Allow us to put a new TV show on your radar: The Residence.
The new series is a “screwball whodunit” set at the White House which boasts a seriously stellar cast.
Oh, and it’s produced by Shondaland. The same production company responsible for Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder and Bridgerton.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Residence.
Where can I watch The Residence in Australia?
All eight episodes of The Residence will be released on Netflix on March 20, 2025.
What is the Netflix series about?
Inspired by the Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant film Charade, The Residence is a whodunit set at the White House — the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Hence, the name of the series.
During a state dinner, a murder occurs. And so, all the attendees, all 157 of them, make up the suspect pool. Therefore, the FBI brings in eccentric but brilliant detective Cordelia Cupp to help solve the case.
But as the investigation unfolds, interpersonal conflicts between the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion begin to arise.
Who stars in The Residence?
Uzo Aduba, the Emmy Award winner best known for Orange is the New Black, stars in The Residence. She plays the eccentric detective, Cordelia Cupp.
Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Edwina Findley and Randall Park also round out the cast.
Australia’s Kylie Minogue also appears in The Residence as herself.
Is The Residence a true story?
No, the series is not a true story.
It was inspired by the nonfiction book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower.
“One of the things that really struck me in reading Kate Brower’s book, which is where this all started, was the sheer theatricality of it all,” Paul William Davies, The Residence’s creator and showrunner, told Tudum.
“People often use the term upstairs/downstairs to describe life in these big houses like the White House, but I really thought of it more in terms of onstage/backstage.”
As aforementioned, The Residence was also inspired by the Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant screwball comedy Charade.
In Charade, widow Regina Lampert discovers that her late husband was involved in a stolen fortune, making her the target of ruthless criminals.
