Culture Cinema & Tv Show reviews

Only Murders in the Building season five

Only Murders in the Building season five | Show review

One of the jewels in the Disney+ crown has been Only Murders in the Building, assembling the bizarre trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. It’s proven a huge smash with real cross-generational appeal. Following the season four cliffhanger and death of The Arconia’s longstanding doorman Lester, the trio are thrust into another podcast series and investigation into who killed Lester. Safe to say there are more twists, turns, cameos and major guest appearances.

After turning down Sofia Caccimelio’s request to find her husband in the previous series, the trio are drawn into the world of the New York mob. While Oliver and Charles reminisce about the glory days and The Godfather, the world they find is much different. This lends itself to some fun send-ups, and Short and Martin are clearly revelling in the pastiche. How does the mob link to Lester’s death?

Lester’s death is ruled an accident by the police, but of course, with this being The Arconia, there is foul play afoot.

After four seasons, the challenge for Only Murders is to continue to stay relevant and create fresh ways for the murders to take place, allowing for the central trio to be involved. This season is no exception, with a string of secret passages, hidden clues and twists aplenty.

The guest stars continue to be a draw without proving overly distracting; this season features double Oscar winners Renée Zelwegger and Christoph Waltz, as well as Logan Lerman in major roles, along with Beanie Feldstein.

While it may be formulaic in places, there are few signs of Only Murders running out of steam: it remains a delight to see the cast interact with each other and continues to be a fun send-up of murder mysteries, finding the right blend of comedy and drama. It continues to be one of the biggest hits for Disney+ and, based on the evidence, has the potential to carry on as long as there is a clamour for it, with anticipation remaining high for its next season.

Christopher Connor

Only Murders in the Building season five is released on Disney+ on 9th September 2025.

Watch the trailer for Only Murders in the Building season five here:

More in Shows

“There’s a long discussion about Sydney Sweeney”: Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller on Platonic season two

Christina Yang

Islands premiere: On the red carpet with Jan-Ole Gerster, Sam Riley and Jack Farthing

Ezelle Alblas

“It brings a great sense of warmth and comfort”: The cast and creatives on Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale

Ezelle Alblas

“I get to have an adventure myself”: Yvette Nicole Brown on Shape Island season two

Ezelle Alblas

Dead of Winter premiere: On the red carpet with Emma Thompson and Gaia Wise

Ezelle Alblas

Toronto International Film Festival 2025: California Schemin’

Selina Sondermann

The Long Walk

Selina Sondermann

From Ground Zero

Andrew Murray

Task

Christopher Connor