Only Murders in the Building Takes on the Mob in Season 5

This article contains spoilers for Only in the Murders season 5 episodes 1, 2, and 3.

When Only Murders in the Building first premiered in 2021, it was difficult to imagine the premise being one that could create a half-decade’s worth of quality TV. A mystery show that always takes place in the same apartment complex in New York City over and over again is a little too cartoony to be believable, but the incredible trio at the center of the story has given Hulu’s comedy series a staying power that should keep it on the streaming service for years to come. The show is the ultimate fall comfort treat, like the television equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte. 

Even with the recurring elements that keep the show a familiar indulgence for fans, Only Murders in the Building will need to find unique plotting devices and a new thematic heft if it wants to avoid stale outings as we reach season five. What better way to make the show even more murder-y than to get the mafia involved? The victim at the center of this season’s crime is the doorman of the Arconia, Lester Coluca (Teddy Coluca). A recurring presence in the first four seasons of the show, who helped make the building feel a lot more alive, Lester’s death is another heavy-hitting one for Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez). One of the first suspects in the case is someone with ties to the mob, Nicky Caccimelio (played by one of this season’s big guest stars, Bobby Cannavale). 

It’s actually somewhat surprising that organized crime wasn’t a bigger part of the show until now. A murder story taking place in New York seems like a ripe setting for a crime family, but I suppose the show’s flamboyant camp elements run in juxtaposition to the mafia. But just like with all other seasons of Only Murders in the Building, this fifth season never takes itself too seriously, always using murders and intrigue in the goofiest, most laid-back version of mystery possible. 

The first episode gets the podcasters out of the Arconia and on the move to the Caccimelios’ house. Seeing the story outside of the building presented the series with some of its best episodes in the past, but don’t expect this detour to be as exciting as when season four started in Los Angeles. The familiar geographical confines of the Big Apple are still hanging over the culture of the show, and it’s going to have to remain that way even more so this season if the Caccimelio family is going to be framed as being true murder threats. 

In a highlight scene of the premiere, the Caccimelio brothers give a monologue to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel that seems intimidating at first, only to be flipped upside down at the end. The men are actually lovable goofballs who aspire to podcast about crime rather than commit it themselves. This works as one of the show’s most reliable tropes, as characters’ intentions are often ironic and in stark contrast to what audiences and our favorite trio expect. 

With that first lead turning out to be a dead end, as do most of the initial suspects in Only Murders in the Building, the crew actually has to solve multiple murders yet again when Nicky turns up six feet under a dry cleaning in the middle of the city. Oliver discovering the corpse gives Short ample opportunity for chaotic comedy that only he can excel at in this cast, and the show expertly navigates its first cliffhanger ending of the fifth season. 

Further narrative choices that this series always makes so well are present here yet again, such as the episode dedicated entirely to the murder victim. Lester’s backstory takes up the entire second episode. We get to see some more of Charles, Mabel, and Oliver’s pasts brought into the fold when Lester gets hired to work at the Arconia decades before. It’s such an engaging way to build a world that could otherwise run the risk of being way too small with such a lean list of main characters and a non-diverse gamut of settings. 

The third episode goes right back to the main storyline and gets the mob story really up and running with a deeper investigation into a potentially illicit gambling room underneath the Arconia. The trio ends up stuck behind the booze counter as several of the season’s newest guest stars walk into the room to close the episode. Entrepreneurs played by Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, and Renée Zellweger might just be the bigger, badder, more badass mafia-like figures that will trump any of the Caccimelios or any other old school mobsters. 

Only Murders in the Building will always jump around from episode to episode while also keeping the same themes present for each twist and turn. Season five chooses to dissect what it means to be part of organized crime in 2025, but I’m sure it will always keep the comedy first. The murder mystery is only the avenue for the laughs, or the appetizer that gives us the entree of Steve Martin and Martin Short’s legendary personas. For longtime fans of the show, the theme is secondary to the jokes and the characterization. For those who want to dip into the Arconia for the first time, the mafia might just be tantalizing enough to dive in and find your new fall-time favorite. 

The first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 5 are available to stream on Hulu now. New episodes premiere on Tuesdays, culminating with the finale on Oct. 28, 2025.