In the much-anticipated season 4 premiere of Hulu’s popular show Only Murders in the Building, fans got a surprise with a cameo from Scott Bakula. The episode, which dropped on August 27, 2024, welcomed Bakula into the show’s quirky murder mystery world.
The actor, famous for his parts in Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise, showed up in a scene that caught the characters off guard and thrilled long-time fans who hoped to see him in the series.
In episode 1, Bakula is at a Hollywood party where Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) are hanging out with all the celebrities.
Charles hilariously thinks Bakula is his stunt double, Sazz Pataki (played by Jane Lynch), who met a shocking end at the end of Only Murders in the Building Season 3.
When Bakula turns around, he tells them Sazz was supposed to work with him on a pilot but ended up ghosting him. This gets the trio back to New York, where they discover the murder of Sazz.
The significance of Scott Bakula's Only Murders in the Building Season 4 cameo
Scott Bakula popping up in the premiere isn’t just a random celebrity cameo. It’s a reference and salute to the show’s history and fans. Series co-creator John Hoffman mentioned that they’d been planning Bakula’s appearance for a while, especially since his name kept coming up in earlier seasons.
Hoffman told TVLine on August 26, 2024, that Bakula knew he was being brought up a lot in the show.
He added,
"I saw Scott in a fantastic musical [The Connector] in New York right before he came to shoot with us this season. He was so excited to be a part of it, even in this small way."
Bakula has got a bit of history with Hoffman from their time working together on the HBO show Looking, where he had a recurring role. That connection may have made it a lot easier to bring him into Only Murders in the Building.
Celebrity cameos take center stage in Only Murders in the Building Season 4
Scott Bakula is one of the celebrity cameos we can look forward to in Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building. The first episode also brings in other big names like Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria. They will play fictional versions of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel in a Hollywood adaptation of their podcast.
Hoffman likes to call them "doppelgängers," and they’re going to be key players as the season rolls on. He teased in his interview with Parade that fans can expect even more surprises as things heat up.
Bakula's character might look like a quick cameo, but as the murder investigation gets intense, he could play a bigger role. The humor, mystery, and celebrity guests keep it fun and fans come back for more with all the surprises.
You can check out the new episodes of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 streaming on Hulu. They drop every Tuesday.
Stick with Soap Central for the latest scoop on Only Murders in the Building Season 4 as the mystery unfolds.
