“Only Murders in the Building,” Hulu’s acclaimed comedy-mystery series, has been officially renewed for a sixth season, with production and setting slated for London. This announcement coincided with the release of the show’s highly anticipated fifth season finale. The series centers on an unlikely trio: Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), residents of the Upper West Side’s Arconia apartment building. Together, they host a true-crime podcast investigating the recurring deaths that plague their historic home.

Season five delved into the suspicious death of the Arconia’s beloved doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca). Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, refusing to accept the official explanation of an accident, embarked on an investigation that plunged them into the shadowy underbelly of New York City and beyond. Their journey uncovered a complex web of secrets, connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters, and the Arconia’s eccentric residents. The trio discovered a deep divide between the New York they thought they knew and a new, evolving city where older criminal elements clashed with even more dangerous emerging players.

The dramatic Season 5 finale brought the mystery to a head, revealing Mayor Beau Tillman (Keegan-Michael Key) as Lester’s murderer. The investigation, which began with the discovery of a mysterious finger in Charles’ freezer and a clue from Lester concerning a shrimp delivery, led the trio to confront Sofia Caccimelio’s mother and then lure billionaires Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman), Bash Steed (Christoph Waltz), and Camila White (Renée Zellweger) to a secret poker room in the Arconia basement. It was there that Mayor Tillman appeared, his presence confirmed by Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) via text, leading Mabel to a crucial realization about a message from Lester.

Tillman confessed to the murder, explaining that the billionaires would invite him to the Arconia game room for favors, including a permit to replace the Arconia with a casino. A flashback revealed the night of the last game: Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), who ran the gambling nights, discovered Tillman’s affair with his wife, Sofia. In a drunken rage, Nicky chopped off Tillman’s finger with a cleaver. Lester intervened, hitting Nicky with an elevator crank. Nicky, stumbling, accidentally fell onto the cleaver in Lester’s hands, killing himself. While Tillman and the billionaires discussed a cover-up, Lester, determined to expose the truth after decades of guilt working for Nicky, grabbed Tillman’s severed finger and the elevator crank, hiding the finger. Despite Tillman’s pleas, Lester refused to return it, leading to a struggle. Lester, realizing Tillman intended to kill him, attempted to trigger his bird camera in the courtyard. Tillman pushed him into a sharp stone corner in the fountain, causing Lester to bleed out. With his last breath, Lester blew his bird whistle, activating the camera and recording the evidence.

Meanwhile, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel were chained up by corrupt cops in a secret passage, facing death as the Arconia was slated for demolition. Charles ingeniously used a clothes hanger from Nicky Caccimelio’s dry cleaning business to pick their handcuffs. Simultaneously, Thé (Beanie Feldstein) disrupted Camila’s press conference in the lobby, leading a crowd to the game room. The trio emerged, exposing Tillman as the murderer before the press. Jay Pflug confessed to the police about his, Camila’s, and Bash’s involvement in the cover-up, thus foiling the casino plans and saving the Arconia. Jay expressed a desire to be different, reflecting on Mabel’s questioning of his morality.

The finale concluded with a new cliffhanger setting up Season 6. Mabel, Charles, and Oliver listened to a London-set podcast by Cinda Canning (Tina Fey), who described a young woman with blood-red curls as a prime suspect in the murder of a royal descendant. Cinda expressed a strong need to protect her and send her to America. Just as Cinda’s voice played, a woman matching the description, coughing and blood-covered, collapsed and died outside the Arconia. Howard confirmed her death, and in a shocking twist, the deceased was revealed to be Cinda Canning herself, bringing the murder directly to their doorstep.

Co-creator John Hoffman discussed the creative choices for Season 5, including selecting Mayor Tillman as the killer due to themes of power and corruption prevalent in big cities. He highlighted the