The Residence is an American mystery drama television series created by Paul William Davies for Netflix. Inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower, the series revolves around a fictional murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Produced by Shondaland, the series premiered on March 20, 2025.
| The Residence | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Based on | The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 47–87 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | March 20, 2025 |
Premise
editSet "upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs" in the White House, Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises in order to solve a murder that occurred during a state dinner. During the investigation, interpersonal conflicts between 157 personnel of the residence start to unfold.[1][2][3]
Cast
edit- Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, a consultant with the Metropolitan Police Department
- Giancarlo Esposito as A. B. Wynter, the White House Chief Usher
- Susan Kelechi Watson as Jasmine Haney, a White House Assistant Usher
- Jason Lee as Tripp Morgan, the President's brother
- Ken Marino as Harry Hollinger, the President's chief adviser
- Edwina Findley as Sheila Cannon, a White House Butler
- Randall Park as Edwin Park, an FBI Special Agent
- Molly Griggs as Lilly Schumacher, the President's social secretary
- Andrew Friedman as Irv Samuelson, the director of National Park Police
- Al Mitchell as Rollie Bridgewater, the White House's Head Butler
- Dan Perrault as Colin Trask, Head of the Presidential Detail for the Secret Service
- Spencer Garrett as Wally Glick, the director of the FBI
- Bronson Pinchot as Didier Gotthard, the White House Executive Pastry Chef
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Larry Dokes, the Chief of Police at the MPD
- Mary Wiseman as Marvella, the White House Executive Chef
- Matt Oberg as Nick Simms, the White House Chief Calligrapher
- Taran Killam as St. Pierre, energy medium
- Alexandra Siegel as Valentina Motta, Washington socialite. Party crasher.
- Ryan Farrell as Lorenzo Motta, Washington socialite. Party crasher.
- Barrett Foa as Elliot Morgan, the First Gentleman
- Al Franken as Aaron Filkins, the Washington Senior Senator
- Julian McMahon as Stephen Roos, the Prime Minister of Australia
- Kylie Minogue as herself
- Jane Curtin as Nan Cox
- James Babson as Daryl Armogeda, Operations Supervisor.
- Eliza Coupe as Margery Bay Bix, Senator from Colorado
- Izzy Diaz as Eddie Gomez, Carpenter
- Paul Witten as Jeffrey Hewes, Florist
- Paul Fitzgerald as Perry Morgan, the President of the United States
- Roslyn Gentle as Rachel Middlekauff, Media Tycoon
- Chris Grace as Duane Ladage, Electrician.
- Juliette Jeffers as Angie Huggins, Printer. She and A.B. Wynter played backgammon.
- Sumalee Montano as Dana Hammond, White House Chief of Staff
- Brett Tucker as David Rylance, the Foreign Minister of Australia
- Nathan Lovejoy as Alden Tamridge, the Australian Ambassador to the United States
- Julieth Restrepo as Elsyie Chayle, Housekeeper.
- Mel Rodriguez as Bruce Geller, Engineer
- Rebecca Field as Emily Mackil, White House Gardener.
- Timothy Hornor as Patrick Doumbe, medical devices sales manager. Party crasher. He was granted immunity for testifying before Congress.
- Sonya Leslie as Christy Vail, Head of Housekeeping.
- Jodi Bianca Wise as Melody Roos, the First Lady of Australia. She is allergic to bottlebrush flower.
- Aubrey Wakeling as Walpole Bing, Australian Industrialist.
- Will Dixon as Peter Paris, the Secretary of State.
- J.R. Yenque as Chuy Ornelas, Valet.
- Soledad Campos as Sylvia Banks, Storeroom employee
- J.D. Hall as George McCutcheon/Doorman
- Stan Sellers as George McCutcheon/Houseman
- Michael Anthony Spady as George McCutcheon/Plumber
- Devika Parikh as Rosalind Chace, White House Curator.
- Catherine Carlen as Kim Abkin, Former First Lady
- Keiko Agena as Liz Hollenbeck, Washington Post reporter
- Jeremiah Felder as Vusi Nhlapho, 12-year old precocious student.
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Fall of the House of Usher" | Liza Johnson | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
|
On the night of October 11, the body of White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter is discovered in the game room on the third floor, dead from an apparent suicide. Due to the White House playing host to a state dinner in honor of Australia on the same night, the president's chief adviser, Harry Hollinger, pushes for his death to be quickly declared a suicide, due to the presence of a suicide note and his wrists having been slit. However, consulting detective from the Metropolitan Police Department, Cordelia Cupp, finds evidence that Wynter died elsewhere and his death was staged to look like a suicide, noting the lack of wounds consistent with suicide, and the presence of someone else's shirt on Wynter. With the assistance of Special Agent Edwin Park from the FBI and assistant chief usher Jasmine Haney, Cupp surveys the layout of the White House and proposes interviewing each of the guests. President Perry Morgan refuses, until Cupp notices the Australian foreign minister David Rylance is wearing Wynter's shirt, forcing Morgan to lock down the White House. In the present day, Senator Aaron Filkins leads a congressional hearing where the various people present during Cupp's investigation are interviewed. He is frequently interrupted by Colorado senator Margaret Bay Bix, who accuses the Morgan administration of having covered up Wynter's murder. | |||||
| 2 | "Dial M for Murder" | Liza Johnson | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 3 | "Knives Out" | Liza Johnson | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 4 | "The Last of Sheila" | Liza Johnson | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 5 | "The Trouble with Harry" | Jaffar Mahmood | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 6 | "The Third Man" | Jaffar Mahmood | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 7 | "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" | Jaffar Mahmood | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
| 8 | "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" | Jaffar Mahmood | Paul William Davies | March 20, 2025 | |
Production
editDevelopment
editOn July 20, 2018, Netflix announced The Residence as a part of nine-figure deal between the streamer and Shondaland, with both of them acquiring the rights to adapt the non-fiction book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, written by Kate Andersen Brower.[4][5][6] On March 7, 2022, it was unveiled that The Residence would consist of eight-one hour episodes with Paul William Davies, writer of Scandal and creator of For the People, serving as the executive producer and showrunner of the series as a part of his overall deal with Netflix.[2][3] Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers of Shondaland would also join Davies as executive producers.[7][8] On February 27, 2023, Liza Johnson was announced as the director for the first four episodes.[9][10]
Casting
editOn February 1, 2023, Uzo Aduba was announced as the lead character of the series.[11][12][13] More cast was revealed on February 27, 2023, with Andre Braugher, Susan Kelechi Watson, Ken Marino, Jason Lee, Bronson Pinchot, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Edwina Findley, Molly Griggs, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault and Mary Wiseman joining Aduba in supporting roles.[9][10][14] On March 7, 2023, Randall Park and Spencer Garrett were revealed to have joined the cast in a main and a recurring role respectively.[15][16] The next day, four more cast members were announced, consisting of E.L. Losada, Matt Oberg, Ryan Farrell and Alexandra Siegel.[16] On March 30, 2023, Barrett Foa joined the main cast in a recurring capacity.[17] Further cast was announced on April 14, 2023, including Kylie Minogue playing herself, Jane Curtin, James Babson, Eliza Coupe, Izzy Diaz, Paul Fitzgerald, Roslyn Gentle, Chris Grace, Juliette Jeffers, Sumalee Montano, Brett Tucker, Nathan Lovejoy, Julieth Restrepo, Mel Rodriguez, and Rebecca Field.[18] Losada was replaced by Taran Killam in the final cut.
Filming
editOn July 18, 2022, it was revealed that the series received tax credits from California Film Office worth US$13.95 million.[19][20] Production of the series was suspended by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes after four of the eight ordered episodes were filmed. The series was expected to resume production on January 2, 2024.[1] Andre Braugher died on December 11, 2023. In February 2024, it was announced that production had resumed and Giancarlo Esposito had assumed Braugher's role.[21]
Release
editThe Residence was released on Netflix on March 20, 2025.[22]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 82% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Residence situates itself in the White House for a lighthearted murder mystery that won't tax the brain, but Uzo Aduba's eccentric sleuth brings a welcome level of sophistication to proceedings."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating favorable reviews.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 13, 2023). "André Braugher's Final Series 'The Residence' Remains Unfinished After Strike-Related Shutdown". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (March 7, 2022). "Shondaland Drama Series 'The Residence' From Paul William Davies Ordered By Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (March 7, 2022). "Netflix Orders White House Mystery Drama 'The Residence' From Shondaland, 'For the People' Creator". Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (July 20, 2018). "Shondaland Unveils Netflix Series Slate: 'Bridgerton', Anna Delvey Project, 'The Warmth Of Other Suns', 'The Residence', Ellen Pao Project, More". Deadline. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (July 20, 2018). "Shonda Rhimes Developing 'Reset,' 'Warmth of Other Suns' and Six Other Series for Netflix". Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "NETFLIX AND SHONDALAND ANNOUNCE FIRST SLATE OF SERIES". About Netflix. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Lash, Jolie (March 7, 2022). "Netflix Orders Murder-Mystery from Shondaland Set in the White House". The Wrap. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "New Shondaland Murder-Mystery Drama 'The Residence' Ordered to Series at Netflix". About Netflix. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 27, 2023). "'The Residence': Andre Braugher, Susan Kelechi Watson & Ken Marino Among 11 Cast In Netflix's Shondaland Series". Deadline. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (February 27, 2023). "Shondaland Netflix Series 'The Residence' Adds 11 to Cast, Including Andre Braugher, Jason Lee, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 1, 2023). "Uzo Aduba To Star In Netflix Drama Series 'The Residence' From Shondaland". Deadline. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 1, 2023). "Uzo Aduba to Lead Shondaland Series 'The Residence' at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 1, 2023). "Uzo Aduba to Star in Shondaland White House Murder-Mystery 'The Residence'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 27, 2023). "Andre Braugher, Susan Kelechi Watson Among 11 Cast in Shondaland's 'The Residence'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 7, 2023). "'The Residence': Randall Park Cast As Series Regular; Spencer Garrett To Recur In Netflix's Shondaland Drama". Deadline. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (March 8, 2023). "Shondaland Netflix Series 'The Residence' Adds Four to Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 30, 2023). "'The Residence': Barrett Foa Joins Netflix's Shondaland Drama As Recurring". Deadline. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Bell, BreAnna (April 14, 2023). "Shondaland Netflix Series 'The Residence' Adds Kylie Minogue, Jane Curtin, James Babson, Paul Fitzgerald, More to Cast". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (July 18, 2022). "'Star Wars' Series 'Skeleton Crew,' Shonda Rhimes' White House Drama 'The Residence,' & Robert Downey Jr's 'The Sympathizer' Adaptation Awarded Big CA Tax Credits". Deadline. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Maddaus, Gene (July 18, 2022). "'Star Wars' Series 'Skeleton Crew' Gets $21 Million Subsidy From California". Variety. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 7, 2024). "Giancarlo Esposito Takes On Andre Braugher's Role In Netflix's 'The Residence'; Al Franken Playing Senator Among Other Cast Additions". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Swift, Andy (December 10, 2024). "Shondaland's White House Murder Mystery The Residence Gets March Premiere Date on Netflix — First Look". TVLine. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "The Residence: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ "The Residence: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 20, 2025.