Murder is back on the menu this fall. Hulu has officially confirmed that Only Murders in the Building Season 5 will premiere on September 9, 2025, bringing back TV’s most beloved amateur sleuths Charles, Oliver, and Mabel for another twist-filled chapter. The Emmy-winning series, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, has become a cultural touchstone in the murder mystery revival wave, and it’s not slowing down.
With production now wrapped and a fanbase hungrier than ever for clues, the stakes have never been higher for the podcasting trio at the heart of the hit show.
The Murder Mystery Renaissance Powered by Podcast Paranoia
Murder mysteries have always held a strange and thrilling appeal, but Only Murders in the Building arrived in 2021 just as the genre was having a modern resurgence. Following the release of critically acclaimed projects like Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022), this Hulu original tapped into America’s obsession with true crime and podcast culture, infusing it with humor, elegance, and millennial anxiety.
Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman (Grace & Frankie, Looking), the series centers on three unlikely friends: washed-up actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), flamboyant theater director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and sarcastic artist Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), who bond over their shared obsession with true crime. Together, they launch a podcast while investigating murders in their Upper West Side apartment building, The Arconia.
Since debuting on August 31, 2021, the series has been consistent in its release schedule, with new episodes premiering each summer. Season 2 dropped on June 28, 2022, Season 3 followed on August 8, 2023, and Season 4 landed on August 27, 2024. Season 5’s September 9 premiere marks a slight delay but remains within the show’s signature late-summer early-fall window.
What’s Season 5 About? A Doorman’s Death and a City Divided
The official synopsis teases a darker, more expansive mystery than ever before. After their beloved doorman Lester dies under suspicious circumstances, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are convinced it wasn’t an accident. Their investigation takes them beyond the Arconia’s haunted hallways and into the murky depths of New York’s criminal underworld.
“The trio uncovers a dangerous web of secrets connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters, and the mysterious residents of the Arconia,” the official Hulu description reads. “They discover a deeper divide between the city they thought they knew and the new New York evolving around them, one where the old mob fights to hold on as newer, even more dangerous players emerge.”
If Season 4 flirted with Broadway’s ghosts, Season 5 promises to plunge into Gotham’s shadows.
All-Star Cast: Who’s Returning, and Who’s Joining?
Season 5 reunites the central trio: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, while expanding its A-list guest star lineup to outrageous new heights.
Returning cast members include:
- Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard
- Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Williams
- Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas
New additions (or long-awaited returns) include:
- Richard Kind
- Bobby Cannavale
- Renée Zellweger
- Logan Lerman
- Christoph Waltz
- Téa Leoni
- Keegan-Michael Key
- Beanie Feldstein
- Dianne Wiest
- Jermaine Fowler
Whether they’re suspects, victims, red herrings, or scene-stealers, this ensemble ensures Season 5 will be the most unpredictable one yet.
The Stars Break the News with a Classic Gag
The Season 5 release date wasn’t leaked by paparazzi or hidden in an Easter egg. It came directly from the stars themselves. In a short promo video posted to the show’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, Martin, Short, and Gomez engaged in their signature comedic banter before announcing the September 9 premiere.
It’s yet another reminder that Only Murders in the Building thrives not just on its clever writing and intricate plotting, but on the rare chemistry between its leads: an intergenerational trio that somehow feels both absurd and authentic.
The Emmy-Loving, Critic-Adored Hit
Only Murders in the Building has become one of Hulu’s most critically acclaimed series, with seven Primetime Emmy Awards and countless nominations across its four-season run. The show’s rare ability to combine laugh-out-loud comedy, emotional resonance, and mystery intrigue has made it a critical darling and fan favorite alike.
Produced by 20th Television, a division of Disney Television Studios, the series is executive produced by Martin, Hoffman, Short, Gomez, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, Ben Smith, and JJ Philbin.
