Everything We Know About Only Murders in the Building Season 5

Only Murders in the Building ended its fourth season in a predictable way, with a slightly unpredictable twist as well. As each season goes, the lovable trio of Oliver (Martin Short), Charles (Steve Martin), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) find themselves at the center of a murder investigation that always occurs in their building. While looking into suspects and trying to figure out what happened, they are also creating content for their new true-crime podcast of the same name.

Season four ended with the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) being solved. And, as usual, a new dead body appeared, suggesting the amateur sleuths will be on the case again. This is confirmed because the Hulu series has been renewed for a fifth season. Here’s what’s known so far about it.

How Does Only Murders In the Building Set Up Season 5?

A Beloved Character Is Dead

The fourth installment ends with the resolution to Sazz’s murder, following up on lots of clues to the killer in Only Murders in the Building season 4. It’s learned that she had been mentoring a young stunt double named Rex Bailey (Jin Ha). But a job went horribly wrong when he made a crucial and dangerous mistake. Still looking to help him, she encouraged him to get back to script writing. She also showed Rex that she wrote a script herself.

Jealous that Sazz’s script was really good, Rex stole it, switched his identity, looked to go by the name Marshall P. Pope, and passed it off as his own. It got picked up by a major studio, and when Sazz got wind, she was furious. She informed Rex that she would be notifying Charles about the movie, which was fittingly called Only Murders in the Building and based on Charles, Mabel, and Oliver’s lives and podcast.

Worried this would end his career, Rex followed Sazz to New York and shot her from the window of the west building. Mabel finds the script at the same time Charles and Oliver learn Marshall’s real identity, and it’s a showdown. Thankfully, the trio comes out alive thanks to Jan (Amy Ryan), who had escaped prison and was patiently waiting to exact her revenge.

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The final episode ends with Oliver and Loretta’s (Meryl Streep) lovely wedding in the courtyard of the Arconia. Despite everyone’s worry that another murder will take place, since this seems to be the way things go for them, all goes off without a hitch. But as Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are walking through the courtyard the next morning, they see blood coming from the fountain.

They walk around and see the building’s long-time doorman Lester’s (Teddy Coluca) dead body slumped over at the bottom. They scream in horror, and it’s clear there’s another mystery to solve and a new season 5 murder victim. Before this occurs, however, Charles and Mabel are approached by a well-dressed woman named Sofia Caccimelio, played by Téa Leoni, in the lobby. She wants to hire them to investigate the disappearance of her husband, Nicky “The Neck” Caccimelio. A tease earlier in the season reveals that he is known as the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn.

They rebuff her ask, noting that they only investigate murders in their building. The mysterious woman claims that this case “has everything to do with the building” but she doesn’t elaborate. She does, however, say she’s willing to pay handsomely and gives them her card should they change their minds.

Who Is Lester From Only Murders in the Building?

He Has a History in the Building

Lester is the long-time doorman of the Arconia. He has appeared in every season of the series, one of the best mystery shows you can stream right now. He was typically in the background helping in any way he could and desperate for conversation. He always had a pleasant demeanor, even if many of the residents often ignored him.

Through his time on the show, however, he revealed tidbits of information about himself. He graduated from Juilliard, for example, and had worked off-Broadway for some time. When he started having a hard time securing roles, he dealt with depression and alcohol misuse and was even homeless for a period of time. To help get his life back on track, he took the first job he could find, which was a doorman for the Arconia. And he had been there ever since.

Lester was the person to alert Charles and others that they had discovered Tim’s body in the building in season one. He said that it was a suspected suicide, according to police. Lester always did what was asked of him, but clearly secretly despised some of the residents. He once tried to express this through sign language to Theo (James Caverly) but couldn’t get his signs right.

Given that he has taken care of the building for so long, Lester has acquired juicy details and stories. He once told Charles, for example, that he found an inebriated Sting (played by himself) in the hallway after The Police broke up. He referred to the ailment as “the Irish flu.” He also supported the guests he viewed as friends, such as when he was seen in the audience at the opening night of Oliver’s play Death Rattle.

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Some of the residents were often on Lester’s case. Bunny (Jane Houdyshell), for example, would criticize him for not picking up the trash. She would even threaten to replace him, though Lester seemed secure in his job given how long he had been there, and brushed off her threats.

One of the sweetest moments with Lester is when, after being forced to walk up several flights of stairs to bring a package to Nina (Christine Ko), he sits down to take a breath. He then begins to put together a baby swing for her and the pair start to chat. Nina talks about Lester’s wife Lorraine and his children May and Frank.

There’s a question about how good Lester is at his job when so many murderers manage to enter the building. In season four, when Charles and Oliver are rushing out to save Mabel from Marshall, Oliver tells Lester that he’s in charge of the set-up for his wedding since Oliver has something important to take care of. He threatens Lester to do a good job or there will be “consequences” and comments to Charles that all Lester does is “let murderers in the building” anyway.

Lester tries to chat with Charles, commenting on how he had a lovely wedding himself in the courtyard of the Arconia as well, and that it was a beautiful event. In a bit of foreshadowing, he references the very fountain he’s later found dead in as being his “only witness” for the nuptials. Charles is too busy to listen, and this is the last on-screen interaction he and Oliver have with the man before his death.

What Is Known So Far About Season 5?

While the fifth season will certainly center around the death of Lester and the investigation of his murder, the most interesting aspect will be how Sofia and her husband fit into the story. The implication is that Nicky might be a member of the mob, with ties to the Caputo crime family, and Lester’s death could have something to do with potential ties from the past.

Co-creator John Hoffman told TVLine that the set-up provides an opportunity to “take us back into the land of New York today, in many ways…” He adds that “maybe even headlines about New York City today, in the real world, might influence some of the stories in a way that we haven’t done yet.” He added to TheWrap that season five will be “more reflective, deeply New York, both historically and the modern New York right now too.”

The fifth season will provide an opportunity to look more into Lester’s backstory beyond the short tales he has shared with others about his life. “Who is this person?” he asks. “And what stuff might have been going on in his life? What sort of factions has he touched?” It would be interesting to see which young actor might be cast to play a younger version of him, assuming there are flashbacks to his origins starting at the Arconia.

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Since Nicky was known as the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn, chances are that Lester knows him personally. One of his tasks, after all, is handling the dry cleaning for the building’s wealthy residents. Is it possible that Nick could actually be Lester’s son, or Sofia his daughter or daughter-in-law?

It is likely that Leoni will return for season five, her fleeting appearance having to tie some way into the plot to justify its existence. Since she mentioned that her husband’s disappearance has a lot to do with the building, she could be referencing a number of things. It could be his connection to residents, or potentially even to Lester specifically. Did Sofia know that Lester was dead or being targeted? Did she have something to do with it? She flippantly says to Charles and Mabel when she first encounters them that she just “let herself in” since there was no doorman.

There’s no word yet on when season five of Only Murders in the Building will premiere, but given that season four just finished streaming, it likely won’t be until later in 2025. If the release date follows previous seasons, the new season could be available as soon as summer 2025. Hoffman told The Wrap that writing has already begun, so “it’s pretty fast and we’re already in.” However, there’s still a long time until filming.

Season five will, like other seasons of the show, have 10 episodes. Chances are it will feature a long list of celebrity guest stars as well, like other seasons, including both those returning and potential new faces. Expect a mix of modern-day and classic New York City with throwback scenes. But most importantly, it will provide a deeper dive into a beloved character who might finally get the appreciation he deserves now that he’s no longer around.

Stream Only Murders in the Building on Hulu.

Three strangers, obsessed with true crime, find themselves entangled in a murder case within their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building. As amateur sleuths, they collaborate to uncover the truth, navigating hidden secrets and clues while documenting their investigation through podcasts.

Release Date

August 31, 2021

Creator(s)

Steve Martin , John Hoffman

Cast

Michael Cyril Creighton , Aaron Dominguez , Ryan Broussard , Selena Gomez , Martin Short , Vanessa Aspillaga , Steve Martin , Amy Ryan , Jeena Yi

Seasons

4

Creator

Story By

steve martin

Writers

Steve Martin , John Hoffman

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Disney+

Directors

Cherien Dabis

Showrunner

Steve Martin , John Hoffman

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