Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast

Episode: S5 E9: LESTR
Host: Michael Cyril Creighton
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives behind the scenes of "Only Murders in the Building" Season 5, Episode 9 ("LESTR"). Host Michael Cyril Creighton (aka Howard) brings on an all-star lineup: Jermaine Fowler (Randall), Jackie Hoffman (Uma), Assistant Costume Designer Abby Gaghan, and Executive Producer Jess Rosenthal. The group unpacks major turning points in the story, shares hilarious and heartfelt on-set moments, discusses the intricacies of costume and set design, and teases juicy inside details about both the making of the show and the upcoming finale.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recapping Episode 9 & The "Robot"-Centric Revelations

• The episode opens with Michael and Jermaine riffing about an on-set blooper, setting a playful tone.
• Plot Recap (01:18–01:39):
  • The trio chases Randall about sabotaging the elevator.
  • Mabel and Williams discover a secret passage, learning Randall never left—the real twist comes from Robot Lester’s footage, revealing Human Lester’s confession and instructions to Randall.
  • The cast gathers for a climactic "Last Supper" in Oliver’s apartment; Howard realizes a clue lies in a wheelchair’s scuff mark.

2. Jackie Hoffman on Uma, Set Vibes, and Improvisation

• Jackie describes the set as "gorgeous" and "A-hole free," a remarkable feat for such a superstar cast.

  "It's actually a delightful place to work." (02:55–02:56, Jackie Hoffman)

• On working with icons and the show's surprising character arcs—Uma’s crankiness, her romance, and improvisational freedom.
  • Memorable improv:

    "I've seen his table. It's not that long, but it's thick. Classy." (04:48–05:04, Jackie Hoffman)

  • Highlights comedic rapport, especially with Nathan Lane, and pokes fun at Howard’s "peculiar relationship" with the robot.
  • On Uma’s romantic subplot:

    "I was very surprised at how the director handled it... it brought me back to my porn days. Buy me a sandwich sometimes." (06:23–06:35, Jackie Hoffman)

• On favorite Uma improvs:

  "You can die after you've made Steve Martin and Martin Short laugh." (08:29–08:30, Jackie Hoffman) “With a screw top. What’s the matter—you couldn’t find a box?” (08:30–08:42, Jackie Hoffman, referencing an early-morning improv)

3. "Pass The Dip" – Comedic Game Segment

• A hilarious rapid-fire game naming as many dips as possible, showcasing cast chemistry and playful banter. (09:00–10:01)

4. Costume Design With Abby Gaghan

• Insights into building characters through wardrobe—Howard's "pride costume" and the decision to finally put Howard in shorts.

  "You can't really see his legs because his mother's wheelchair is blocking them." (11:12–11:15, Michael Cyril Creighton)

• Stories behind the "toga" costumes for the Last Supper tableau; Abby shares fans’ appreciation for Easter eggs in wardrobe, like Howard's evolving sock choices, which reflect story themes each season (robots, cats, tech, etc.). (13:14–14:38)

  “This season started out with dog socks and cat socks and then swiftly moved to robot socks and technology socks...” (14:25–14:36, Michael Cyril Creighton)

• Subtle costume choices ("brooches" on Howard) evolve as technology themes ramp up this season.

5. Jermaine Fowler On Playing Randall and Building Suspense

• Discusses playing up the "is he the killer?" vibe, always layering anxiety, suspicion, and red herrings for fans and cast alike.

  "Anyone is a suspect. I definitely wanted to make it feel like he was one..." (18:19, Jermaine Fowler)

• Actor insights: Wearing gloves purposely, considering bandages—fuel for internet sleuths.
• On the dynamic between Randall and Lester the Robot:

  "There'll always be this anti robot kind of position that Randall will have, only because he's an artist... he loves people. But there is something so... about a robot that he's just always gonna be a bit kind of suspicious about." (21:32–22:00, Jermaine Fowler)

6. Filming the "Last Supper" Scene: Set Antics and Giggly Moments

• Cast describes an increasingly humid, crowded set leading to contagious on-set laughter.

  "I get a little delirious and little giggly." (22:35, Jermaine Fowler)
  "It was like being at church. You connect eyes with someone who's also trying to hold in their laughter, and then everything blows up." (23:51–23:52, Jermaine Fowler)

• Star improvisations:
  • Michael accidentally delivers an emotional line as "my mother spent her life in an electric chair,” causing the cast to lose composure. (23:21–23:41)
  • Jackie and Richard’s flirtatious table-side “would you like to put your pita in my dip?” line and eye-patch lifting escalation further break the group.
• Jermaine notes: “There’s probably not a clean take of me in that scene at all, actually, because I’m just having such a great time." (25:10)

7. Showrunner Insights With Jess Rosenthal

• Producing the Show – Origins & Logistics

  "A producer is someone who tries to find these TV show ideas, tries to set them up, make them all the way through post production ... On this one, I begged for a lunch with Steve Martin for three years." (29:26–29:49, Jess Rosenthal)

  • Fun fact: Steve Martin pitched the original idea for "Only Murders" at that fateful lunch.
• Budgeting Realities: Planned yacht scene for the big dinner devolved into an apartment due to costs ("The budget did that.").
• Creative Influence: Jess’s mom’s advice on jealousy as motivation ended up in a therapy scene this season (31:34–32:16).
• Block Party Scene / Set Design: The lobby "block party" was inspired by real NYC apartment customs, with the set team integrating subtle, story-rich props and details (33:34–34:43).

  "There was a kind of gallows humor to it all, too, that I think our show really does well at..." (34:43)

• Robot Antics:

  "The joke on set was, gee, I don't know if robots are coming for our jobs that quickly... The robot would, like, eh, yeah... to get the arm to go up, it took an hour maybe.” (35:10–36:03, Jess Rosenthal & Michael)

• Casino Set:

  “This casino was just a real wonderful achievement by our show. That is our production design, our set decoration... it really did sort of come from a real thing too. The cops in New York found an underground casino under a butcher shop, and that became the impetus.” (36:16–37:26, Jess Rosenthal)

• Favorite Show Memories:
  • The green room—Steve Martin’s "silly names app" bit with Martin Short (38:53–39:59)
  • Marty and Meryl’s impromptu “New York, New York” duet on an East River shoot (40:15–41:05)
  • Sting playing on set (41:05)
• Finale Tease:

  “We have quite a doozy... We’ll see what happened to this individual and how our trio’s gonna figure out what happened.” (41:18–41:39, Jess Rosenthal)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cozy Murder Vibes:

  "People describe Only Murders in the Building as a cozy show... cozy murders." (01:42, Michael Cyril Creighton)

• Jackie on Set Atmosphere:

  "We're A hole free. Considering the star power, everyone’s remarkably friendly." (02:40–02:47, Jackie Hoffman)

• Jackie on Improv:

  “All those years at Second City paid off.” (05:04, Jackie Hoffman)

• Uma’s Soft Side:

  “It’s nice to see her have a win. Uma's soft side.” (07:47–07:48, Michael Cyril Creighton & Jackie Hoffman)

• On Cast Laughter:

  “It was like being at church... you connect eyes with someone who's also trying to hold in their laughter, and then everything blows up.” (23:51–23:52, Jermaine Fowler)

• On the Block Party:

  “What if they had a block party? ... It was fun to imagine all of you kind of crowding around in these final moments.” (33:34, Jess Rosenthal)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start | Description | |---------------------------------------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | Episode Recap | 01:18 | Quick rundown of S5E9’s twists and setup | | Jackie Hoffman Interview | 01:42 | Set design & cast dynamics, Uma’s evolution | | Favorite Improvs & On-Set Antics | 04:24 | Notably the “pita in my dip” line | | Costume Insights w/ Abby Gaghan | 10:42 | The making of Howard’s wardrobe | | Easter Eggs & Costume Stories | 13:14 | Even Howard’s socks are loaded with meaning | | Jermaine Fowler (Randall) on Suspense | 16:09 | Layering performance for red herring effect | | Giggly “Last Supper” Behind the Scenes| 22:35 | Hilarious breakdowns and bloopers during group shoots | | Jess Rosenthal On Producing & Set Life| 29:11 | Origin story & creative contributions | | Block Party & Casino Set Discussion | 33:34 | Real NYC inspiration and set design challenges | | Finale Teaser & Favorite Moments | 41:18 | Hype for S5 finale and behind-the-scenes deep cuts |

Games and Playful Moments

• "Pass the Dip" Game (09:00–10:01): Rapid-fire dip naming contest, ending with Michael’s inevitable win.
• "Dead Giveaway" Game (26:23–28:14): Jermaine races to identify episode details for a supposed prize of “400 pounds of hummus” from Demas’s Deli.
• Green Room Antics: Steve Martin uses an “app” to generate random names for Martin Short’s improv routines off-camera—pure gold for the cast.

Finale and Looking Forward

• Hints abound about a blockbuster season finale—with emotional stakes, a mystery to solve, and rich character payoffs.
• The show’s secret sauce: a blend of meticulous set and costume design, improvisational freedom, and a cast/crew who genuinely revel in each other's company.

Closing Quote

“Will the Arconia survive? Will any of us survive? Oh God. See you next week.” (41:58–42:00, Michael Cyril Creighton)

This episode brims with the humor, warmth, and camaraderie that makes "Only Murders in the Building" a cult favorite—both on-screen and behind the scenes. Whether you're in it for laughs, layered mysteries, or production geekery, there’s something for every fan.