Only Murders in the Building - Ending Explained

The central mysteries of each season are resolved with surprising twists that often re-contextualize the entire narrative. A deeper look reveals that the killers are consistently individuals who feel overlooked, betrayed, or desperate to control their own narrative.

Season 1: The killer of Tim Kono is Charles's girlfriend, Jan the bassoonist (Amy Ryan). Her motive is jealousy and rage; Tim had broken off their affair. The twist reveals that the seemingly sweet and quirky neighbor was a manipulative murderer all along. A key clue, hidden in plain sight, was Jan's claim to be the first-chair bassoonist, a lie that Charles eventually uncovers.

Season 2: Bunny Folger's killer is revealed to be Poppy White (Adina Verson), the meek assistant to podcast queen Cinda Canning. Desperate to create a blockbuster podcast for Cinda that she could "discover" and solve, Poppy murdered Bunny to frame the trio and create a sensational story. This twist exposes the dark ambition behind the true-crime industry the show satirizes. The final clue was Poppy ordering the liverwurst and marmalade sandwich that Bunny loathed, a detail only the killer would overlook.

Season 3: Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is murdered not once, but twice. The initial poisoning is done by Donna DeMeo (Linda Emond), the producer of Oliver's play, who puts rat poison on a cookie to delay the show and save her son Cliff from a bad review. After Ben survives, he is pushed down an elevator shaft by Donna's son, Cliff (Wesley Taylor), during a heated argument. This season's resolution emphasizes the theme of misguided parental protection and ambition.

Season 4: Charles's stunt double, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), is shot by Marshall P. Pope (Jin Ha), a screenwriter whose real name is Rex Bailey. Sazz was the unintended target; the bullet was meant for Charles. Marshall's motive was to steal a screenplay Sazz had written and pass it off as his own. When he realized Sazz was onto him, he planned to kill Charles (knowing Sazz often visited) to create a distraction and secure the movie deal. The finale sees Marshall trying to kill the trio before he is shot and killed by an escaped Jan, who was living in the Arconia's secret passageways. The season ends with another murder: Lester the doorman is found dead in the courtyard fountain.

Season 5: The season tackles two murders: doorman Lester Coluca and mobster Nicky Caccimelio. The investigations delve into the world of secret billionaires and the contrast between old and new New York. The finale is set to air on October 28, 2025.

One alternative interpretation of the series focuses on the idea that the podcast itself is an unreliable narrator. Since the story is often framed through Charles's narration for their in-world show, some viewers have theorized that events may be embellished or reordered for dramatic effect, just as Oliver would do for a Broadway production. This reading suggests that the audience is not seeing an objective reality but rather a curated version of the story, full of the trio's biases and creative liberties.

Another interpretation views the Arconia not just as a setting, but as a purgatorial space. Each murder victim is someone with unresolved issues, and their deaths force the living residents to confront their own past sins and regrets. In this light, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are not just solving crimes but are on a journey of redemption, finding absolution for their past failures through their quest for truth. The constant cycle of death and investigation becomes a recurring process of catharsis for the entire community.