Only Murders In The Building Season 4 Return Chances Get Disappointing Update From OG Star

Summary Andrea Martin confirms Joy won't return in Only Murders in the Building season 4, but hopes to return in the show's future.

Given her and Charles' breakup in season 3 and the shift to Los Angeles in season 4, Joy's absence does make sense from a narrative perspective.

There is potential for Joy's return in a future season if the show returns to New York City and Charles retains the popularity he has seen in recent seasons.

While the new chapter will see a variety of new characters introduced, Only Murders in the Building season 4 will not see the return of Andrea Martin's Joy. Introduced in season 2 of the hit Hulu murder mystery comedy, Joy was Charles-Haden Savage's longtime makeup artist whom he develops a relationship with after their various flirty encounters working together in the past. Only Murders in the Building season 3 saw Joy and Charles' relationship advancing with her moving in, though the latter ultimately succumbed to the pressure and inadvertently pushed Joy away, namely with his incidental proposal to her.

During a recent interview with Screen Rant for Evil season 4, Martin was asked whether she would be reprising her role of Joy for the upcoming Only Murders in the Building season 4. The Emmy-winning actor had a disappointing update for those wanting to see her return, confirming she would not be back, but expressed her hope to appear in the show's future. See what Martin shared below:

You and I both want to see Joy back. Well, she certainly wasn't in this past season, I guess anything can happen. They've got a lot of guest stars, and everybody wants to do that show. And I don't know, the answer truly is I don't know. Would I love to bring Joy back? I think Joy loves Charlie on the show. But, you know, stories take different directions, it's really hard to honor every single character. It's hard to write every character story in a weighty way. So, she's gone for now, but maybe she'll come back. Put the good word out there! [Chuckles]

Could Joy Return In Only Murders' Future?

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Martin's confirmation that she won't be reprising her role of Joy for Only Murders in the Building season 4 may not come as much of a surprise for those following the show. Charles' reveal to her that he only proposed to her while in his mental "White Room" clearly left Joy quite dismayed that Steve Martin's character couldn't be honest with her about his fears of how their relationship was progressing. And while a breakup can always be reversed in a show, a breakup about a proposal of marriage is certainly a more difficult one to undo.

The other major factor why Joy's absence in Only Murders in the Building season 4 makes sense is the show's location change. After spending three seasons in New York City, the next season will follow Charles, Martin Short's Oliver and Selena Gomez's Mabel to Los Angeles, as various Hollywood executives look to get their life rights and produce a movie based on their podcast mysteries. While it's unclear how much of season 4 will be set in LA, particularly as the murder of Jane Lynch's Sazz lingers from the season 3 finale, this kind of change does provide further reason for Joy not to appear.

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Looking to the show's future, though, there is still some room for Martin to return as Joy in Only Murders in the Building. Gomez recently indicated being unsure about the show's future beyond season 4, but should a season 5 be ordered and return to New York, it could open the door for Joy and Charles to cross paths again, particularly if the movie based on the group's life further puts him back on the map for acting, and she gets hired for one of his productions. Though it may not lead to a reconciliation, it could at least provide the two closure for their relationship.

Only Murders in the Building season 4 premieres on Hulu on August 27.