Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Review
Emma Londoner ‘26 | Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Only Murders in the Building has always mixed absurdity, warmth, and mystery in a way that feels both cozy and clever. Season five brought that balance back and reminded us why the show works so well. It felt like a real return to form after the uneven fourth season, bringing back the energy, chemistry, and humor that made the early years so special. The season opens with one of the strongest set-ups the show has done in a while, with Lester’s funeral, a severed finger, and a mystery that pulls Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) back into chaos before they’ve even had a chance to process Lester, the doorman’s death. Right away, the tone feels more confident, full of weird clues, eccentric characters, and the trio’s familiar rhythm slipping into investigation mode.
What stands out most in the early episodes is how easily the trio’s chemistry clicks back into place. Steve Martin and Martin Short remain the strongest performers, and their dynamic is unmatched. Their comedic timing is effortless. Selena Gomez is the quietest of the three, but she helps ground the show and balances Steve and Martin. That’s what makes the trio successful. Together, their scenes feel lively, especially when they find themselves in increasingly ridiculous situations. Examples include stumbling into a secret casino beneath the Arconia or attempting to interrogate a group of billionaires who immediately threaten to sue them. The humor consistently lands, the stakes feel fun rather than heavy, and the mystery has a clear direction in the first half of the season.
Season five also benefits from tying the investigation to the building’s emotional history. Flashbacks to Lester’s early years as a doorman add real heart and show how deeply connected he was to the building. Introducing his long-term, complicated relationship with Nick Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale) and the mob gives the story a personal anchor that the show hasn’t had before. The season builds its mystery around how Lester became trapped in something he couldn’t escape, and why he left a trail of clues for a trio. These emotional threads keep the early episodes compelling without losing the show’s light tone.
The season becomes harder to follow as it moves forward. Around the midpoint, the story expands into a sprawling web of plotlines, including billionaire suspects, a corrupt mayor, casino rights, a robot doorman, a forged finger, and even the threat of Arconia’s demolition. Each idea is entertaining on its own, but together these storylines start to compete and lose the case’s clear single goal.
The show is at its best when the mystery feels personal, centered on the building and the trio’s relationships. Here, the plot becomes so large that some clues lose their weight. The billionaire trio is a funny addition, but it shifts the tone away from the emotional setup involving Lester. The political plot involving Mayor Tillman (Keegan-Michael Key) adds even more layers but also creates distance between the trio and the heart of the story. By the final episodes, the season is juggling secret passages, hidden cameras, fake identities, mob deals, poker games, and real estate takeovers, and the emotional focus starts to fade.
Still, the season doesn’t fall apart. It is entertaining and full of intense moments. Mabel reconnecting with her former friend, Althea, adds depth to her character. Oliver, revisiting the old Flatbush theater, brings out a surprisingly vulnerable side of himself. Charles is contemplating his life and the fear of being alone. And Randall, the nervous new doorman with something to hide, becomes one of the most interesting side characters the show has introduced in a while. These moments keep the season grounded, even as the plot continues to escalate.
The finale doesn’t hit as hard as the opening. The reveal that Mayor Tillman is the killer makes sense logically: an affair, a fight gone wrong, a cover-up, but it feels more like a political thriller twist than something tied deeply to the characters. The trio classically escapes danger, and Arconia is saved, but the payoff is neither surprising nor emotionally satisfying compared to earlier seasons. Instead, it ends with a final twist that feels shocking but adds up to nothing inspiring. More specifically, the final scene points toward an exciting new direction, with Cinda Canning collapsing at the Arconia gates and drawing the trio into another mystery.
Looking ahead, Season six has real potential to bring the show back to its best. The key improvement would be a mystery that stays engaging from beginning to end. Season five shows that the writers can deliver a strong opening, and now they need to maintain that energy for the rest of the season. What could also be beneficial and interesting for the whole trio is diving deeper into an emotional arc and their history with their earlier life. If the stakes feel more personal and more connected to the building or the trio, the series could easily recapture the magic of its best seasons.
Its uneven pacing in Season five is why people love Only Murders in the Building. Even with the suspense, it remains humorous because the characters always bring the show back. Season six is anticipated with hopes for a sharper mystery and more chaos.