<\/p>\n
Only Murders in the Building<\/em><\/a> peeled back the layers of Martin Short<\/a>\u2018s Oliver Putnam in the sixth episode of Season 5,<\/a> revealing the character\u2019s surprising backstory in foster care.<\/p>\n The revelation came as Oliver joined Loretta (Meryl Streep<\/a>) after her apartment went up in flames, prompting the pair to reminisce about their memories of living and growing up in Brooklyn. Oliver revealed he grew up in the foster care system, noting how his second foster family lived in Flatbush, where he stayed from ages 9 to 12.<\/p>\n However, Oliver said he didn\u2019t truly feel \u201cat home\u201d until he found himself at the Mycyn Theatre and was cast in a play. Even though his foster parents stopped him from performing, he recalled sneaking out of the house in costume to watch the play as another kid performed his part.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my whole life, I\u2019ve only really felt like myself in two places,\u201d Oliver said in the episode, per TVLine<\/em><\/a>. \u201cBeing back here today, I finally understand why I\u2019m so afraid to leave the Arconia.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking with TVLine<\/em> after the episode, series co-creator John Hoffman<\/a> said that Oliver\u2019s foster care backstory was something they had in mind for a while and were waiting for the perfect time to reveal it in the show.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was something we had thought about, and I just loved subverting the idea that he was always the Bon Vivant \u2014 the big mouth, the pied piper,\u201d Hoffman told the outlet. \u201cKnowing that, actually, that personality was born out of a very different experience growing up, was interesting to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoffman said the details of Oliver\u2019s childhood came from a mixture of his own history growing up in New York and Season 5\u2019s central mystery, which revolves around the murder of Lester Coluca (Teddy Coluca<\/a>), the beloved doorman at the Arconia.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born in Brooklyn \u2014 and knowing that Lester and his wife Lorraine were living in Flatbush, and knowing Flatbush pretty well, I was imagining some symmetry that could be discovered between Oliver and Lester,\u201d Hoffman stated.<\/p>\n The foster care background came from a desire \u201cto know what kind of time Oliver spent in Flatbush\u201d and to find a backstory for the larger-than-life character that \u201cwould be a surprise to most.\u201d<\/p>\n