In a time when TV series have multi-year gaps between seasons and staggered release schedules, there’s still one show we’ve been able to count on every fall.
Steve Martin and John Hoffman (The Larry Sanders Show) deliver yet another entertaining season of Only Murders in the Building with talented guest stars and a killer mystery. The creators and writers improved some of last season’s missing pieces and reestablished the bond between our three protagonists.
Spoiler warning for Seasons 1- 4
In Season 4, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) find out that a movie based on their Only Murders in the Building podcast is already underway. They fly to Los Angeles to meet with the Hollywood execs and their on-screen counterparts: Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria. Eventually, the production sets up shop inside the Arconia, specifically the penthouse that’s usually occupied by a celebrity.
Meanwhile, the trio is also investigating the tragic murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles’s longtime stunt double and close friend, whom they discover was shot in Charles’s apartment and later tossed into the building’s incinerator. Charles, Oliver, and Mabel venture over into the Arconia’s West Tower and meet more eccentric characters, including Vince (Richard Kind) and Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani).
The season finale reveals the killer to be Marshall P. Pope (Jin Ha), an alias for the movie’s screenwriter and Sazz’s former stuntman protégé, Rex Bailey. He steals her script and sells it to Paramount. When Sazz threatens to reveal the truth, Rex breaks into a vacant Westie apartment and shoots her through the window. As he’s confronted by Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, he’s shot and killed by Jan (Amy Ryan), saving her former beau and avenging her deceased girlfriend. So far, Rex is the first Only Murders culprit to get the axe.
Season 4 almost ends on a happy note. Oliver and his long-distance lady, Loretta (Meryl Streep), exchange vows in a beautiful courtyard wedding at the Arconia. The next morning, our trio stumbles upon a gruesome sight: the lifeless body of the building’s longtime doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca), in the fountain.
In addition to solving Lester’s murder, they’re set up for another season 5 mystery. Sofia Caccimelio (Téa Leoni) approaches Charles and Mabel, asking them for help finding her missing husband, who has ties to the mob. They turn her down since finding missing people isn’t their thing. Naturally, her husband is more important than they assume.
When we catch up with Charles, Oliver, and Mabel in Season 5, it’s been less than a week after Oliver and Loretta’s wedding, and they waste no time going straight into the new case(s). Even though Lester’s death was officially ruled an accident, we know better than to believe that. Like Sazz, Lester doesn’t seem like someone with enemies, so building a list of suspects doesn’t come easily.
With each season of Only Murders, we’ve come to expect a stacked cast, especially when it comes to possible killers. The trio visits an exclusive casino, a potential crime scene, that’s as stunning as it is eerie. This is where they find their new suspects, who happen to be extremely wealthy.
Renée Zellweger plays Camila White, a Martha Stewart-esque lifestyle magnate who loves a beige ensemble. Christoph Waltz’s Bash Steed is a stoic tech billionaire obsessed with longevity and AI advancement. Logan Lerman portrays Jay Pflug, an aimless nepo baby downplaying his privilege. These roles could easily result in cartoonish stereotypes (looking at you, Squid Game!), but the talented actors give their characters a calm superiority.
As Charles, Oliver, and Mabel dig into Lester’s life, they discover his suspicious ties to the mob, namely interactions with Nicky “The Neck” Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), aka the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn. Leoni reprises her role as Sofia, who’s still looking for her husband.
While the main theme this season is the mob, the show also focuses on the residents of the Arconia as they mourn their affable doorman. Episode two dives deep into Lester’s origins and the life of New York doormen. At his wake in the Arconia lobby, we meet his widow, Lorraine (Dianne Wiest), and doorman-in-training Randall (Jermaine Fowler).
Some familiar Arconians make appearances, including Uma (Jackie Hoffman), Dr. Grover Stanley (Russell G. Jones), Ursula (Vanessa Aspillaga), and Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane). Howard Morris (Michael Cyril Creighton) has steadily gotten more much-deserved screen time each year, as has Detective Williams (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), both of whom are more involved this season.
In terms of guest stars and subplots, Season 4 was very busy. It introduced the Westies, the trio’s on-screen counterparts, and Hollywood execs, along with the sister filmmaking duo and Sazz’s killer. There are still a few storylines to juggle this season and plenty of new characters, though not overwhelmingly so.
Seasons 3 and 4 often separated Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, but this time, they stick together and don’t have any big arguments dividing them (at least not in the episodes available to screen). Season 5 has the coziness that was missing in last season, which was a big complaint among fans.
Only Murders in the Building’s fifth season is a satisfying return to form, centering on our favorite trio as they explore the dark history of the mob in New York. The series’ writing, acting, wardrobe, and production design remain consistently impressive, letting viewers immerse themselves in a cozy mystery with character-driven humor and moments of absurdity.
Only Murders in the Building season 5 returns September 9 on Hulu with three episodes, followed by weekly episodes through October 28.
