The Residence

The Residence follows ace detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) as she investigates the death of the White House’s chief usher, AB Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) in the middle of a state dinner. The president’s advisors are keen to rule the death as a suicide so they can get on with their lives and avoid an international incident, but Cupp soon deduces that something more sinister is afoot, and must use her keen sleuthing instincts – honed by a passion for birding – to tease out the complex dynamics at the heart of the White House and get to the bottom of Wynter’s murder.

While the setting might suggest a political element to The Residence’s plot, its focus is more on workplace politics, speaking to the anxieties, frustrations and precious joys at the heart of any job. This angle bridges the gap between the grand stage of the White House and the lived experiences of the average viewer, making the show at once larger-than-life and intimately universal.

As whodunnits go, it’s maybe a bit straightforward – eagle-eyed viewers might suss out the culprit before the big denouement – but The Residence revels in the journey rather than the destination. It immerses its audience in the complicated web of interpersonal relationships among the White House staff, making the process of figuring out individual character arcs as important and engrossing to the overall narrative as solving the big mystery. This emotional attachment is strengthened by a talented ensemble cast and snappy, effortlessly funny writing.

Of course, a detective story is only as good as its detective, and Aduba is electrifying as the eccentric Cordelia Cupp, carrying the show on the back of her stellar performance. Aduba takes the familiar trope of the socially blunt savant sleuth and iterates on it, following in the footsteps of gumshoes past while making the archetype all her own. The birding angle is also an entertaining, memorable storytelling gimmick that provides plenty of fun animal trivia.

Overall, The Residence is great for a lark; funny, engaging and dripping with passion and sincerity. It might be somewhat simplistic, but that’s part of its strength – nothing to grouse about. Netflix can be flighty when it comes to renewing popular shows, but if Detective Cupp doesn’t follow in the footsteps of fellow inspector Benoit Blanc and return for at least a second outing, it’ll certainly be something to cry fowl about.

Umar Ali

The Residence is released on Netflix on 20^th March 2025.

Watch the trailer for The Residence here: