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The Residence: All we know About the new Shondaland Murder Mystery
Netflix and Shondaland have officially dropped the teaser trailer for The Residence, giving us a thrilling first look at this eccentric murder mystery. Created by Scandal writer Paul William Davies, the series takes viewers inside the White House—this time, not for politics, but for a scandalous whodunit.
Set within the walls of the White House, The Residence turns the spotlight on the people who truly keep it running—the staff. But when a murder disrupts a high-stakes state dinner, every room becomes a crime scene, and everyone is a suspect.
With a top-tier cast, an intriguing mystery, and Shondaland’s signature storytelling, The Residence is shaping up to be one of the year’s must-watch shows. But who’s behind the crime? And how deep does the scandal go? We’ve gathered everything you need to know, from the cast lineup to behind-the-scenes details. Keep checking back as we uncover more secrets leading up to the premiere!
Release date & Where to Watch
The series will premiere worldwide on Netflix on Thursday, March 20, 2025, with eight one-hour episodes.
What is the plot of The Residence?
132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunit that dives into the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House while trying to unravel the secrets of its eclectic staff.
Uzo Aduba stars as Cordelia Cupp, a consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police Department. With her sharp wit, relentless pursuit of truth, and keen eye for human behavior, she is the most sought-after investigator in the world—and an avid birder.
When a murder shakes the White House during a high-stakes State Dinner, Cordelia teams up with Special Agent Edwin Park, an FBI agent who is skeptical of her unconventional methods. As tensions rise and personal conflicts among the staff unfold, they must work together to uncover the truth.
The murder victim is A.B. Wynter, the White House's chief usher. “A lot of people in this house had issues with A.B.,” notes social secretary Lilly Schumacher, making it clear that the list of suspects is long. From shattered desserts to explosive confrontations, the halls of the White House are filled with deception, resentment, and hidden motives.
Inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, the series transforms real-life research into a fictionalized murder mystery. “This case is unsolvable to everyone except Cordelia Cupp,” Aduba teased, emphasizing her character’s brilliance. (via Tudum)
Showrunner Paul William Davies, known for Scandal and For the People, takes inspiration from the classic Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant film Charade, promising a blend of comedy, suspense, and romance.
“The Residence is a different take and spin on the house that we all know — it’s a peek inside a world that we don’t often get to see,” Aduba said, drawing parallels to Orange Is the New Black. More than just a murder mystery, the show explores the power dynamics of the White House staff. “The show begs the question, ‘Who runs the house?’ And the answer is not what we think it is,” she added.
Davies emphasizes that above all, The Residence is designed to entertain. “I want people to be entertained. I want them to laugh, to be engaged — to try to solve this mystery,” he said. “I hope they enjoy meeting these people, and they learn something,” he added.
With a star-studded cast, including Susan Kelechi Watson, Jane Curtin, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, and Edwina Findley, the series promises twists, laughs, and a case only Cordelia Cupp can crack.
Who’s Starring in The Residence?
- Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black, Painkiller) as Detective Cordelia Cupp
- Randall Park (Boat, Ant-Man) as Special Agent Edwin Park
- Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul, The Mandalorian) as White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter
- Edwina Findley (The Wire) as White House Butler Sheila Cannon
- Molly Griggs (Dr. Death, Servant) as Lilly Schumacher, President Morgan’s social secretary
- Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl, Almost Famous) as Tripp Morgan
- Ken Marino (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Party Down) as Harry Hollinger
- Al Mitchell (Ozark, Stranger Things) as White House Head Butler/Maître d’ Rollie Bridgewater
- Dan Perrault as Colin Trask, the head of the presidential detail for the Secret Service
- Bronson Pinchot (Risky Business) as Didier Gotthard, the White House executive pastry chef
- Julieth Restrepo as Elsyie Chayle
- Mel Rodriguez as Bruce Geller
- Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us) as Jasmine Haney, a young and rising White House assistant usher
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Wire, Your Honor) as Metropolitan Police Department Chief Larry Dokes
- Mary Wiseman (Star Trek: Discovery) as Marvella, the White House executive chef
- Stephen Garrett as Wally Glick, the Director of the FBI
- Eliza Coupe as Senator Margery Bay Bix
- Jane Curtin as Nan Cox
- Paul Fitzgerald as President Perry Morgan
- Barrett Foa as Elliott Morgan
- Al Franken as Senator Aaron Filkins
- Taran Killam as St. Pierre
- Julian McMahon as PM Stephen Roos
- Kylie Minogue as Herself
- Matt Oberg as Nick Simms
- Brett Tucker as David Rylance
Is There a Trailer for The Residence?
The official trailer for Netflix's upcoming series, The Residence, offers a tantalizing glimpse into a high-stakes murder mystery set within the White House. The narrative kicks off with the discovery of a body on the third floor, prompting a character to declare, "Mr. President, this house needs to be treated like a crime scene."
Enter Cordelia Cupp, introduced as "the best detective in the world." Her unorthodox methods are immediately evident, leading to puzzled reactions from the staff, with one questioning, "What is she doing?" The trailer emphasizes the vastness of the investigation, highlighting the White House's "132 rooms" and "157 suspects."
As tensions escalate, another character warns, "We need to tread carefully here. This is the White House." The trailer masterfully balances suspense with moments of levity, setting the stage for a series that promises intrigue, complex characters, and unexpected twists.
The teaser trailer for The Residence sets the stage for a gripping murder mystery within the White House. Uzo Aduba stars as Detective Cordelia Cupp, described as "the best detective in the world," who is determined to solve a shocking murder.
The teaser wastes no time in raising the stakes—when Cordelia questions a staff member about anything unusual, the response is a chilling, "Other than my boss dying?" Moments later, she discovers a body, kicking off a high-stakes investigation.
The White House, with its 132 rooms and 157 suspects, becomes a pressure cooker of secrets, lies, and political tensions. The teaser offers glimpses of these simmering conflicts—suspects smashing desserts, hurling kitchenware, and erupting into screams.
Who is Cordelia Cupp?
Cordelia Cupp is a top consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police Department and one of the world’s most sought-after investigators. Known for her sharp wit, relentless pursuit of the truth, and keen understanding of human behavior, she embodies the bold, complex heroines that Shondaland is known for.
“They lean into their strength; they have a voice that’s entirely their own; they are unapologetically themselves, independent and committed to what they believe to be the truth,” said Uzo Aduba, who plays Cordelia. “They are smart. They are lethal with their words. They’re fearless women,” she added. (via Tudum)
Beyond her investigative skills, Cordelia is also an avid birder—something Aduba explored to better understand the character. “Cordelia’s passion for birding tells me about her patience. Birding takes an incredible amount of it,” she explained. “It told me so much about how she investigates cases because you have to pay attention to every single detail while birding — it all relates,” she further added.
Is The Residence Based on a book?
No, The Residence is not a direct adaptation. While the series takes inspiration from Kate Andersen Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, the book itself isn’t a mystery filled with deadly twists and detective work. Instead, showrunner Paul William Davies has crafted an original story inspired by its themes.
“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,” Davies explained. “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,” he added. (via Tudum)
Filming & Production
On July 18, 2022, the series received $13.95 million in tax credits from the California Film Office. Filming began in January 2023 in Los Angeles under the working title Falcon and was initially scheduled to wrap by September. However, production was halted after four episodes due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Following the death of Andre Braugher on Dec. 11, 2023, Giancarlo Esposito was announced as his replacement in February 2024. Production resumed on January 5, 2024, and filming reportedly continued until April 30, 2024.
Behind the Scenes
Paul William Davies serves as the creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer of The Residence. The show is part of his overall deal with Netflix. Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers of Shondaland also join as executive producers. Liza Johnson was announced as the director for the first four episodes on Feb. 27, 2023.
Davies blended his passion for detective fiction with an exploration of the White House’s “presentational” nature. “I ultimately married [that] idea with the genre I knew, loved, and that had always wanted to work in,” he explained. “That’s the alchemy that created the show,” he added. (via Tudum)
The appeal of this collaboration was a major draw for Uzo Aduba, a longtime Scandal fan. She first met with Davies and the Shondaland team over dinner before reading the scripts. “I hadn't read anything quite like them. They had such an energy that I thought was really cool,” she said. “Cordelia was a character that I hadn't played before and that felt exciting,” she added.
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