Does Only Murders in the Building continue its strengths in season 5? Yes, and no.
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The first season of Only Murders in the Building was a revelation. Season 2, while good, did lose just a bit of its stride. Season 3 started to feel very worn, but season 4 really put some pep back in its step. Season 5, however, seems to have forgotten that it is a show about murders as well as relationships.
Shows generally have diminishing returns the longer they go on. While we started to see some wear and tear in season 2, season 3 showed that may just be the status quo moving forward. Season 4 really brought back the glory days and had me very ready for a fifth outing, but it seems the mysteries are really becoming an afterthought.
Season 5 picks up with Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez), once again, thrust into the middle of a murder. They are all set to investigate the murder of the Arconia’s doorman, only to learn it has ben ruled accidental. The murder board is looking pretty sad to be honest.
With no mystery to solve, the trio are a bit rudderless and trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Which, while making sense for these characters, it seems to be their stock-and-trade at this point more than any other aspects of their lives.
The biggest issue for Only Murders in the Building season 5 is that the murder is just not that interesting. We go long stretches with zero forward momentum on the case except for some throw away lines about “Oh yeah, where’s the ITEM I CAN’T MENTION AS IT’S A SPOILER?”
If you love the trio and how they interact with each other, this season will be a delight for you. If you are into the mystery aspect, you may find yourself checking out a bit as the season progresses.
There is a lot of this season that feels like well-worn roads for these characters, but isn’t that part of what life is like in reality? No matter how many times you think you’ve answered a question about your life, you revisit it. But with these three, it seems to be the only focus they may have left.
We should note that each year Hulu only gives us the first seven to eight episodes of the season, but this year they supplied us with nine, keeping only the resolution from reviewers. Our thoughts are based solely on not knowing the conclusion of the season. If we had seen the conclusion of the second season before we wrote our review, it probably would have received a 10 as opposed to an eight. The solution to the case was such a delight and wholly unexpected. The same thing could happen here. So, our score is based on the first nine episodes alone and could change depending on how the case resolves.
SCORE: 8 out of 10
Disclaimer: Hulu provided The Nerdy with nine episodes of Only Muders in the Building Season 5 for the purposes of this review. We watched them until they were completed before beginning this review.
