The hit Hulu show Only Murders in the Building follows the true crime podcast of a rag-tag group of three outsiders: the washed-up TV actor Charles Haden-Savage (Steve Martin), the narcissistic king of drama Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and the wayward youth Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez).

Brought together by a seemingly impossible series of murders all happening in their vintage Manhattan co-op building, the Arconia, these three have continued to investigate dangerous crimes for five seasons, often with intricate ties to their own lives. The fifth season provides higher stakes than we’ve seen before and a deeper look into the Arconia that gives it ties to a larger crime network. 

Last season ended with the discovery of a dead body in the Arconia courtyard fountain, that of beloved Arconia doorman Lester (Teddy Coluca), one of the few recurring characters present in every season. As we pick up with season five, a few days have passed, and Lester’s death has been declared accidental, a report that behooves our investigative trio. The discovery of a dismembered body part in a shrimp cocktail, though, quickly leads Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to decide there is something greater going on. The game is afoot.

Unlike last season, Hulu decided to release the first three episodes outright, with the remaining episodes coming out weekly from September to the end of October. These three episodes give audiences enough to get fully invested in this season’s mystery and enough clues and suspects to speculate over the next week. 

In the first episode, we are given the set-up of the season: find Lester’s killer and, subsequently, uncover the mystery of what happened to Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), a dry cleaner kingpin who has gone missing. Caccimelio’s wife, Sofia (Tea Leoni), asks the trio to find her missing husband in a hilarious sequence involving The Godfather home and her five “mobster” sons.

At the genesis of this mystery, it’s clear that nothing will be easy for our main trio, even with finding clues, as they only progress in their investigation because Charles was drinking red wine. What that means, I will leave the uninformed reader to find out, but this clue does lead to a new location that seems central to the mystery of the season and furthers the intrigue of the Arconia’s structure and history.

The second episode is, so far, the best episode of the bunch as we learn more about our victim, Lester, and his time in the Arconia. This show has always excelled in giving us background for the victims and making us truly understand their lives and why this murder is a tragedy, even if they were characters we didn’t know or care for before their death. The second episode does just that by giving us a full look into Lester’s life in the Arconia, beginning with his first day all the way up to the day of his death in a series of scenes that include a plethora of returning guest stars, including Jane Lynch, Nathan Lane, and more.

The audience discovers that Lester met his wife at the Arconia, helped Oliver acquire a spot in the Arconia, and knew Mabel as a child, giving her comfort when she was alone and scared. Lester may be the most tragic victim this show has seen, as it’s clear he was a kind-hearted man who had an impact and rapport with all the residents of the Arconia. During this episode, we also learn that Lester, by virtue of his predecessor’s prior dealings, had an arrangement with Nicky Caccimelio, and so the mystery of Lester and Caccimelio continues.

The third and final episode in this block furthers the mystery even more through haunting and hilarious sequences involving the main trio trying to transport a dead body while giving it an impromptu autopsy. This results in a funny scene where Oliver has to shout out how much he stinks and smells in an elevator as they try to cover up the smell of the dead body hidden in a bin. The episode ends with an interesting cliffhanger as it appears our main trio is about to meet some tantalizing guest stars who may be able to answer the mystery of the finger in the shrimp cocktail, but, of course, this won’t be answered till next Tuesday.

This first block of episodes shows that Only Murders in the Building has not lost a step with its main trio and the comedy. Martin’s penchant for physical comedy, a constant in this show from the beginning, shines through this season, particularly in a scene involving him crawling all over an open casket at a funeral. Our protagonists may cross some lines in their investigation, but, at the end of the day, this is a comedy show, and they bring the comedy.

Short is at the top of his game with some utterly hilarious delivery, especially when he’s trying to figure out whether he’s a narcissist (to which the answer is a resounding yes by both Charles and Mabel).

Finally, Gomez continues to act as the foil to these elderly goofballs. She still joins in on their fun, but perhaps a little too much fun when performing an impromptu autopsy in Charles’s kitchen. Nonetheless, our main trio continues to shine, and there is no doubt the hilarity will continue throughout the rest of the season.

This block of episodes has given a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season. Clear storylines are being set up for our characters, such as Charles’s potential romance with Sofia, Mabel’s break in self-confidence upon the reintroduction of an old friend, Althea (Beanie Feldstein), and Oliver’s self-discovery of his narcissistic nature. Unless, that is, he can open up his heart more to see more than just himself.

There’s also plenty of clues to follow for the remaining episodes, from bird names to secret casinos to corrupt cops. Finally, this season boasts a menagerie of famous guest stars, some returning and some new, including Christoph Waltz, Logan Lerman, Renee Zellweger, Keegan Michael Key, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Meryl Streep, and more. 

Between the mystery, the comedy, and the characters, there’s a lot to pull the audience in for the rest of the season.

Review Courtesy of Tate Fowler

Feature Image Credit to Hulu, Disney/Patrick Harbron via The Wrap