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Only Murders in the Building has never been short of witty casting and doses of nostalgia, but Season 5 ups the ante by roping in three comedy icons for an unlikely reunion.
Tony Plana, who is still belovedly recalled as the quick-witted Jefe in Three Amigos, is a guest on the series that reunites him Steve Martin and Martin Short, his co-stars in that 1986 comedy hit. To long-time fans, the moment seems less like a gimmick and more like a minor miracle: a clever inside joke that doubles as an emotional trip down memory lane.
Plana's presence gives the series a touch of unexpected emotional appeal. The camaraderie on the set was immediate and sincere. Martin, Short, and Plana reverted to the beats they had practiced 40 years earlier, joking about the quick-fire timing and close-knit union that allowed their 1986 cult film to stand the test of time.
Only Murders in the Building: How Tony Plana joined for a Three Amigos reunion
In Only Murders in the Building Season 5, Plana is introduced as the former doorman of the Arconia, named George. Flashback introduces George as the trainer of Lester, the longtime doorman whose shocking murder becomes the catalyst for the mystery of this season.
To the co-creator, John Hoffman, the casting was both homage and serendipity. In an interview with Deadline, he said:
“Isn’t [Tony] the greatest? When we were casting George, we thought, ‘Who do we want that has the weight to carry what he’s carrying with a little edge and that dance you have to do?’ We got a list of actors, and I saw Tony’s name on it, and I stopped everything.”
Hoffman added:
“I called Steve and Marty, and said, ‘Tony Plana is on our list for George.’ I didn’t need to say more. They told me, ‘Get him! He’s the greatest guy.’ It was a no-brainer for us. I just love him, and he came, and we had this reunion, the 2 ½ amigos. I directed that episode that Tony is in, so I got to see everything happen.”
For Plana, the return struck a personal chord. He acknowledged that he had not seen Steve Martin since the publicity tours of Three Amigos, and seldom met Martin Short through the school affiliations of their children.
However, once reunited, the three men settled comfortably into the old rhythms: swapping stories, jokes, and wondering about the movie’s enduring afterlife.
Speaking with Deadline, Plana revealed:
“It was an amazing time to reconnect after so many years. I don’t think I’d seen Steve since back when we did the publicity for that film. Martin, I saw him a few times over the years because his son and my son attended high school together. We just picked up where we left off. We discussed our time in Three Amigos and how surprised we were by its enduring success after all these years.”
About Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building has turned into a jewel in the crown for Hulu since its 2021 debut. The murder mystery is married to razor-sharp comedy, and follows Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) as amateur sleuths who are obsessed with true crime podcasts.
Every season spins a new whodunit and an all-star guest list, with Season 5 already set to have the show’s most glittering roster yet.
This time, the killing of the beloved doorman Lester pulls the trio into a case that is highly rooted in the history of the Arconia itself. Guest stars, alongside Plana, are Bobby Cannavale, Christoph Waltz, Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Beanie Feldstein, and Keegan-Michael Key.
Plana, through George, goes beyond a nostalgic appearance, linking the past to the present, allowing the viewer to see the ties that united the inhabitants of the Arconia, regardless of their age groups.
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After four seasons, Only Murders in the Building has received 56 nominations and seven Emmys. The feats not only testify the popularity of the show's plots and twists, but also how it has successfully embraced Hollywood nostalgia without losing its sharp edges.
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