Only Murders in the Building, which John Hoffman createdwith SteveMartin, received 21 Emmy noms this year, including one for best comedy series a feat Hoffman, a four-time Emmy winner, tells THR is affirming.

How did the story at the center of season three come together?

For me to have any confidence in leading a writers room and building a season of a show like this with a cast like this, I have to feel I know this story in my bones. I based Oliver [Martin Shorts character] on an old theater professor of mine I was very close with until he passed away, Dr. Richard Mason he was known as The Mayor of Charles Street down in Greenwich Village. The pursuit of a theatrical endeavor through the mind of Oliver, I knew, would require a big swing, especially when we decided that it made sense for Oliver to take a straight play and turn it into a musical. There was also going to be this very tenuous and twisty romance with his new leading lady and that was all there before we knew who that leading lady would be. How did you wind up filling the role with Meryl Streep?

Its crazy. I was with [EPs] Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal going through the opening scene for season three potentially being this actress walking onto a stage, auditioning for a part, and Oliver being thunderstruck by both the talent and the woman standing before him, and I said to Dan and Jess, Well, the perfect person to play this part you know who that is? Theyre like, Who? And I was like, Well, Meryl Streep. And they were like, Good luck with that, John. Then, literally two weeks later, I get a text from Steve and Marty saying, Hey, Meryl Streep just reached out and said shed like to talk about doing something together. Should we bring up the show? I said, Yeah! And a week later, they called and said, Hey, Meryl just said shes in if you think we have something for her to do. Do we have anything good? And I was like, Oh, fuck.

How did your first call with her go?

I pitched her the character over a very nervous-making Zoom. I said, We open on your character, actually, in the very first scene, but youre 10 and visiting New York from St. Louis with your mom, whos bringing you to your first Broadway show, its called No Strings. And before I got any further, Meryl said, I saw that. And I said, What?! She said, Yeah, I saw that with my mother Diahann Carroll was in it. She sang this beautiful song. And she started to sing The Sweetest Sounds. I said, OK, I dont know what the hell is happening right now, but Meryl, you have to stop because my head is going to explode. Those lyrics you just sang are on page one of the script Im going to send you after we hang up. And she said, What?!

Youve checked a lot of people off your casting bucket list. Whos left?

There are so many. But Ill be honest: Weve inquired, because I love her so much, about Catherine OHara. Weve got to find the right thing. If we can land an idea, thats someone who is certainly in my sights and always has been.

This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.