The Residence is an American mysterycomedy drama television series created by Paul William Davies for Netflix. Inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower, the series revolves around a fictional murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Produced by Shondaland, the series premiered on March 20, 2025.
Set "upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs" in the White House, Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises in order to solve a murder that occurred during a state dinner for the Australian prime minister. During the investigation, interpersonal conflicts among the personnel of the residence begin to unfold.[1][2][3]
During a White House dinner honoring the Australian Prime Minister, the body of Chief Usher A. B. Wynter is discovered by Nan Cox, President Perry Morgan's mother-in-law. The President's Chief Advisor Harry Hollinger pushes to declare Wynter's death a suicide, but renowned detective and avid birder Cordelia Cupp deduces that Wynter died elsewhere, his suicide was staged, and he is wearing someone else's bloody shirt. Guided by Assistant Chief Usher Jasmine Haney and grudgingly accompanied by FBI Special Agent Edwin Park, Cupp surveys the entire White House, but President Morgan refuses to subject the guests to questioning. Cupp notices Australian Foreign Minister David Rylance is wearing Wynter's shirt, forcing Morgan to lock the White House down. (Episode title alludes to The Fall of the House of Usher, an 1837 short story by Edgar Allan Poe.)[4][5][6]
Flashforward: Senator Aaron Filkins leads a congressional hearing about the incident, with frequent interruptions by Senator Margery Bay Bix, who accuses the Morgan administration of covering up Wynter's murder.
2
"Dial M for Murder"
Liza Johnson
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
Rylance tells Cupp that he and others witnessed Marvella, the White House chef, threaten to kill Wynter. Later having sex with Marvella outside, Rylance bled on his shirt, observing someone smoking under a tree and someone else inside the gardening shed. Wynter exchanged shirts with Rylance, who heard Wynter predict he would be dead by the end of the night after a phone call on his office. In return for Cupp's discretion about his tryst, Rylance arranges for everyone to be held at the White House overnight for Cupp to interview. The call to Wynter's office is traced to the shed, and Cupp, inspired by the hunting patterns of falcons, insists that Wynter's body be taken out the front door. Observing all reactions, her focus turns to pastry chef Didier Gotthard, who is revealed to have removed a bloody knife just before the body was discovered. (Episode title alludes to Dial M for Murder, a 1952 stage play by Frederick Knott, adapted into a 1954 film by Alfred Hitchcock.)[4][5][6]
3
"Knives Out"
Liza Johnson
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
Cupp learns that Gotthard clashed with Marvella and felt betrayed by Wynter after two major incidents: First, Social Secretary Lilly Schumacher planned a disastrous wellness-themed Christmas and forced Wynter to hide Gotthard's beloved gingerbread White House, where a candy version of Wynter was later found with a knife in its back. Second, during the state dinner, Wynter altered Gotthard's desserts for breaking protocol. Having noticed billiard chalk from the Game Room on Gotthard's coat, Cupp forces him to admit that he found Wynter's body lying beside the knife, stolen from Gotthard's third floor office, which he tried to dispose of in the basement incinerator. Cupp deduces that something has been taken from the shed, and gardener Emily Mackil identifies a leaf from the Cedar of Lebanon outside, leading Cupp to realize that butler Sheila Cannon, whom Rylance saw smoking under the tree, lied about entering the Game Room. (Episode title alludes to Knives Out, a 2019 film directed by Rian Johnson.)[4][5][6]
4
"The Last of Sheila"
Liza Johnson
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
On a birding trip with her nephew, Cupp explains how a childhood search for her sister's missing sock led to solving her first case. At the state dinner, Cupp learns that Sheila feared she would be fired by Wynter for drunkenly fraternizing with guests. Instead of delivering a bottle of vodka to Nan, Sheila stopped in the Game Room and drank it herself, before noticing someone enter Room 301. The coroner's preliminary findings indicate that Wynter died thirty minutes before Nan discovered his body, which must have been elsewhere when Sheila was in the room. Though the true cause of death was a blow to the head, the body shows signs of poisoning, and the cuts to the wrists were made post-mortem. Examining Room 301, Cupp finds a bloodstain hidden by fresh paint. (Episode title alludes to The Last of Sheila, a 1973 film directed by Herbert Ross.)[4][5][6]
Flashforward: At the hearing, Park explains that Cupp did not believe in "suspects", but did devote pages in her notebook to Rylance, Marvella, Gotthard, Sheila, and Wynter himself.
5
"The Trouble with Harry"
Jaffar Mahmood
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
Vusi, a young White House-enthusiast staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel across the street, tells Cupp he saw a mysterious light in Room 301. Cupp turns her attention to the residents of the third floor: Nan; Tripp Morgan, the President's troublesome brother; and Hollinger. Nan overheard Wynter arguing with Tripp, who feared he would be evicted after Wynter discovered his hoard of stolen items. Engineer Bruce Geller was sent to fix Tripp's toilet, and they accuse each other of badmouthing Wynter. Tripp claims he never left his room, but his smartwatch is revealed to be the mysterious light. While dealing with a pair of party crashers, Wynter feared Hollinger wanted him fired after accusing him of eavesdropping on a clandestine meeting and was later heard threatening to expose someone. (Episode title alludes to The Trouble with Harry, a 1950 novel by Jack Trevor Story, adapted into a 1955 film by Alfred Hitchcock.)[4][5][6]
Flashforward: Bix demands to know why the committee has not heard from one key figure: Cordelia Cupp herself.
6
"The Third Man"
Jaffar Mahmood
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
State dinner guest Kylie Minogue discovers blood in the Lincoln Bedroom, and Cupp is shown the hidden staff passages throughout the White House. Elliot Morgan, the President's husband, denies ordering the Secret Service off the second floor, where a third party crasher was seen. Cupp requests time to find this mysterious "third man", but Park is pressured to end their investigation, and Wynter's death is ruled a suicide. (Episode title alludes to The Third Man, a 1949 film directed by Carol Reed.)[4][5][6]
Flashforward: Hollinger demands that Filkins strike a deal with Bix, who instead urges the third man to come forward. Birding in the Amazon, Cupp receives a satellite communications package from Park to watch as the third man reveals himself as Patrick Doumbe. Inadvertently brought to the state dinner, Doumbe claims to have walked out the front door, but Vusi confirms this is a lie. Communicating to Filkins through Park, Cupp leads Doumbe to admit that he saw a man dragging a body out of the Yellow Oval Room. Cupp races back to D.C., just missing spotting a giant antpitta.
7
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"
Jaffar Mahmood
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
Hollinger gives Cupp forty-eight hours to reexamine the White House, where Haney is now Chief Usher and Lilly has made extensive changes. Keys found in Wynter's pocket belong to Bruce, who felt deeply unappreciated by Wynter. Lilly reveals that she saw Bruce in the Yellow Oval Room, where she earlier saw Wynter argue with housekeeper Elsyie Chayle. Fearing she would be fired after Wynter learned from her spiteful ex-husband that she lied in her job application, Elsyie confided in Bruce. They each claim they found Wynter dead in the Yellow Oval Room, believing the other killed him. Cupp deduces that Bruce and Elsyie are romantically involved, having bonded while locked down during a terrorist attack; he gave her a necklace symbolizing the Pantheon in Rome, and she gave him a matching keychain. Spending the night in the Yellow Oval Room, Cupp prepares to unravel the truth. (Episode title alludes to The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, an 1892 short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.)[4][5][6]
8
"The Mystery of the Yellow Room"
Jaffar Mahmood
Paul William Davies
March20,2025(2025-03-20)
The following morning, Cupp leads the suspects on a tour of the murder before revealing Lilly as the killer. Having always disrespected the traditions of the White House, Wynter discovered evidence of her embezzlement and threatened to expose her. Angered, Lilly attempted to poison him during a meeting in the Yellow Oval Room before fatally striking him with a clock. Finding the body and mistakenly thinking Elsyie was the murderer, Bruce dragged the body to the Lincoln Bedroom, before moving the body to Room 301, unaware Tripp was asleep inside. Fearing blame, Tripp moved the body to the Game Room, staged Wynter's suicide with Gotthard's knife after finding the "suicide note" Lilly placed in his pocket, and painted over Wynter's blood in Room 301. Seeing a chance to cover up the evidence, Lilly impersonated Elliot to keep people from the Yellow Oval Room and to order a passage to the room be sealed. Opening the passage, Cupp reveals the incriminating clock. With the murderer in custody, Cupp presents her conclusions to the committee, and tells Nan the case has been solved. (Episode title alludes to The Mystery of the Yellow Room, a 1908 novel by Gaston Leroux.)[4][5][6]
On July 20, 2018, Netflix announced The Residence as a part of a deal between the streamer and Shondaland, with both of them acquiring the rights to adapt the non-fiction book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, written by Kate Andersen Brower.[7][8][9] On March 7, 2022, it was unveiled that The Residence would consist of eight one-hour episodes with Paul William Davies, writer of Scandal and creator of For the People, serving as the executive producer and showrunner of the series as a part of his overall deal with Netflix.[2][3]Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers of Shondaland would also join Davies as executive producers.[10][11] On February 27, 2023, Liza Johnson was announced as the director for the first four episodes.[12][13] On July 2, 2025, Netflix canceled the series after one season.[14]
On July 18, 2022, it was revealed that the series received tax credits from California Film Office worth US$13.95 million.[24][25] Production of the series was suspended by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes after four of the eight ordered episodes were filmed. The series was expected to resume production on January 2, 2024.[1]Andre Braugher died on December 11, 2023. In February 2024, it was announced that production had resumed and that Braugher's role had been recast by Giancarlo Esposito.[23] The final episode ends with a dedication to Braugher.
Release
The Residence was released on Netflix on March 20, 2025.[26]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 82% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 39 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Residence situates itself in the White House for a lighthearted murder mystery that won't tax the brain, but Uzo Aduba's eccentric sleuth brings a welcome level of sophistication to proceedings."[27]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating favorable reviews.[28]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
