Netflix Review: ‘The Residence’ is a Fun Sprawling Ensemble Shondaland Mystery

We’d all like to think that the place where the most prominent figurehead in the United States lives is also the most ironclad and impenetrable spot in the country. Yet countless movies and TV shows where terrorists tunnel under the White House or turn high-ranking officials in the President’s cabinet or family against him (or her) have shown that, at least in writers’ imaginations, that’s far from the case. The Residence is the latest instance of this admittedly engaging phenomenon, putting a light touch on a very complex story of lies and deceit.

Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) arrives at the White House after being called in to investigate the murder of Chief Usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito). She’s not a fan of having traditional suspects or any typical course of investigation, and her lengthy search for the truth involves considering every single person who is on the property. She works to put the clues together with the help of FBI Special Agent Edwin Park (Randall Park) and Assistant Usher Jasmine Haney (Susan Kelechi Watson) as the case is reviewed in detail in congressional hearings after the fact that call numerous witnesses to offer details on the many, many pieces of this puzzle.

This is the latest production from Shondaland, famous for pulpy fare like Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, and Bridgerton. This one follows the framework of the latter in its utilization of a massive cast, one that might in fact be too crowded with supporting players and irrelevant red herrings for just eight episodes. Paul William Davies, who worked on the writing staff of Scandal and created For the People, is on board as showrunner here, navigating a vast mystery that contains enough threads to keep audiences guessing for season after season, even though they’ll be able to binge the entire first season in a third of a day. Eight episodes also means that this show doesn’t always feel like it’s in a rush to get anywhere, with even its characters occasionally expressing boredom at the progress of the investigation or the tangential conversations brought up in witness interviews.

Fortunately, this show does benefit from a worthwhile cast of characters and a fond imitation of other similar projects. Each episode features the title of another famous mystery, like The Fall of the House of Usher, Dial M for Murder, or Knives Out. That Rian Johnson film serves as a great point of comparison for a show that takes itself just seriously enough, intent on making the search for a killer just as involving and entertaining as the specifics of the crime itself. It’s not just about who did it but the process of crossing suspects off a list one or several at a time. Netflix describes it as a “screwball whodunnit,” an accurate moniker for a show that’s much more about having fun than building any serious suspense.

Three-time Emmy winner Aduba brings just the right impatient quirkiness to this role to make the character magnetic and fascinating, deliberately odd in her approach to every facet of her process and very eager to delay announcing her latest deduction to offer a random fact about rare birds. Park, Ken Marino, and Jason Lee are just a few of the key ensemble members who ensure that this comedy has just the right tonal boundaries, while Esposito keeps things very dramatic and others, like Edwina Findley as a loose cannon butler, ensure that there’s loud, broad comedy to be found as well. In her follow-up to This Is Us, Watson hasn’t found a formidable role here for her talents, but it’s good to see her trying something different. Anyone with even a passing interest in a light crime show that emphasizes entertainment over violent drama should find something to enjoy in this sprawling caper series with many familiar faces.

Series Rating: 7/10