Only Murders in the Building Season 5: Every guest star confirmed to appear in the new chapter of the mystery comedy

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 opens with a clear hook: the Arconia’s longtime doorman, Lester, is found dead shortly after Oliver’s wedding, and the trio Charles, Oliver, and Mabel reopen their investigation. The premiere day releases three episodes, then the season moves to a weekly schedule; early materials and the trailer make clear the new mystery reaches beyond the building, bringing mob connections and very wealthy suspects into the trio’s orbit.

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 pairs returning characters with several high-profile guests whose roles are tied directly to the story. The detective work starts inside the Arconia but quickly pushes into New York’s business and social circles. Showrunner John Hoffman framed the trio’s motivation,

“We’re doing this for Lester,”

A line reported by TV Insider, he used to describe why the characters press a case that others accept as an accident.

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Guest list and the parts they play in Only Murders in the Building Season 5

Only Murders in the Building Season 5’s confirmed guest performers include Renée Zellweger (Camila White), Logan Lerman (Jay Pflug), and Christoph Waltz (Bash Steeg), a trio of billionaire figures who are presented as potential suspects in Lester’s death. Bobby Cannavale plays Nicky Caccimelio, described in several reports as the “Dry-Cleaning King” whose disappearance drives a separate but related thread.

Téa Leoni returns as Sofia Caccimelio, connected to that missing-person storyline. Other guests named in press coverage are Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Feldstein, Jermaine Fowler, Nathan Lane, Richard Kind, Dianne Wiest, Meryl Streep, and Jane Lynch.

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How do guests tie to specific plot beats?

Only Murders in the Building Season 5 begins with the discovery of Lester’s body in the Arconia courtyard/fountain the day after Oliver’s wedding, which immediately expands the investigation beyond routine apartment gossip. The billionaire trio Camila, Jay, and Bash are introduced early; each is shown with motives or secrets that place them in the foreground of Episode 1 and the episodes that follow.

At the same time, the missing-person thread around Nicky Caccimelio gives the detectives a mob-linked avenue to follow; press write-ups link that storyline to the Caputo crime family and to Sofia’s plea for help.

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What returning characters face this season?

Charles gets a storyline that pits him against a billionaire obsessed with longevity and odd investments, while Oliver navigates the fallout from his recent wedding, and Mabel balances the podcast’s public profile with private risks. As per Tom’s Guide reports, Michael Cyril Creighton said,

“I love that it’s a little darker this season and that we’re exploring the seedy underbelly of New York, be it the money and the mob. … It’s exciting and a little grittier at certain points, and there are so many surprises.”

And that his character, Howard, faces growing loneliness and turns to technology as part of his arc, a personal detail that affects how he participates in the investigation.

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What cast and creators say about the approach?

Production and publicity materials emphasize that guest casting is not simply decorative; writers placed many of the new roles so that they drive the mystery forward. According to People, Martin Short, reflecting on working again with Meryl Streep, remarked that she was “easy” and “loose” on set, adding that she,

“Doesn’t carry any of her 21 Oscar nominations to the set.”

Those on-set impressions matter because the season asks familiar actors to play parts that alter the balance of power within the story.

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What to watch for in early episodes?

Watch for how the first three episodes set two parallel tracks: the Arconia murder investigation and the search for a missing man who connects to the building’s darker ties. Specific scenes in the trailer show Charles confronting a powerful figure and the trio being pushed into spaces outside their comfort zone.

Those beats suggest guest performances are meant to create obstacles and reveal new clues rather than serve as one-off star turns. Final judgment rests on episode scripts and screen time, but current reporting and the trailer point to a season that uses guest casting as a story engine.