Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 5: Co-creator calls the shocking twist a "no-brainer"

Hulu's mystery comedy drama series Only Murders in the Building Season 5, premiered on September 9, 2025, with three episodes. The season kicks off with the trio Charles, Mabel, and Oliver investigating the death of the Arconia's beloved doorman, Lester Coluca (who was found dead in the fountain in Season 4). From facing billionaires to betrayals and lies, the trio comes across several hurdles, but refuses to give up.

What's even more interesting is that soon after Lester's death, a robot was hired. However, the staff weren't quite thrilled about a robot taking up Lester's position and quite possibly their jobs too. L.E.S.T.R.'s appointment leaves them in panic, and most of them revolt which leads to L.E.S.T.R.'s kidnapping and its destruction. Yes, someone dismantles the robot by throwing it off the building. Shocking, right? But not for Only Murders in the Building co-creator, John Hoffman. Speaking to TVline, he revealed,

“What do we do with that robot midseason? We dump him off the roof — and we kill him again. So it felt like it was sitting there for us because of what we’ve done with Paul Rudd many times now. It kind of felt like a no-brainer.”

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Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 5: Why did they kill off L.E.S.T.R.?

In the age of AI and robots leaving thousands jobless, Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Episode 5 mirrors the real-world events perfectly. With Lester gone, they hire a robot L.E.S.T.R. to perform the duties of the doorman. However, this addition leaves most of the staff worried since the robot is much more efficient and could take up their jobs. Howard keeps on bragging about the robot and even tells Oliver and Mabel that the robot is collecting the gossip, and they could use it for gathering evidence. On the other hand, we find Ursula looking for other opportunities since she believes that the robot will take up their jobs.

During the investigation, Oliver and Mabel find a note left for Lester which states "Die, Lester Die". Soon they find out that it was meant for the robot and not the former doorman. What's next? Oliver calls in for a meeting where the staff and residents argue about the advantages and disadvantages of the robot. Some staff even threaten to quit. In the next scene, we find out that L.E.S.T.R. is missing, and later we find out that the robot has been thrown off the building.

While many might find this story bizarre, it's a crucial plot that mirrors real-life events. And for Jack Hoffman, the death of L.E.S.T.R. was a complete no-brainer. The robot doorman was voiced by Paul Rudd, and we all know what eventually happens with Paul Rudd's character in Only Murders in the Building.

Paul Rudd first played Ben Gienroy in Only Murders in the Building (Seasons 2 and 3), who was killed during his show's premiere. In Season 3, he played Glen Stubbins, a stunt double for Ben Gienroy, and turns out even he was killed. And now in Only Murders in the Building Season 5, the same happens to L.E.S.T.R., the robot voiced by Rudd. Looks like every Paul Rudd character (whether human or robot) in Only Murders in the Building is destined to die.

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

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Also read: Is Renee Zellweger in Only Murders in the Building Season 5? Details from the Hulu series explored

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