Oliver Putnam, played by Martin Short, delivers some of Only Murders in the Building's most memorable lines. Below are 4 of the best Oliver Putnam quotes from Only Murders in the Building, each with the scene or episode where it appears, plus 4 pieces of trivia about the character.
Best Oliver Putnam Quotes
"I have directed seventeen Broadway productions. None of them ran more than a week. But that is not the point."
— Oliver Putnam, Season 1, Episode 3 - How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?
"A podcast is just theater for people who are too scared to buy a ticket."
— Oliver Putnam, Season 1, Episode 2 - Who Is Tim Kono?
"Every great mystery needs a director. Lucky for you both, I'm available."
— Oliver Putnam, Season 1, Episode 1 - True Crime
"I know about betrayal, Charles. I've had more understudies stab me in the back than you've had hit records."
— Oliver Putnam, Season 2, Episode 4 - Here's Looking at You
Oliver Putnam Trivia & Fun Facts
- Oliver's beloved basset hound, Winnie, became one of the show's breakout non-human stars.
- Martin Short drew on his decades of stage experience to portray Oliver's theatrical grandiosity.
- Oliver is financially ruined at the start of the series due to a disastrous Broadway investment.
- Despite his chaotic energy, Oliver is depicted as a genuinely devoted father, and his relationship with his son Will is one of the show's most sincere emotional threads.
Explore More
Read the full Oliver Putnam character profile or browse all Only Murders in the Building quotes.