A Shondaland murder mystery… Yes please! 2025 is already shaping up to be a cracking year of new shows.
The latest mark-your-calendar-now series is a quirky murder mystery tale with oodles of political suspense thrown in that is created by the minds behind one of the biggest shows of all time. What’s not to like?!
Here’s everything to know about The Residence, including the first trailer:
What’s it all about?
The Residence brings several genres together. It’s been labelled a ‘screwball’ murder mystery which hints a plot not dissimilar to Knives Out but set in the cutthroat world of US politics.
The official blurb describes The Residence as ‘ a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs and backstairs of The White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.’
Who’s in it?
The cast of characters includes Cordelia Cupp a detective with the Metropolitan Police Department who is like a dog with a bone when it comes to tracking down her perp and has a wry sense of humour to boot.
Cordelia is apparently ‘the most sought-after detective in the world’ and is played by Uzo Aduba who is best known for her appearance in Orange Is The New Black.
Also appearing in The Residence is Randall Park who stars as FBI Special Agent Edwin Park who partners with Cupp to cover a high-profile White House dinner.
Rounding out the cast are Giancarlo Esposito, Edwin Findley, Molly Griggs, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Bronson Pinchot, Julieth Restrepo, Mel Rodriguez, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Mary Wiseman.
It was subsequently announced that global superstar Kylie Minogue will feature in the show and will apparently play herself.
Who’s producing it?
Bridgerton superstar Shonda Rhimes is executive producing the series for Netflix alongside Betsy Beers.
The Residence is inspired by Kate Anderson Brower’s book of the same name.
What’s the storyline?
Well, somewhat inevitably the aforementioned State dinner goes disastrously wrong resulting in one dead body and leaving the detectives with 157 suspects in 132 rooms.
The first trailer dropped at the start of March and is every bit as absorbing as you’d expect. It starts out jumping between scenes from the dinner and Uzo interrogating potential suspects.
We then get introduced to Edmund Parks from the FBI whose arrival elicits eyes from cusp. Once juicy clue that gets dropped is that the victim Mr. Wynter believed he would be dead by the end of the evening.
Whodunnit?
We’ll have to wait to find that one out but the good news is that The Residence will be dropping on Netflix in the spring.
It’s set to be released on Netflix on March 20, 2025.
