Hulu Just Quietly Released A New Season Of Its Pitch-Perfect Crime Thriller

The world was a different place when Only Murders in the Building first came on the scene in 2021. Back then, true-crime podcasts were all the rage, Steve Martin was much more of a household name than Martin Short, and Selena Gomez was still mostly known for being a pop star. But in the five years since the beloved Hulu murder-mystery series became a cozy fixture of our fall TV slates, the pop culture landscape has changed a lot. The true-crime genre is no longer as ubiquitous as it once was, now relegated to streaming B-movies or miniseries that are destined to be forgotten as soon as they drop. Podcasts are now the launchpads for influencers and provocateurs who occasionally interview a prominent political figure. And the murder-mystery genre has gone through a bit of a rehaul, with Agatha Christie-inspired whodunits becoming all the rage.

So it’s no wonder that with its fifth season, Only Murders in the Building is going back to basics. After last season’s glossy, cameo-filled meta marvel, Season 5 (for which critics received 9 of the 10 episodes) feels pleasantly low-stakes — a return to good old-fashioned investigating. It’s the closest the show has felt to being a noir, though, for once, Only Murders doesn’t feel the need to prove that it can take wild, experimental swings. The show is now comfortable resting on its laurels, and that makes for a wonderfully entertaining, if slightly laidback, season.

Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building picks up immediately after the events of the Season 4 finale, in which the trio discovered the body of the Arconia’s doorman, Lester, bleeding out in the fountain. Frustrated with the police’s ruling that it’s an accident, the group set about investigating what they’re sure is Lester’s murder. Does the beautiful femme fatale (Téa Leoni) who approached Charles about her missing husband play a key role? What kind of shady dealings did sweet old Lester have going on in the basement of the Arconia? And what does the mob have anything to do with it?

Like previous seasons, Only Murders in the Building Season 5 has a central conceit: the mob. And the show has fun riffing on the mob genre, including a few outrageous Italian accents and a terrifically intense Bobby Cannavale. However, the show doesn’t go all out with the genre homages like past seasons have. Instead, the mob and noir-inspired stylings feel more like an added flavor to the comfort food that we know Only Murders in the Building already is.

Martin, Short, and Gomez are at the top of their game as always, with each dependably showing off their strengths: Martin gets multiple moments of hilarious physical comedy, Short is a never-ending well of hysterically catty quips, and Gomez couldn’t be happier making her dry comebacks. And the trio gets to shine more this season, as the show doesn’t try to add too many guest stars so that the ensemble feels overly crowded.

That’s not to say star-studded cameos don’t still have a place here. Christoph Waltz and Renée Zellweger, for example, are particularly fun as the wealthy elite who have mysterious ties to Cannavale’s mobster. The season does push the show here and there, with lightweight riffs on the noir and mobster genres and a few attempts to comment on contemporary trends like AI and TikTok. But mostly, it all feels in service of giving the show a bit of a swan song.

Is this the last season of Only Murders in the Building? There’s been nothing concrete on whether the show is renewed or not, but even if it isn’t, Only Murders in the Building Season 5 makes for a delightfully low-key ending. It’s the culmination of everything the show has been up until now: zippy, zany, and oh so cozy.

The first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building are streaming now. New episodes drop Tuesdays on Hulu.