''The Residence'' is an American

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

television series created by Paul William Davies for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. Inspired by ''The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House'' by

Kate Andersen Brower Kate Andersen Brower is an American journalist and author who has written four books about the White House, two of which have been ''New York Times'' bestsellers, ''The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House'', ''First Women: The ...

, the series revolves around a fictional murder scandal involving the staff of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. Produced by

Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her fir ...

, the series premiered on March 20, 2025.

Premise

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 A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in their official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is held ...

for the

Australian prime minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the federal executive government. Under the principles of responsibl ...

. During the investigation, interpersonal conflicts among the personnel of the residence begin to unfold.

Cast

Main

Uzo Aduba Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba () (; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she w ...

as Cordelia Cupp, a consultant with the

Metropolitan Police Department The Metropolitan Police is the police force serving Greater London, England (excluding the City of London). Metropolitan Police may also refer to: Bangladesh * Metropolitan Police (Bangladesh), including: ** Barisal Metropolitan Police ** Chatto ...

, and an avid

birder Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescope, ...

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...

as A. B. Wynter, the

White House Chief Usher The White House chief usher is the head of household staff and operations at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. The position is currently held by Robert B. Downing. About the ch ...

Molly Griggs Molly Griggs is an American stage and television actress. Early and personal life The daughter of Ken and Lindsay Griggs, she has a brother, Austin, and a sister, Laura. Originally from Washington DC, they moved to North Carolina when Molly was ...

as Lilly Schumacher, the President's social secretary *

Ken Marino Kenneth Joseph Marino (born December 19, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's ''The State'' and has starred in shows such as '' Party Down'', '' Marry Me'', '' Burning Love'', and ''Child ...

as Harry Hollinger, the President's chief adviser *

Randall Park Randall Park (born March 23, 1974) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his roles as Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, FBI Special Agent Edwin Park in the Netflix series '' The Residence'' (2025), Louis Hu ...

as Edwin Park, an FBI Special Agent *

Susan Kelechi Watson Susan Kelechi Watson (born November 11, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the television show ''Louie'' and for her role as Beth Pearson in ''This Is Us''. She was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for B ...

as Jasmine Haney, a White House Assistant Usher * Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Larry Dokes, the Chief of Police at the MPD *

Edwina Findley Edwina Findley, also known as Edwina Findley Dickerson, is an American actress. Findley played recurring roles in the HBO television dramas ''The Wire'' (2003–04) and '' Treme'' (2010–13), and from 2014 to 2020 starred as Kelly Isaacs, one of ...

as Sheila Cannon, a White House

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

Jason Lee Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and former professional skateboarder. He is known for playing Earl Hickey in the television comedy series ''My Name Is Earl'', for which he was nominated for ...

as Tripp Morgan, the President's brother * Al Mitchell as Rollie Bridgewater, the White House's Head Butler * Dan Perrault as Colin Trask, Head of the Presidential Detail for the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

Bronson Pinchot Bronson Alcott Pinchot (; born May 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''Perfect Strangers (TV series), Perfect Strangers'' (1986–1993). He also perform ...

as Didier Gotthard, the White House Executive Pastry Chef *

Julieth Restrepo Julieth Restrepo (born December 19, 1986) is a Colombian model and actress. Career Restrepo began her acting career with the 2006 Colombian horror film '' At the End of the Spectra''. She has also acted in live theater. She was nominated for ...

as Elsyie Chayle, Housekeeper. *

Mel Rodriguez Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor and comedian, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Go ...

as Bruce Geller, Engineer * Mary Wiseman as Marvella, the

White House Executive Chef The White House executive chef is the individual responsible for managing the kitchens, and for planning and preparing of all menus and meals for the president of the United States and the first family, which includes their private meals, their ...

Recurring

Jane Curtin Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedienne. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards ...

as Nan Cox, the eccentric mother-in-law of the President of the United States *

Eliza Coupe Eliza Coupe () is an American actress, comedian and model, known for playing Jane Kerkovich-Williams in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'', Denise "Jo" Mahoney in the final two seasons of the medical comedy-drama '' Scrubs'', her starring ...

as Margery Bay Bix, Senator from Colorado * Izzy Diaz as Eddie Gomez, Carpenter * Paul Fitzgerald as Perry Morgan, the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Barrett Foa Barrett Conrad Foa (born September 18, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, and actor. He is best known for his performances in Broadway theatre. He has played many leading characters in Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. He has appea ...

as Elliot Morgan, the First Gentleman *

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...

as Aaron Filkins, Senator from Washington * Andrew Friedman as Irv Samuelson, the director of National Park Police *

Spencer Garrett Spencer Garrett Heckenkamp (born September 19, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United ...

as Wally Glick, the

director of the FBI The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a ...

* Timothy Hornor as Patrick Doumbe, medical devices sales manager. He was granted immunity for testifying before

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. *

Juliette Jeffers Juliette Jeffers is a Caribbean–American actress of St. Kitts and Nevis descent. Her work spans television, film, national commercial campaigns, and theater. She currently stars in recurring guest roles on The Residence, portraying White Hous ...

as Angie Huggins, Painter. She and A. B. Wynter played backgammon. *

Julian McMahon Julian Dana William McMahon (born 27 July 1968) is an Australian-American actor. He is the only son of Sir William McMahon, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He is best known for his roles as Ben Lucini in ''Home and Away'', Detective Joh ...

as Stephen Roos, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

as a fictionalized version of herself *

Sumalee Montano Sumalee Montano is an American actress and film producer. Originally, she worked as an investment bank analyst in New York City and Hong Kong before starting her acting career. For TV and film, Montano has appeared on '' Close to Home'', ''Days ...

as Dana Hammond,

White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...

Brett Tucker Brett Alan Tucker (born 21 May 1972) is an Australian actor and singer. He was a series regular in '' The Saddle Club'', '' McLeod's Daughters'', and '' Mistresses''. He is also known for his role as Daniel Fitzgerald in ''Neighbours''. He pla ...

as David Rylance, the

Foreign Minister of Australia The Minister for Foreign Affairs, also known as the Foreign Minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the creation and implementation of international diplomacy, relations and foreign affairs ...

Matt Oberg Matt Oberg is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his roles in television series such as '' The Real O'Neals'' and '' Ugly Americans'' and ''Hart of Dixie'', and for voicing Kite Man in ''Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (D ...

as Nick Simms, the

White House Chief Calligrapher The White House chief calligrapher is responsible for the design and execution of all social and official documents at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States The president of ...

Taran Killam Taran Hourie Killam (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor and comedian. He first garnered attention for his brief stint on the Fox comedy series ''MADtv'' during its seventh season between 2001 and 2002, followed by his wider success as a ca ...

as St. Pierre, energy medium * Alexandra Siegel as Valentina Motta, Washington socialite. Party crasher. * Ryan Farrell as Lorenzo Motta, Washington socialite. Party crasher. * James Babson as Daryl Armogeda, Operations Supervisor. * Paul Witten as Jeffrey Hewes,

Florist Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related s ...

Roslyn Gentle Roslyn Gentle, billed as Ros Gentle and Roz Gentle, is an Australian actress, best known for her role in the television series ''Prisoner'' as librarian/prostitute Laura Gardiner/Brandy Carter – an inmate who suffers from multiple personali ...

as Rachel Middlekauff, Media Tycoon * Chris Grace as Duane Ladage, Electrician. *

Nathan Lovejoy Nathan Lovejoy (born 2 December 1981) is an Australian actor, known for his roles as Principal Swift on the Disney Channel sci-fi teen sitcom ''Gabby Duran & the Unsittables'', for which he was nominated for a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award f ...

as Alden Tamridge, the

Australian Ambassador to the United States The ambassador of Australia to the United States is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the director of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the United States of America. The embassy is located in ...

Rebecca Field Rebecca Field is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lacey Jean-Locklin in the Lifetime drama series ''The Client List''. She is also known for the role of Gail in the 2018 film '' A Star Is Born''. Life and career Field was ...

as Emily Mackil, White House Gardener. * Sonya Leslie as Christy Vail, Head of Housekeeping. * Jodi Bianca Wise as Melody Roos, the First Lady of Australia. She is allergic to bottlebrush flower. * Aubrey Wakeling as Walpole Bing, Australian Industrialist. * Will Dixon as Peter Paris, the Secretary of State. * J. R. Yenque as Chuy Ornelas, Valet. * Soledad Campos as Sylvia Banks, Storeroom employee * J. D. Hall as George McCutcheon/Doorman * Stan Sellers as George McCutcheon/Houseman * Michael Anthony Spady as George McCutcheon/Plumber *

Devika Parikh Devika Parikh (born November 3, 1966) is an American actress, best known for her recurring role as Bonnie in the NBC political drama series ''The West Wing'' from 1999 to 2003. Life and career Parikh was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a G ...

as Rosalind Chace, White House Curator. * Catherine Carlen as Kim Abkin, Former First Lady *

Keiko Agena Christine Keiko Agena (born October 3, 1973) is an American actress. She is mostly known for playing Lane Kim in ''Gilmore Girls'' and NYPD medical examiner Dr. Edrisa Tanaka on FOX's crime drama '' Prodigal Son'' (2019–2021). Personal life ...

as Liz Hollenbeck, ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' reporter * Jeremiah Felder as Vusi Nhlapho, 12-year old precocious student.

Episodes

Production

Development

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

. 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.

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known ...

and

Betsy Beers Betsy Beers (born 1957) is an American television and film producer whose credits include ShondaLand's ''Grey's Anatomy,'' ''Scandal (TV series), Scandal,'' ''Private Practice (TV series), Private Practice'', ''How to Get Away with Murder'', ''Th ...

of Shondaland would also join Davies as executive producers. On February 27, 2023, Liza Johnson was announced as the director for the first four episodes.

Casting

On February 1, 2023,

was announced as the lead character of the series. More cast was revealed on February 27, 2023, with

Andre Braugher Andre Keith Braugher ( ; July 1, 1962 – December 11, 2023) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) and Captain Raymond Holt in the ...

, Isiah Whitlock Jr.,

, Molly Griggs, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault and Mary Wiseman joining Aduba in supporting roles. On March 7, 2023,

and

were revealed to have joined the cast in a main and a recurring role respectively. The next day, four more cast members were announced, consisting of E.L. Losada, Matt Oberg, Ryan Farrell and Alexandra Siegel. On March 30, 2023, Barrett Foa joined the main cast in a recurring capacity. Further cast was announced on April 14, 2023, including

playing herself,

, James Babson,

, Izzy Diaz, Paul Fitzgerald,

, Chris Grace,

, and

. Losada was replaced by

in the final cut.

, who plays a fictional Australian Prime Minister, is the son of former Prime Minister

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988), also known as Billy McMahon, was an Australian politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia ...

, who plays a senator chairing a committee, was Senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018.

Filming

On July 18, 2022, it was revealed that the series received tax credits from California Film Office worth US$13.95 million. Production of the series was suspended by the

2023 Hollywood labor disputes From May 2 to November 9, 2023, a series of long labor disputes within the Cinema of the United States, film and Television in the United States, television industries of the United States took place, mainly focused on the strikes of the 2023 W ...

after four of the eight ordered episodes were filmed. The series was expected to resume production on January 2, 2024.

died on December 11, 2023. In February 2024, it was announced that production had resumed and

had assumed Braugher's role. The final episode ends with a dedication to Braugher.

Release

''The Residence'' was released on Netflix on March 20, 2025.

Reception

The review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

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

's eccentric sleuth brings a welcome level of sophistication to proceedings."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating favorable reviews.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Residence (TV series), The 2025 American television series debuts 2025 American television series endings 2020s American drama television series 2020s American political television series 2020s mystery television series American English-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television series by Shondaland Television shows about murder Works set in the White House