me think.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You'd have to shrink. You have to sort of get compact.

[Jane Lynch]

I'd have to shrink. Absolutely. I love the wardrobe, though. I love the stuff you get to wear.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, you look good in a sweater vest.

[Jane Lynch]

Yeah, the sweater vest and the bow ties. And I'd get to have a dog.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Jane Lynch]

And I'd get to. No offense, but I get to run like a girl because I get to.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Run like a lumber. Wait a minute. No one's ever said that to me before.

[Jane Lynch]

I'm so sorry, honey. You know that my favorite moment when I fell in love with you, Michael, is when you. In the first season, you were on and you were on stage and you admitted to the stage manager that you wanted to be an actor.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, when I'm wearing the Jennifer Grey sort of, like, sweater that's cut Off. Right.

[Jane Lynch]

I'm not sure what you were wearing, but you actually started to act.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Mm.

[Jane Lynch]

Do you remember you said lines in the theater?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yes.

[Jane Lynch]

You were kind of talking like a normal person, but all of a sudden, your voice was here. It's like, I'm an actor.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, Irene. How could a poor sweep like me ever hope to win the love of a fine lady like yourself? Yeah. Howard has an acting voice. It gets real high and real shrill. That's what his mother said. Do you have a favorite? Your fondest memory of shooting our show?

[Jane Lynch]

Oh, gosh. I think the stuff that. Especially in the fourth season, the season where Steve and I had all that really deep stuff. There is a scene where we're sitting on the end of the bed and he says, you're the best friend I ever had. And in the rehearsal, he. He started to cry. He, like, broke. He broke down a little bit. And then Steve, being the actor, he said, I'm not gonna. He said, I. I'm not. He didn't say this, but he kind of said, not gonna break down when we do it. But I had to do that in the rehearsal. You did good.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I know this is just me telling.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Myself I did good, but I'll take the compliment. Yeah.

[Jane Lynch]

You know how you have to. Have to let it go in order for it to be there to squash down? So that was a beautiful thing to see, you know, just a pro. Really connect with the feeling of something and then be such an artist that he decides how much of that he wants to use, the actual shooting of it.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That gave me chills. I wish I was there to watch that. It's always nice if you can get Steve to emote a little bit. I like that.

[Jane Lynch]

He's a deep guy, and you know that. I mean, he's a. He's kind and his heart is so big. He's. You know, he's the real thing.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Jane, would you like to play a game with me?

[Jane Lynch]

I would love to play a game with you, Michael.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Okay, so this is a game called Cause of Death with Jane Lynch. These are famously weird ways. Notable people have died, and we're gonna guess. You're gonna guess if they're true or false. Okay. Love it. Number one, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tennessee Williams choked to death on a cap from a bottle of eye Dr. True or false?

[Jane Lynch]

False.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

True. You're true. I've always relied on the kindness of eyedrops.

[Jane Lynch]

You know, he's like undeniable death for such a master playwright.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I know, I know. Here's number two. British Health enthusiast and science writer Basil Brown died in 1974 after drinking a gallon of carrot juice every day, leading to vitamin A poisoning.

[Jane Lynch]

I would say that's true.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That is true. You're good at this game. Well, half and half. We're half and half. You're pretty good at this game.

[Jane Lynch]

One for two.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Okay. Number three, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. I'm sure you know her.

[Jane Lynch]

Yes.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Died when she was accidentally electrocuted by an electric doorbell, which was a new invention at the time. True or false?

[Jane Lynch]

False.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's right. Number four, the inventor of the Segway died after accidentally driving his Segway off a cliff. Is this true? That is true. It is true. It is true. It is true. Okay. Number five. American President Calvin Coolidge died after foraging and eating a poisonous mushroom.

[Jane Lynch]

No, it's not true.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's right. It's false. He actually died of a heart attack in 1933. Well, that's the game. It's always fun to speculate about death.

[Jane Lynch]

Yes, it is.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Jane, I just want to say it was so nice to spend some time with you and get to talk to you a bit. And I'm excited about your adventure in London. I kind of wish I could come there and be with you.

[Jane Lynch]

Oh, it's a lot of fun. Maybe you'll do it with us next year.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You know else who? You should play Saturninus in Titus Andronicus. I think you would be an incredible Saturninus. You know that?

[Jane Lynch]

Okay. I don't know that. I don't know that place.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's like not one that everybody loves. But he's evil and a dictator.

[Jane Lynch]

Oh, it's the guy.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. And it's sort of just a great role. Thank you so much for being here. Have a wonderful night. I hope you come back season in season 15. I hope we're still seeing Saz.

[Jane Lynch]

I do too. And I hope we're still seeing Howard.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Me too. Bye. Thank you so much. And now, Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. Howard's not in this episode. He has to work at the library some days. And that was Michael Cyril Creighton on Howard Francis Morris. You're welcome. The music of Only Murders in the Building is not only iconic, it's also Emmy award award winning. We can all sing the theme song in our sleep. And I often do. So I'm very excited to sit down with our composer, Siddhartha Khosla. Hi, Sid.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Hi, Michael. How are you?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's very nice to see you.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So great to see you too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Always find it pleasurable. It's usually at an awards show, you're usually holding a statue. So I have a question for you.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Yes.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You wrote this incredible theme song that has now carried us through five seasons. I love it as much as I did the first time I heard it. How do you feel about it now?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I mean, I think it's like, it's one of the, you know, those moments that you. I look back on my career and did I have these, like, moments that I felt were like a lightning in a bottle moment? That's one of them where I came up with that theme. And it was like. It was a magical moment that I could never recreate. I don't think I could ever beat it. You know, I'm so proud of it. And I'm lucky that, like, it's had the life it's had for all these.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

How did you land on the specific sound and feel for the show? Like, specific instruments and influences? What were they?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So when you guys started shooting the pilot for Only Murders in the Pandemic, I sort of, like, I said to myself that I wanted to write an instrumental record. I wanted to sort of prove to myself that I could, like, write orchestral music. Cause I was in a band. I didn't come from any of this. I didn't go to school for any of this stuff. Like, I was in a band and singer, songwriter, and so I was like, I have to prove to myself that I can write, like, orchestral music in the way that I feel like that fits me. And so I started writing these instrumental pieces. And like a month into a couple of these pieces, I wrote, I got the script for Only Murders that Dan Fogelman had sent me.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You have a history with Dan, right? You've known him for a long time.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I've known him since college. Since freshman year of college.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Right.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I've known him longer than I haven't at this point.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's amazing.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And we have a really, like, long friendship and work relationship as well. And he was like, listen. He's like, check out the script and let me know what you think. And I want to connect you to John Hoffman. I read the script and I wrote in the subject heading, only murders is. And then in the body of the email magic, that's what I just sent that to Dan, and Dan forwarded that to John. And John loved that. That was my reaction. And we met, and I was like, hey, I've been writing this music during the Pandemic. Can I play you some of it? And on the zoom call, I started playing him some stuff. It was bouncy, plinky stuff. And then there was also some classical stuff I had been writing. And John's like, that's the sound of my show. And after I'd read that script, I sent him, like, a batch of music. And one of the pieces that I had written, like, around reading the script was this melody that was da da.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Da da da da da da da.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Da da da da da with like these quarter note piano pulses. And it was my least favorite piece out of all the ones I sent him. So I put it at the very bottom. It was like the seventh track. And he calls me back, and we reached out and he goes, what is this? And he pointed to that theme. And he goes. He goes, that's the theme of my show. And I was like, really? And I was like, I didn't think that would be the one.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Right.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

But he's like, that's it. He's like. It makes me feel. I feel mystery, I feel emotion, I feel comedy, I feel drama. It's everything I wanna experience in this show.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's incredible. In this episode that we're talking about right now, rigor, I believe, when they're taking the body. Charles is taking the body back to cleanup.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That we hear sort of a version of the theme song, but it's sort of old timing a little bit. Like, what is that? What am I hearing there? That's all right.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So what. So that main theme, right, that was like, that became the sort of the musical north star of the show. Like, I kept. I've been going back to that theme over and over again with different renditions and different variations. And this year, I wrote sort of our mobster theme, and it has the same first few notes, but then changes. So it goes, da da da. Instead of going da da da, I go, la da da da da da da da.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So it's like this almost this sort of our sort of mobster theme.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. It's sort of smoky. It feels criminal almost, in a way. I don't know how to describe it.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Right, right.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You know.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

No, I like that. Smokey's good. That scene where Charles is taking body into the. Getting into the. That's a hilarious scene.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

But I did, like, sort of a waltz version of that mobster theme.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

So you took that one theme song, and I feel like five seasons now, you've interpreted, expanded, and evolved that music to fill kind of five different worlds that we've inhabited through the seasons.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Right.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Did you have any idea that that's what was gonna happen, that this was gonna go on this long and that it was gonna go so many different directions.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I had no idea that that theme would last this many seasons. I had no idea it would go into all these incarnations, that it's gone. But it starts with John. And John Hoffman is a very creative, brilliant mind. And he found sort of a diamond in the rough in that theme, right? But he's like, let's find ways to do variations on that theme in many different ways. And in the pilot episode of the show, I was messing around with some sounds and I was like, this should feel like a big orchestral, not like an 80 piece orchestra, but like a chamber, like a good sized orchestra that can speak to sort of the inner walls of the Iconia. It's a pre war building. We need to feel that history in the score. And because we got to play with orchestra and we have live music playing on the score, we can play with so many different variations of that theme. And then there's other themes too, right? That each season I've written a brand new theme.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

When you get sort of a breakdown of what new characters are gonna be in the season, like you probably get told there's gonna be three billionaires, there's gonna be a pop star, there's gonna be this and that. Do you write themes for each new character or do you.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Well, I write themes for like, what the arc of the season's going to be like. John and I were on a plane with our producer Jess. We were going to D.C. together for a work thing. And on that flight, this is before season four, John told me the entire sass story, really? And he's like, I need a sass theme for this season. So for Saz Pataky, I wrote her sort of emotional theme. But Saz's childhood felt like Saz and Szazz's father, like what those relationships feel like. So I wrote that theme. After that plane ride, or actually on that plane ride with John, I sang something into the phone and he was like, I like that. Just go finish that. And I went and finished it and it became the theme. And same thing with this season too. We'll have these conversations before the season starts. And he told me about the billionaires.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

The opera, right? Hasn't the opera played in the Opera Singer in the Courtyard. Was that something we heard prior to this season or is this the first.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Time we're hearing there was an opera singer at the end? There's been opera singer twice in the score, but more for this season, what's most relevant is at the end of last season when we find Lester's body in the fountain. There is this beautiful soprano singing, and it's sort of like. And I think when John heard that, he was like, I love that. Initially, I had just sung it on the demo, and I was like, oh. And I made this dramatic sort of like. And I was like, but this won't be me. It's gonna be a soprano. And we had this incredible singer sing it. And so maybe that might have planted the seed in John's head to have.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

To make Rainy a opera singer. Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

To have a little more opera, or maybe he already had in his mind. But he and I seem to. We're in sync sometimes. Like, you know, and it's a very sort of. It's special that I get to even do that on the show, you know, bring an opera singer in.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Do you have any favorite. Well, we're only at episode three right now.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Characters. Do you have any favorite characters?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Do you have any favorite characters?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Hmm. Let me think. And I will say, I was watching. I've been watching the show with my family.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Okay.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And our family absolutely adores you. And you are like, yes, we love you. We love, love, love you. You're just like. And you hit every sort of generation in our family. Like, the kids love you, and they just find you so charming and lovely. And for me, and I said this to you when back in the day, you feel like you're very Lynchian. You have this, like, Lynchian character. Like, it's like, you're funny, but also, like, eerie and like, this drama and comedy all mixed in your. In how you present the character, like, I love you, I laugh with you. And then I also don't know if I can trust you sometimes. Like, it's all of it together in just a really cool way. I just wanted to thank you for, like, that really sets the tone. Like, it really helps.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That's very nice of you, and thank you for answering that question, which was not the question. The question was actually, I was gonna say.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I wanted to say. I didn't see that.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I appreciate you saying it. Good plug for Howard. The question was, do you have any favorite musical moments throughout this season? Without giving a spoiler away, is there something that you're particularly proud of in season five that you got to do and you got to explore that you can tell us about without spoiling anything?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

There's a really. There's two moments. One is the sort of emotional Lester theme that sort of. It sort of floats like A feather throughout the season in these moments where we are sort of, like, wanting to connect to Lester and his family and his wife and their whole. Their relationship. And I'm really proud of just, like, how that feels like it's.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's really effective. I mean, especially later in the season when we. Without giving away, when we see more of Lester and more of what happened, Lester becomes a really big beating heart of the building in a way that, like, he was always. Of course, but, like, the music is really helping with that.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Oh, thank you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

It's really amazing.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I love the billionaire thematic material. John said to me. He goes, can we make it feel a little Germanic? Is what he said.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And so it has this, like, you know, it has these big sort of horns. It feels almost like militant in a way sometimes. Yeah. It's just a fun sort of side to the score to explore that we don't always get to explore.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I always love when the album comes out, you know, when they release the soundtrack of the season. There's a lot of great Easter eggs in that when it comes out. And also just a lot of spoilers when, you know, you get those.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So you felt that too, in the title. Like, I have had to go back and re edit the title.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. Cause sometimes the titles are like, poppy's the killer.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Like, guys.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Right. I know I've had to go back and re edit that sometimes to be. Thank you for letting me know. I'm gonna be very more and more.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Careful about that when Bunny dies. Okay. Okay, Sid, let's be a little bit more mysterious.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Go and.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Cut that out.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Cut that out.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Not in episode three, we are not. Have you ever worked with Steve on anything musically?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

No, I have not. Actually, I wrote. You know, there's moments where Steve plays the. He'll play the concertina. So I've written that stuff for him. But I've never worked with Steve on anything yet. But I have an experience that I had with Steve on set, which is something I will never forget. And last year, John asked me to be in the first episode because they film in la and I live in la.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Right, right.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And so I was a piano player in the background of this party. You probably didn't even notice.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I noticed you.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Yeah.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

You're a big star. Still in focus. Not very balance.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Hello. I was like, hi, Mom.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Hi, Mom. It's me, Sid.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

So I was on set and I had a scene with Steve because Steve was on the couch right in front of me at this party. And during one of the breaks, I Didn't you know? I'd never. I just met him that day. I'd never met him before. And he comes up to me, and we just started talking, and he happened to know, like, I think probably from Jess or from someone else, that I was in a band, and we just started talking about music. And he says to me, he says, you know, your score on the show has space in it, which is, like, really, like, a wonderful compliment, because it's kind of like what you were saying. It's about restraint by figuring out where you need to.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Where the notes need to play. And I had this moment with him where during one of our breaks, Steve was right next to me, and I got on my piano, and I was like, I wrote this theme for you, season one, when you were flipping omelets in the pilot. And I played it for him, and it was just this incredible moment where I got to play him a theme that I'd written for him, and he recognized it and observed it and, like. And just knew where the piece was going to. And I probably was, like, thinking about what he was doing in that scene as well.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

It was such a magical moment. And then that entire weekend, we just. We filmed again the next day. He pulled me aside at one point. He's like, can I show you my new. My new bluegrass record that I'm working on?

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Oh, yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And we just sat and listened to it, and we talked about music, and it was just something that I will never forget. It was an incredible moment.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Ah, I'm glad you had that with him.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I said to him, too, in that conversation, I said, you have incredible timing musically. Like, when he plays banjo, like, my hair on my arms, like, they go up, really. And I think it's just because he's got great timing in general.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah. In general. Yes. He has very good timing.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Yes.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

So we're at episode three right now. We have a long way to go.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Right.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What are you most excited to share with the audience?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I like the universe that we've created this season. It feels like we are a show within a show, and it feels like I can't. The show does these very cool things where inside of the show, we disappear into another one. And this season, I think with, like, the Lester story, Mob story, and just, like, there's more secrets to the arconia.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Like, the arconia is just.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

There's more secrets to the situation. Like New York City. The secrets of New York city. We have the billionaires. We have three different types of billionaires. We have their secrets with each other. We have their secrets with the public. There's a lot going on. Yeah. And it's all scored beautifully.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Thank you so much.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Thank you for being here.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Thank you for being here.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

I always love talking to you. I hope we get to do a thousand more seasons and go into a whole bunch of different worlds.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And I love it.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Hear variations of that amazing theme song.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Oh, thank you.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

What was your band's name that you were in?

[Siddhartha Khosla]

You've probably never heard of us. Called Goldspot, but small indie band.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

NPR band, you know.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

God bless npr.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

God bless npr.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Thank you for being here.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Thanks for having me.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Have a great day.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

Thank you. You too.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. And if you haven't already, why don't you subscribe or follow us wherever you're listening or watching from. Leave us a little rating or a review. Join us next time as we discuss crafting Characters with showrunner John Hoffman. Crafting Alchemy with costume designer Dana Covarrubias, and crafting Duck a l' Orange with Academy Award winner Christoph Walz. See you next time. Please don't get murdered. Watch and listen to the Only Murders in the Building official podcast available on Hulu and wherever you get your podcasts. And don't miss Only Murders in the Building now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. I'm gonna describe for you a scene that does not exist in the show but that I think should exist and might someday exist. We don't. Okay. And I want to see how you would score it. Okay. So Howard is brought into the courtyard on the back of a majestic giraffe, wearing a gorgeous crown made of peonies, wearing a three piece gingham suit. His podcast, Animal Jobs, is a huge hit and the paparazzi are coming at him from every angle. And he reminisces about when the building was famous for murder and not for the number one podcast in the world, Animal Jobs. He is also being chased by a cheetah who is very beautiful and her name is Edith. It. Oh, wow. Go.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

I hear a lot of trumpets.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Me, too.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

And only trumpets.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

There must be trumpets.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

They have to be trumpets. You need. You need the majesty of you on the horse giraffe. Sorry, Majesty of you on the giraffe. I hear like.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

That'S exactly what I hear.

[Siddhartha Khosla]

That's right here.

[Michael Cyril Creighton]

Yeah.