The climactic conclusion to the fifth season of “Only Murders in the Building” follows tradition by introducing a fresh mystery with a new victim. In a startling twist, Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) find themselves entangled in the murder of someone they know all too well—Cinda Canning (Tina Fey). This podcast mogul, who has been both an inspiration and a competitor to the trio, becomes the latest casualty in a narrative that fondly revisits faces from the past five seasons.

Since her last appearance, Cinda had relocated to England to embark on a new true crime series titled “The Girl with the Curls.” The podcast chronicles the plight of an elusive redhead entangled in legal troubles and scandal involving the British aristocracy. As the trio exits the Arconia after tuning into the latest episode, they stumble upon a distressing scene—a woman with fiery curls lies in distress just outside their building. To their horror, the woman is revealed to be Cinda herself. Despite her efforts to reach the Arconia’s safety, she remains on the ground, gravely injured, as the sound of sirens approaches.

Throughout the series, Cinda Canning has cast a significant shadow over the “Only Murders” crew. Her show, “All Is Not OK in Oklahoma,” served as the catalyst for the trio to delve into the mysteries of the Arconia. However, their rising popularity sparked envy in Cinda, prompting her to push her assistant, Poppy White (Adina Verson), to find a more sensational crime to cover.

Cinda Canning has always loomed large in the lives of the “Only Murders” trio. Her podcast “All Is Not OK in Oklahoma” encourages the three of them to create their own exploration of the dark side of the Arconia. Unfortunately, their success inspires jealousy in Cinda — when they start to gain a following, she tells her assistant, Poppy White (Adina Verson), that she needs a newer, bigger crime to tackle. 

During Season 2, Poppy takes this as a challenge and kills Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell). A long and twisted road ultimately leads to Poppy’s confession, and the revelation that she is actually Becky Butler, subject of Cinda’s podcast, was a big plot twist that no one saw coming back in 2022. Cinda faked Poppy/Becky’s death to improve her hits and stay alive in the competitive true crime podcast world. 

Amazingly, this doesn’t plunge her into disgrace; by the time Season 3 rolls around, she approaches Mabel with a new job on her team. She claims she’s into wellness, health and peace now, but admits to Mabel that it’s all a lie. Mabel rejects the job offer, and that’s the last fans have seen of Cinda — until her bloody Season 5 finale bow.