The Residence on Netflix stars Uzo Aduba as a detective solving a murder. . .at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Imagine some of your favorite TV actors from the last 40 years trapped in a murder mystery. . .in the White House.
That’s the latest concept from series creator Paul William Davies (Scandal), based on the book by Kate Anderson Brower called The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. Only this series produced by Shonda Rhimes takes the upstairs/downstairs lives of the building and turns it into a murder mystery.
The Residence Cast Welcomes Many Returning TV Favorites
From Bronson Pinchot to Eliza Coupe, Giancarlo Esposito to Jane Curtin, this cast is stacked higher than Trump’s classified documents in the bathroom. It was an opportunity even Jason Lee couldn’t resist.
“I knew that I wanted to do something series-wise, and this came up,” said Lee with the cast on the red carpet at SCAD TVfest. “Of course, everyone knows Shonda’s work and her standard. Since getting to know Paul Davies, who’s just incredibly talented, I knew this would be a nice return to TV.”
Lee plays, the President’s brother, who often appears in a robe and whom Lee describes as “a hoarder.”
“I literally put myself on tape and cut together some scenes [for this role]. My wife helped me and that was that. It was the right timing, and everything just fit perfectly. I was happy to play Tripp.”
Playing Jasmine Haney, an assistant usher at the White House who gets promoted, Susan Kelechi Watson had just wrapped NBC’s This is Us when this part came up.
“This role didn’t come very long after I left,” said Watson, “but there was a strike and things that happened within the process. Something that probably would have aired at the end of 2023 is now airing in 2025 because we had to start shooting in 2023 and come back in 2024. It became a very extended process, so I’ve actually been working on the show for two years. We’re doing something fun. I think we’re going to really trip people up on the whodunnit part of it.”
But of course, at the center of the drama is SCAD TVfest Trailblazer Award recipient Uzo Aduba, who plays a consultant with the Metropolitan Police Department, Cordelia Cupp, and with a name like that, how can she not be intriguing?
“I loved playing her,” said Aduba on the red carpet. “She was such a great time. She’s so strong, so smart, so precise. She takes in everything everyone is saying and is exact with her words.”
The Orange is the New Black alum (and three-time Emmy winner) said it felt great to return Netflix with something a bit lighter in tone, since she’d been leaning toward heavier material recently.
“Working with Paul William Davies and Shondaland, I’ve never worked with Shonda before! I’ve been a major fan of Shonda since the beginning of time. Scandal is my show. It was so great to be with that caliber of production team and talent. The actors, cast, and crew are phenomenal.”
An “Alternate Universe” Escape from The White House
Of course, politics within the real-life White House is a hot topic as of late. But executive producer Betsy Beers sees that as an asset.
“It’s an alternate universe that’s a great escape, and I have to credit Paul Davies with the incredible writing.”
The show recreated the White House on sound stages in Los Angeles, including ballrooms, massive chandeliers, and more.
“It’s the right kind of humor,” echoed Lee. “The characters are colorful. Everything from the cinematography, editing, and music. It’s not heavy. It’s campy in places, and it’s fun.”
A murder mystery that’s fun? Are we going to be debating about whether it’s a drama or comedy series come Emmy time?
“That’s not my job!” laughed Beers. “That’s for you to figure out.”
The Residence streams on Netflix starting March 20.
