The podcast is back on! The doors of the Arconia are creaking open once more as Only Murders in the Building returns for its highly anticipated fifth season.
Our favorite trio of true-crime-obsessed neighbors—Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez)—are diving headfirst into their most personal case yet: the shocking death of their beloved doorman, Lester.
But before we step into the new mystery, let’s be real: the Arconia has more secrets than it has apartments. With four seasons of twists, red herrings, and unsolved clues, it’s easy to forget a poisoned dog or a mysterious note here or there.
Consider this your official, all-access pass to catch up. We’re recapping every murder, every reveal, and—most importantly—every lingering question that Season 5 needs to answer. Grab a gut milk, settle into your favorite armchair, and let’s get into it.
A Quick Recap of Season 1 – 4
Season 1: The Death of Tim Kono
The series that started it all. Three strangers bonded over a true crime podcast and the sudden death of their neighbor, Tim Kono. What seemed like a suicide was quickly revealed to be a murder, pulling them into a web of black-market jewelry run by Teddy Dimas (Nathan Lane) and his son, Theo (James Caverly). The real killer? Jan (Amy Ryan), the bassoonist from 6A, who poisoned Tim after a bad breakup. But just as they celebrated, they were framed for the murder of board president Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell).
Season 2: Who Killed Bunny Folger?
Framed for Bunny’s stabbing and public enemy number one, the trio had to investigate to clear their names. This season introduced us to the secret passages of the Arconia, Bunny’s missing (and forged) painting, and a twist involving Oliver’s potential paternity. The mastermind was revealed to be Cinda Canning’s (Tina Fey) assistant, Poppy/Becky Butler (Adina Verson), who orchestrated the murder with her cop boyfriend, Detective Kreps (Michael Rapaport), to create a hit podcast of her own. The season ended with a literal show-stopping death: actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) collapsed on stage at Oliver’s play.
Season 3: The Show Must Go (On After a Murder)
The action moved to the Goosebury Theater, where Oliver was directing a Broadway play starring the notoriously difficult Ben Glenroy. After Ben’s shocking on-stage death (and an even more shocking brief return), the trio investigated the theatrical cast, including the magnificent Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep). The killer was a mother’s love: producer Donna (Linda Emond) poisoned Ben with a poisoned cookie to save her son Cliff’s (Wesley Taylor) first producing credit from a bad review. But in a tragic accident, Cliff pushed Ben down the elevator shaft. The season’s final, jaw-dropping moment: Charles’s stunt double and ex, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), was shot in Charles’s apartment by an unseen sniper.
Season 4: The Mystery of Sazz’s Murder
Who killed Sazz? Was the bullet meant for Charles? The trio’s investigation led them to the Arconia’s mysterious “West Tower” and its quirky residents, a pig named Hammy, and a ham radio. They teamed up with the actors set to play them in a movie (Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria). The culprit was unassuming screenwriter Marshall P. Pope (Matthew Del Negro), who was actually Sazz’s vengeful former protégé, Rex Bailey. He killed her to cover up his theft of her movie script. The case closed with Jan returning for a killer cameo to avenge Sazz, but the victory was short-lived. The final scene: the trio discovers Lester, the doorman, dead in the Arconia’s fountain.
What We Know About Season 5
Season 5 kicks off with a case that hits close to home. Lester wasn’t just the doorman; he was the cheerful, unflappable heart of the Arconia. As Selena Gomez told Extra TV, this season is a “beautiful tribute” to him, and we’ll get to meet his wife and explore the life of a man who held “a large amount of tenants’ secrets.”
Co-creator John Hoffman teased that the show is “dipping our toe into a New York City… that feels particularly ripped from the headlines,” involving “old mob families with its newest billionaires.” Sounds like the scope is bigger than ever!
Release Schedule: Mark Your Calendars!
The first three episodes premiere today, September 9, 2025. New episodes drop weekly on Tuesdays on Hulu, with the season finale slated for October 28.
- Sept. 9: Episodes 1-3 (Nail in the Coffin, After You, Rigor)
- Sept. 16: Episode 4 (Dirty Birds)
- Sept. 23: Episode 5 (Tongue Tied)
- Sept. 30: Episode 6 (Flatbrush)
- Oct. 7: Episode 7 (Silver Alert)
- Oct. 14: Episode 8 (Cuckoo Chicks)
- Oct. 21: Episode 9 (LESTR)
- Oct. 28: Episode 10 (Title TBA)
Burning Questions Season 5 MUST Answer
This is where it gets juicy. Only Murders is famous for planting seeds that grow seasons later. Here are the biggest unsolved mysteries still haunting the hallways.
1. The Original Threats: Who Poisoned Winnie & Left the Notes?
Way back in Season 1, Oliver’s dog Winnie was poisoned, and he and Jan received threatening notes. Jan was the obvious suspect for her own note, but the timing of Winnie’s poisoning never quite lined up with her motives. Was it Teddy Dimas trying to scare them off? Someone else entirely? We need answers!
2. The Charles Savage Family Trauma
Charles’s childhood is a dark well of unresolved trauma.
- What happened to Charles’s dad? We saw a flashback of him being arrested, covered in blood. Why? Loretta’s friend, the painter Rose Cooper, implied he was protecting her, but the full story is unknown.
- Is he connected to “Nicky Caccimelio”? This name was on a threatening note to Charles. The final scene of Season 4 also featured a woman named Sofia Caccimelio asking them to investigate her husband’s disappearance. The connection is screaming to be explored.
3. The Theatre Saboteur
During the chaos of Season 3’s play, someone was actively trying to cause harm.
- Who threw the sandbag that nearly brained Charles?
- Who locked Charles in the dressing room and turned on the fog machine?
- Who replaced the fake breakaway bottle with a real one that knocked Charles out during Sazz’s funeral? Was it all Rex, or was there another player?
4. The Web Around Sazz’s Murder
While Rex was the triggerman, some details of his story don’t add up, suggesting he may have had help or wasn’t being entirely truthful.
- Who has Sazz’s phone? Rex used it to text the trio and get Glen’s hospital updates, but he never explicitly confessed to having it the whole time. The police’s inability to track it is also a major plot hole that needs addressing.
- Who was really watching the trio? The creepy footage sent to them felt like the work of a mastermind, not just a disgruntled screenwriter.
- How did Bev know about Sazz’s dream location for the stunt camp? Her showing up there was highly suspicious.
- How did the killer know about the incinerator? It’s a pretty specific way to dispose of a body. Did Rex figure it out from Sazz’s script, or did a resident of the West Tower inadvertently help?
5. The West Tower & Other Loose Ends
- What was the deal with Hammy the pig? We know it was Helga’s, but its presence in Dudenoff’s apartment was a weird clue that never fully paid off.
- Why did Charles’s ex, Emma, break up with him in such an extreme manner? It was played for laughs, but it was deeply cruel. There might be more to that story.
- Who is Mabel’s aunt, and why did she truly disappear? She sold the apartment out from under Mabel, and we know almost nothing about her. That feels like a Chekhov’s gun waiting to be fired.
6. The Biggest One: Who is The “Tie-Dye Guy” Narrator?
In one of the most brilliantly weird episodes, the Arconia’s resident garbage man, “Silent” Big Mike, narrated an entire episode. Why? The show doesn’t do anything without a reason. Is he connected to the Caccimelio case? Is he a silent witness to everything? We demand to know!
The beauty of Only Murders in the Building is that no detail is ever wasted. That random note from season one could be the key to the entire series finale.
As we step into the mystery of Lester’s death, one thing is certain: the walls of the Arconia have ears, and they’re listening to every theory. The premieres of Season 5 are now streaming on Hulu. Let the investigating begin
