The Arconia is a crime scene once again, and the latest ensemble gathering in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 5 makes one thing abundantly clear: the murder mystery is only getting bigger, bolder, and more A-list!
Production on the Emmy-laden series’ fifth season is currently underway in New York City, and with every casting update, the intrigue multiplies. Most recently, Hunters and Percy Jackson alum Logan Lerman and Ricky Stanicky star Jermaine Fowler have joined the show in recurring roles. While character details remain under wraps, their arrival adds more star power to a line-up that already includes Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Téa Leoni, and Keegan-Michael Key.
This kind of high-wattage expansion is par for the course for Only Murders in the Building, which has cleverly folded real-life Hollywood icons into its fictional world. Led by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, the show blends theatrical flair with self-aware humor and escalating stakes. If Season 4 went Hollywood (literally), Season 5 promises a return to deeply rooted New York stories—with murder, of course, still on the menu.
A New York Story, a New Body, and New Suspects
Season 5 picks up in the wake of Season 4’s finale twist: the discovery of doorman Lester’s (Teddy Coluca) bloodied body in the Arconia’s courtyard fountain. Once a kindly staple of the building’s quiet rhythms, Lester now becomes the central mystery of the season—and, presumably, the fuel for another true-crime podcast run by Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short), and Mabel (Gomez).
But that’s not the only mystery lurking beneath the surface. The Season 4 finale delivered another tantalizing twist with the arrival of a mysterious wealthy widow Sofia Caccimelio—played by Téa Leoni—who approaches Charles and Mabel at the Arconia with a generous offer to investigate her late husband’s death. Though they initially turn her down, it’s safe to assume her secrets—and her fortune—will resurface in the story before long.
If showrunner John Hoffman’s words are any hint, Only Murders in the Building Season 5 isn’t just about solving a murder—it’s about capturing the moment. “Season 5 will hit on some very current things going on within New York… in ways that honestly we couldn’t have even predicted,” Hoffman told TheWrap. “We built our story and then certain things revealed themselves, and vice versa… it’s a little bit more reflective, deeply New York—both historically and the modern New York right now.”
Logan Lerman and Jermaine Fowler Join the Whodunnit Club
Lerman, fresh off Hulu’s We Were the Lucky Ones and remembered by a generation as the brooding demigod of Percy Jackson, brings both prestige and generational cool to the series. His casting reunites him with the platform and marks another genre pivot following appearances in Bullet Train and Hunters.
Jermaine Fowler, meanwhile, continues his streak of sharp comedy and genre-crossing roles. From his breakout in Superior Donuts to his recent turns in A Murder at the End of the World and the horror-thriller Night Patrol, Fowler’s comic timing and versatility make him a compelling wildcard in a murder mystery setting.
Though neither actor’s character details have been revealed, their placement alongside scene-stealers like Zellweger and Waltz suggests that Season 5 will keep playing its now-iconic game of “suspect roulette.”
Why Only Murders in the Building Is a Star Magnet?
Since its debut in 2021, Only Murders in the Building has quietly become one of television’s most star-magnetic shows. Season 4 alone included Meryl Streep, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy, and Zach Galifianakis—a line-up that rivals most award season red carpets. And it’s not just for show: the series recently won its first SAG Award for Comedy Ensemble, and has amassed 49 Emmy nominations, including Selena Gomez’s first nod for Lead Actress in a Comedy.
For a series built on true-crime tropes and podcast culture, Only Murders in the Building has pulled off something trickier than solving a murder: staying fresh. With every season, it reinvents its setting, subverts audience expectations, and somehow levels up its guest roster.
When Will Season 5 Premiere?
Hulu has yet to announce a release date, but with production underway since early March 2025—and Episode 4 reportedly in development last fall—a late 2025 premiere seems likely. Like previous seasons, Season 5 is expected to feature 10 episodes.
Until then, the fan theories (and the casting rumors) will continue to swirl. After all, in the Arconia, no one is ever just a neighbor. And in Only Murders in the Building, no one is ever truly innocent.