The newest show in Shondaland has officially been set. Mystery dramaThe Residencewill come to Netflix sometime in the near future. Shondaland, the production company founded by uber-producer Shonda Rhimes, has developed some of the biggest television shows over the last two decades. These includeGrey’s Anatomy,Scandal,How to Get Away with Murder, andBridgerton,among many others. A staple at ABC for years,Rhimes partnered with Netflixin 2017 to produce original content for the streamer.
Like Rhimes' miniseriesInventing Anna,The Residenceis inspired by real-life source material. Kate Anderson Brower’s nonfiction bookThe Residence: Inside the Private World of the White Houseprovides the basis for the show’s plot. However, the television adaptation is not expected to be directly based on actual events (more on that later).
Shonda Rhimes' shows have been a staple of television sinceGrey’s Anatomy’sdebutnearly 20 years ago. Several have become massive hits, but can we expect the same level of success fromThe Residence? What will the storyline look like, who will we see in the cast, and when and where will the show premiere? Now, let’s look at everything we know about Shondaland’sThe Residence.
The Residence: The Plot
As mentioned,The Residenceis based on Kate Anderson Brower’sThe Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.Brower’s book was hailed as groundbreaking when published, offering a rarely-seen look at the housekeeping staff that works behind the scenes at the titular “residence.” The book even reached number one onTheNew York TimesNonfiction Bestseller List.
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The Residencetelevision adaptation will feature a similar plot, also set in the inner workings of the White House staff. However, we’ll see a dramatic twist on the concept, with the show reportedly bringing a murder mystery to the most famous house in the country. More specifically, viewers canexpect to see"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."
There are 132 rooms and 157 suspects, meaning virtually every staff member could have presumably had a hand in the slaying. The wildly eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp is standing by to investigate the murder that took place during a disastrous state dinner. With so many suspects and such a high-profile crime scene, this show could take any number of avenues. How would they keep amurder at the White Housesecret? Where would we even begin narrowing down the suspect list? What would the security implications be, and how safe is the President’s home?
As we can see from this snippet of plot details, the show could go in any direction, and all we can do now is wait and see. Additional plot information is likely to be revealed as production continues.
The Residence: The Cast
As we’ve come to expect in Shondaland,The Residencefeatures a large, diverse cast making up the core ensemble. First,Orange is the New Blackveteran Uzo Aduba is Cordelia Cupp, the detective assigned to the case. Cupp works for the Metropolitan Police Department and is a keen, if sometimes unsettling, observer of human behavior.
The rest of the sprawling ensemblecomprises established big names and vets from multiple television projects. Andre Braugher ofBrooklyn Nine-Nineplays A.B. Wynter, the Chief Usher at the White House.This Is Us’s Susan Kelechi Watson is Assistant Usher Jasmine Haney.My Name is Earlstar Jason Lee portrays Tripp Morgan, younger brother of U.S. President Perry Morgan. Ken Marino ofParty Downis Harry Hollinger, President Morgan’s close friend and confidant. Edwina Findlay ofThe Powerstars as butler Sheila Cannon.Dr. Death’sMolly Griggs is White House Social Secretary Lilly Schumacher.Stranger Things’Al Mitchell plays Rollie Bridgewater, a head butler and maitre’d. Dan Perrault ofStraysis Collin Trask, head of President Morgan’s Secret Service detail. Isiah Whitlock Jr. ofYour Honorportrays the Metropolitan PD’s chief, Larry Dokes.Star Trek: Discovery’sMary Wiseman is the White House’s Executive Chef, Marvella.
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Actor E.L. Losada is St. Pierre, a reported energy healer. Matt Oberg ofSuperstoreplays Nick Simms, a calligrapher. Socialites Lorenzo and Valentina Motta are played byThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’sRyan Farrell andAmerican Auto’sAlexandra Siegel, respectively.Fresh Off the Boat’sRandall Park is FBI agent Edwin Park, and Spencer Garrett plays FBI Director Wally Glick.Finally,NCIS: Los Angelesactor Barrett Foa rounds out the cast as Elliott Morgan, the “first gentleman” who is unprepared for his role.
Additional casting information (if there’s room for anyone else) will likely be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
The Residence: Release Date
Currently, there is no set release date forThe Residence. However, we know the series is in production and could be ready for a release later this year or sometime in 2024.
