'Only Murders in the Building' Season 5: Everything We Know

Hulu's murder-mystery comedy Only Murders in the Building has become a staple of early fall TV. Since its debut in 2021, the N.Y.C.-set series has followed its true-crime podcasters Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) as they investigate a series of murders in their pre-war apartment The Arconia (and never consider relocating).

Even before the star-studded season 4 ended with its bombshell finale—setting up Charles, Mabel, and Oliver's next investigation—the series was renewed for season 5. So, below, we're keeping track of everything we know about Only Murders in the Building season 5 so far.

When will 'Only Murders in the Building' season 5 come out?

Get ready for another autumn on the Upper West Side! In late July, Hulu revealed that Only Murders in the Building season 3 will premiere on Tuesday, September 9. Three episodes will stream on the premiere date, with the rest of the 10-episode installment rolling out weekly.

The streamer announced the news by sharing a first-look photo of Mabel, Oliver, and Charles (which you can see above) being cheeky and mirroring a version of the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" proverb. Hulu also posted a video of the cast revealing the release date (while being adorable and laughing at each other while doing it).

Who will be in the cast of 'Only Murders in the Building' season 5?

Spoilers for the Only Murders in the Building season 4 finale ahead. Since we know who made it out of OMITB season 4 alive—as well as next season's murder victim—we can confirm that all of the series's central cast will return. That includes the main trio Steven Martin (Charles Haden-Savage), Martin Short (Oliver Putnam), Selena Gomez (Mabel Mora), Michael Cyril Creighton (Howard Morris), Jackie Hoffman (Uma Heller), and Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Detective Williams). Meryl Streep will also return as a guest star, reprising her role of Loretta Durkin-Putnam.

Meanwhile, the end of season 4 set up two characters to become some of the main focuses in the upcoming murder mystery. After he was found dead in the Arconia's courtyard fountain, Lester the doorman (played since season 1 by Teddy Coluca) is guaranteed to return via extensive flashbacks. Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Téa Leoni has officially joined OMITB season 5 as "Sofia Caccimelio, wife of Nicky 'The Neck' Caccimelio, a missing person with ties to the Caputo crime family mentioned previously in episode 9 this season."

OMITB co-creator John Hoffman told the outlet, "I think she’s the great tease at the end of the finale and a little bit of an intriguing bump forward. She’s an extension of the little news report in episode 9 that Mabel makes note of at the hospital. [Sofia] is the wife of the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn, and maybe a couple of dry cleaning outlets in Manhattan, as well, we may come to know. But beyond that, it’s a world opened up potentially that we haven’t talked about too much yet in New York, so she holds a lot of intrigue."

Who are the new cast members in 'Only Murders in the Building' season 5?

Leoni isn't the only new addition to the Arconia extended universe. In early March 2025, Hulu began announcing more names in Only Murders in the Building season 5. According to Deadline, comedic actor Keegan-Michael Key (known for leading Comedy Central's Key Peele and shows like Reboot) will play a recurring role.

Several weeks later, a few other heavy hitters were announced as new additions. Variety revealed Oscar-winning Austrian-German actor Christoph Waltz (known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, including Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, the Bond movies, and dramas like Big Eyes) has joined the cast. Then, just days later, Deadline shared that another Oscar-winner will be among the ensemble: Bridget Jones herself, Renée Zellweger.

Gomez also spilled some major tea in an early April Instagram post. In a round-up of recent photos, which she captioned, "a few memories...," the star/producer revealed that Logan Lerman is also among the cast. The former teen heartthrob (known for roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stuck in Love, the Percy Jackson movies, and more recently, Oh, Hi!) was pictured in a behind-the-scenes shot of the show's core trio posting with showrunner John Hoffman, as well as newbies Zellweger and Waltz. Considering he's one of the internet's boyfriends, we can get excited knowing we'll have a new crush in the building!

A new funny guy may catch our eye, too. Shortly after Lerman's casting was revealed, Variety confirmed Jermaine Fowler (from comedies like Ricky Stanicky, The Blackening, and Sorry to Bother You) is joining the show in a "recurring role."

You can expect season 5 to have us in stitches because one of our favorite comedic actresses, Beanie Feldstein, is also a part of the ensemble. Deadline confirmed her casting while the series was in the midst of production in mid-April. We can't wait to see the Golden Globe-nominated Booksmart, Drive-Away Dolls, and Impeachment: American Crime Story star go toe-to-toe with the odd throuple.

As usual, details about each member of the new cast's characters are kept under wraps. However, the trailer (more on that below) gives some insight—and reveals that Bobby Canavale also makes an appearance. We'll have to wait to see who the suspects are.

What will 'Only Murders in the Building' season 5 be about?

The final moments of season 4 tease that season 5 will focus on Lester's mysterious death, Nicky "The Neck" Caccimelio's disappearance, the dealings of the Caputo crime family, and how it all ties together and connects to the Arconia. (Seriously, how has no one moved out of that building yet?)

Hoffman opened up about the concept while speaking to TVLine, following the season 4 finale. "There are a lot of areas that we’ve been talking about [in the writers’ room]…looking at the life of someone who was a doorman in a pre-war apartment building in New York City at this moment, and all that it encompasses," he said. "Who is this person? And what stuff might have been going on in his life? What sort of factions [of N.Y.C.] has he touched? That feels really intriguing to me as far as where we’re going."

He also told Deadline that the overall conspiracy may also have ties to the main trio—specifically, Oliver's shadier business dealings in the past. "I think there are references to what Oliver said when he dealt with financing for his shows; so, yeah, there may be some crossover that way," he said. "Potentially, some danger could be involved in helping. There are some moves that might come in season 5 that change the whole equation."

More recently, in an August 2025 interview with Deadline, Hoffman spoke about why this season feels especially relevant to what's going on in N.Y.C. today. "What I think we’re doing in season 5 is very different," he told the outlet. "We’re going straight into a New York story that’s happening very much currently. It’s also happening across the country, obviously, but also in the city itself. We’re pulling from the headlines to ask very specific questions about the balance of power in New York and who has that power. That’s what we’re really looking at—the shifting power dynamics of the country."

The showrunner added, "And what’s really fun about it, the comedic side of it, is that the history of power in New York is pretty colorful, with the old mob and the new mob mixing in. What do those two look like, and how do they sit on either side, with our trio in the center of it?"

We can't wait to see our favorite unlikely throuple uncover how this crime goes all the way to the top!

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Is there a trailer for 'Only Murders in the Building' season 5?

Yes! As Streep's character Loretta says at one point in the trailer, "Let's talk murder!"

The teaser promises another madcap season of OMITB and offers more insight into the plot and the new cast of characters. As it turns out, when Lester was murdered, three of the richest people in the world were present (played by newcomers Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, and Renée Zellweger), and he also had connections to the mafia. Mob references abound—including butchered quotes of The Godfather, checking if Lester's corpse has all 10 fingers and toes, and the case potentially going all the way to the top, with Keegan-Michael Key playing the mayor. "We need to go face-to-face with the mob," Mabel says to her besties. We can't wait!