Steve Martin has been mildly wild and crazy about series work

Q: I don’t recall Steve Martin doing a series before “Only Murders in the Building.” Did he? – Jerry Heller, via e-mail

A: Yes, but you have to reach back quite a way for it – like, almost 50 years. Martin was a regular cast member on “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,” playing a variety of characters in skits from week to week. The same applied to his work on “The Ken Berry ‘Wow’ Show” around the same time; Martin also was a writer on both programs.

Those were Martin’s two stints as an ongoing television performer before Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” unless you count his recurring appearances on “Saturday Night Live.” He’s also done a relative handful of guest shots on series including “The Tracey Ullman Show,” and “30 Rock.”