Investigate a script page from Only Murders in the Building's season 2 premiere

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There was good news at the end of season 1 of Only Murders in the Building: Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Oliver (Martin Short) solved one murder, thanks to their plucky determination and a bassoon cleaner. The bad news? There was another murder in the Arconia — R.I.P., Bunny (Jayne Houdyshell), seemingly by way of knitting needle — and our trio now has her blood on their hands, quite literally.

What can viewers expect in season 2 of Hulu's beguiling mystery comedy as Bunny's murder is investigated and the three strangers who sleuthed out a murder in their Upper West Side co-op and podcasted the hell out of it have now found themselves in even graver danger? "Everything they hopefully wouldn't expect — in that there may also be surprising great opportunities coming our trio's way as they try to keep from being implicated in the central crime," series creator John Hoffman tells EW.

The new season, which begins June 28, finds the Murders crew digging deeper into the secrets of the Arconia while challenging about their own bonds. "There's a growing familiarity among them, for sure, now in season 2, which also brings tests to the trust they've built, and a deeper reliance on each other as their main sources of support," he says. "Can they step up for each other, when doing so may risk something they really want for themselves?"

Speaking of which, how's the podcasting going? "Well… season 2's can be tough," Hoffman deadpans. "And podcasting can be super tough when you're being framed and the evidence you keep finding continually points back to yourselves. Not quite the kind of creative broadcasting they're looking to put out there, and yet, they're gonna give it their all, dammit!" Along the way awaits a line-up of intriguing famous guest stars — "a comedy killer's row coming your way," promises Hoffman. (Cara Delevingne pops up as a love interest for Mabel, Amy Schumer plays a version of herself, and Shirley MacLaine guests as Bunny's mom.)

The OMITB creator also offers up this super cryptic hint: "We're ruffling our feathers and our fathers." While you try to crack that one, take a peek at this script page from the season premiere, which comes complete with amusing annotations from Hoffman, a meta wink at the season 2 of it all, a little intel about Bunny, and, sure, a reference to Sting's Rain Sticks.

A) "The DING!s are, for me, like a comedic score companion to [OMITB composer] Sidd Khosla's amazing music."

B) "Pretty sure Steve and Marty aren't the biggest fans of 'dual dialogue' — and yet they always perform it perfectly so I keep offering it up."

C) "Love moments like this: where one or more of the trio can't help but ask a case-related question — and they take care to step delicately because they care so much about each other, but they need to know!"

D) "I choose to believe that the trio loves a double hyphen as much as I do — because they always find ways to make amazing sense of them."

E) "This moment begins a central question in the episode: Do you choose not to investigate and podcast about a case because it could mess up your life and some cool new opportunities? Or... do you say screw it and dive in, come what may."

F) "A key note I found in directing this scene was to remind the trio of how weary and fried they had to be from the tumultuous events of the night before — and it colored all in how they played this scene."

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• Only Murders in the Building review: A starry caper that settles for broad comedy
• Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short clue you in on their new Hulu mystery comedy