Only Murders in the Building Season 5 is confirmed – and there's plenty we know about it already.
The 2024 TV schedule was filled to the brim with releases. From the release of Emily in Paris Season 4 to the long-awaited Bridgerton Season 3, there were so many great television series that returned and had us on the edge of our seats. And, of course, Only Murders in the Building was among those great ones.
The show, which has steadily returned each year with a new season to make us question who the murderer is this time, came back for its fourth round. And, of course, a Season 5 is already confirmed. But what do we know so far about this next installment of the popular franchise? Let's get into it...
What Is The Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Premiere Date?
At the time of writing this, there is no set premiere date for Only Murders in the Building Season 5, but we can undoubtedly theorize. Season 5 was confirmed by Deadline in September 2024, weeks before the fourth season even ended.
Only Murders in the Building is one of the rare colossal streaming shows that releases new episodes every year. While we're still waiting years for Stranger Things Season 5 or the upcoming Wednesday Season 2, the Hulu hit has consistently delivered a new season year after year. With that in mind, it's probably safe to expect it to premiere as part of the 2025 TV premiere schedule but we'll have to wait for official confirmation from Hulu.
The Only Murders In The Building Season 5 Cast
There hasn't been any official confirmation on who will return for Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building, but of course, I'm pretty sure we can expect Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez to return as Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. You can't really have this series without them. The Only Murders in the Building cast will hopefully always have those three.
Aside from that, we do know that at least one new character has joined the show, and that is Sofia Caccimelio – who will be played by Téa Leoni, according to Deadline. The character appeared in the final minutes of the Only Murders in the Building Season 4 finale, and is the wife of Nicky Caccimelio – otherwise known as "The Neck," and someone who has ties to the Caputo crime family.
It's always interesting to see what's going to come with new characters to this show – and a crime family is something that we haven't had the chance to explore as much, so I am here for it.
What Is Only Murders In The Building Season 5 About?
With another season confirmed, there are so many directions that Only Murders in the Building Season 5 could go – but we do know a couple of ways, thanks to some interviews:
Season 5 Will Follow The Murder Of Lester
As you can probably guess, Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building will focus on the murder of Lester, the doorman of the apartment building that they all live in, and how he ended up dead in that fountain at the very end of Season 4.
In an interview with Variety in October 2024, showrunner John Hoffman revealed that they were deep in the process of writing, and that because the victim was a doorman – something that's a big thing in New York City – this kind of death is going to be a lot different, and have a "level of respect" that others didn't:
I know the killer. I know the story. We are now breaking the fourth episode of Season 5, so we have a pretty good handle on it all…Season 5 is shaping up within the microcosm of our building in New York, and modernization, and grappling with that. The victim was a doorman, and that is a very rich lineage and heritage to New York City — what that job is, and the union around that job — and there's a level of respect involved. Now, we have to pay respect by finding out what exactly might have happened to Lester. The old-school nature of all of that piety that you still find in New York, matched up with sort of the modern.
Lester was almost more of a background character, but he had plenty of moments with our main trio and was a kind man, so I'm sure if anyone is going to get to the bottom of it, it's Charles, Oliver, and Mabel.
Sofia Caccimelio Will Play An Important Role In Season 5
As mentioned before, Téa Leoni has joined the cast in a significant way as Sofia Caccimelio, and we know that her character is going to play an important role in the upcoming season. In that same Deadline article that confirmed she was joining the cast, Hoffman confirmed that she'll be an "intriguing bump forward" for what is to come:
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.
I'm eager to see what happens as this story unfolds.
Season 5 Will Feel Like Something "Ripped From The Headlines"
In an interview with Decider in October 2024, John Hoffman gave us an idea of what the tone will be for Season 5 – that it will feel like a story that many have seen before, mainly because it will feel as if it has been "ripped from the headlines" of a newspaper:
We really are dipping our toe into a New York City in season 5 that feels particularly ripped from the headlines in certain ways that we've not done before. And going into some modern new take on the power in New York along the lines with, "What happens with the power in New York in regards to the classic respect and sort of protocols that have always been there that exist in these sort of buildings?" with a doorman and the respect and all of that. And how does modern technology come into all of that?
Okay, now I'm curious as to what this story is going to be about.
Season 5 Will Focus On Some Very "Relevant" Things Happening In New York Right Now
The last thing we know is that Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building is going to touch on some "relevant" things that are ongoing in New York even right now. In an interview with TheWrap in October 2024, Hoffman said that they are trying to tell a "particular kind of take" of New York and how the next season is very much the continuation of "classic meets modern:"
What I'm excited about for Season 5 is that we're trying to tell a particular kind of take from a New York angle. Season 5 will hit on some very current things going on within New York, specifically very relevant things that are happening in the city right now, in ways that honestly we couldn't have even predicted. We built our story, and then certain things revealed themselves, and vice versa. We found out certain things, we were hearing whispers about certain things and it's a little bit more reflective, deeply New York, both historically and the modern New York right now too. The show has always been classic meets modern. So that is carried through again in a very, very big way within the next season. Another wildly funny world for our group to get thrown into is all I will say.
What are you the most excited about when it comes to Only Murders in the Building Season 5? All I know is that I'll be counting down the days until it gets here – and wondering who murdered that poor doorman, Lester. I suppose I can watch some of the other best original shows on Hulu while I wait.
