Cast of Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Guide

There’s something disarmingly cozy about three Upper West Side neighbors turning every death in their building into a hit podcast. Since August 31, 2021, the cast of Only Murders in the Building has kept audiences guessing and laughing.

Seasons aired: 5 ·
Main cast members (trio): 3 ·
Rotten Tomatoes score (avg.): 95% ·
Emmy nominations: 21 ·
Apartment address (Arconia): 1 Arconia Ave, NYC

Here’s a quick reference for the show’s essential details.

Is There a Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building?

Season 5 release date and platform

• Season 5 premiered on September 9, 2025, exclusively on Hulu for U.S. viewers and on Disney+ internationally (Disney Plus)
• The show remains a Hulu original, produced by 20th Television

Season 5 main cast list

• Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage
• Martin Short as Oliver Putnam
• Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora
• Returning recurring cast: Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Williams, Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris, Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas, and Richard Kind as Vince Fish (People)
• New guest stars: Bobby Cannavale, Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Téa Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Jermaine Fowler, Beanie Feldstein, Dianne Wiest (Disney Plus)

The pattern: Each season the show adds more star power than the last, turning the Arconia into a rotating door of Hollywood royalty. For longtime fans, the payoff is more cameos — but also more plot threads to juggle.

Who Is Joining the Cast of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 and Season 6?

Season 4 guest stars and additions

• Meryl Streep joined as Loretta Durkin in season 3 and returned for season 4 (People)
• Additional season 4 guest stars included Paul Rudd as Ben Glenroy (season 3) and Jesse Williams as a recurring character
• Season 4 also featured Da’Vine Joy Randolph in an expanded role

David Tennant and Nicola Coughlan in season 6

• Hulu announced that David Tennant and Nicola Coughlan will join the cast for season 6 (People)
• Their specific characters have not been revealed yet
• Season 6 does not yet have a premiere date

What this means: The casting team is betting on brand-name talent to keep the series fresh. Tennant and Coughlan bring devoted fan bases — a strategic move to sustain viewership into a potential finale.

Why Do Some Viewers Think Only Murders in the Building Is Bad This Season?

Critical reception of season 5

• Season 5 holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics (Rotten Tomatoes (aggregator))
• Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is around 78%, indicating a gap

Fan criticism vs. critic reviews

• Some fans on Reddit and social media express disappointment with the season’s pacing and increased celebrity cameos
• Critics praise the character writing and comedic timing, but note the “too many characters” problem

The trade-off: More stars mean more screen time competition. For viewers who prefer the intimate trio dynamic, season 5’s expanded cast can feel like overcrowding. The show’s identity as a cozy murder mystery may be at odds with its ambition to be a big-budget ensemble comedy.

How Much Does an Apartment at the Arconia Actually Cost?

Real-world rent prices near the Belnord

• The Arconia is modeled after the Belnord at 225 W 86th Street, on the Upper West Side (Elle Decor (design and lifestyle magazine))
• Average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in that area exceeds $6,000/month, with many units exceeding $8,000

Mabel Mora’s financial plausibility

• Mabel (Selena Gomez) inherited her apartment from her aunt, making ownership plausible without steady income
• Charles (Steve Martin) is a former TV star with decades of residuals
• Oliver (Martin Short) is a struggling theatre director who sublets — his rent situation is the most strained, though he likely benefits from rent stabilization

The catch: Even with those explanations, the Arconia’s apartments are larger and cheaper than real equivalents. The show fudges numbers for visual grandeur — but it does so consistently enough to feel internally logical.

Who Died in Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building?

Season 5 victim identity

• The season 5 trailer reveals that doorman Lester dies under suspicious circumstances (Hulu YouTube trailer)
• The trio refuses to accept that Lester’s death was an accident and investigates
• The season also introduces the Caccimelio crime family, with Téa Leoni as Sofia Caccimelio and Bobby Cannavale as Nicky Caccimelio (Elle Decor)

Plot implications for season 6

• Lester’s death may connect to the mob storyline, potentially carrying over into season 6
• The murder forces the trio to interact with organized crime, raising the stakes

Why this matters: Killing off a long-running supporting character (doorman Lester appeared from season 1) signals that the show is willing to make permanent changes to the Arconia ecosystem. Season 6 may have a very different building dynamic.

What Are the Key Character Relationships and Backstories?

Do Mabel and Oscar end up together?

• Oscar (Aaron Dominguez) was Mabel’s love interest in season 1 and 2, but he did not return after season 2
• The character is not confirmed dead but is no longer part of the cast

Is Will Oliver’s biological son?

• Season 2 explores Will’s parentage: Oliver (Martin Short) raised Will, but a DNA test reveals that Oliver is not his biological father (Entertainment Weekly (TV and entertainment magazine))
• Despite that, Oliver and Will maintain a strong father-son bond

The pattern: Only Murders uses personal backstories to deepen the comedy. Oliver’s non-biological fatherhood adds warmth without sentimentality. Mabel’s closed romantic arc (Oscar’s exit) leaves room for new connections in season 6.

Five seasons, one pattern: each new season brings a bigger guest list. Here’s a look at how the cast expanded from the core trio to a true ensemble.

The show’s production specs reveal how it has maintained consistent quality across five seasons.

For fans wondering whether the Arconia is more fantasy than reality, the data is clear: the show’s housing is as fictional as its murders. But that’s part of the charm. For Hulu, the gamble of expanding the cast with A-listers like Zellweger and Waltz pays off in buzz, even if it stretches the show’s budget credibility. For viewers, the trade-off is a richer ensemble, but a slightly less believable Upper West Side — and Martin Short’s rent-stabilized apartment may be the show’s most fictional element.