Shonda Rhimes struck TV gold by taking viewers inside the sexy and shocking inner workings of a fictionalized White House with Scandal. Now Shondaland and former Scandal writer and producer Paul William Davies are setting their sights on the unmistakable mansion once again — this time, with a twist. Murder mystery The Residence — now streaming — whisks us inside the most disastrous (and deadly) state dinner in history. Uzo Aduba leads the series as Cordelia Cupp, a wry investigator tasked with untangling the quirky case.  

The trailer, above, sets up the high-stakes whodunit: There’s a murderer lurking in the halls of The Residence’s White House, and Cordelia is the only person who can figure out their identity. As the teaser trailer makes clear, Cordelia is the best detective in the world. However, political tensions, escalating lies, and boiling resentments will complicate her mission. 

While creator Davies’ work on Scandal means he’s very familiar with the terrain of the White House, he took inspiration from a very different place for his whodunit: the classic Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant film Charade. “The Residence is honestly a lot of things. It’s funny, it’s suspenseful, it’s clever, it’s totally farcical in places, it’s genuinely romantic in others,” Davies explains — and Cordelia is the engine for all those emotions. 

“As a murder mystery, what I think really makes it fresh and unique is Cordelia Cupp. She’s just special,” he continues.

Aduba leads a sprawling cast that features Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jane Curtin, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Al Mitchell, Edwina Findley, and so many more (including a pop star). 

Aduba says, “What makes Cordelia part of the catalog of Shondaland heroines is that she’s strong, she doesn’t mince words, she’s unapologetically herself.” While other characters in The Residence may think the mystery ahead is impossible to crack, Cordelia sees a puzzle worth putting together. 

“This case is unsolvable to everyone except Cordelia Cupp,” Aduba says.   

As Cordelia searches for clues to solve her most high-stakes case yet, we’re here to unravel the secrets of The Residence, including the plot, latest photos, and the reveal of the victim’s identity. Keep reading for a full preview of the series from Aduba and Davies.  

What is The Residence about?

132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous state dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion. Amid all the twists and turns, detective Cordelia Cupp partners with skeptical FBI special agent Edwin Park (Randall Park) to untangle an intriguing (and deadly) mystery. As the teaser reveals, the victim of the murder is A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito), the White House chief usher — and everyone is a suspect.   

“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 says, likening it to another one of her classic Netflix series, Orange Is the New Black. “The show begs the question, ‘Who runs the house?’ And the answer is not what we think it is.”

More than anything, Davies hopes viewers will have fun on their journey alongside Cordelia and Edwin. “It’s a word I used over and over and over in so many documents I created for this show. Often in all caps: ‘Keep it FUN,’ ” he says. “I want people to be entertained. I want them to laugh, to be engaged — to try to solve this mystery. I hope they enjoy meeting these people, and they learn something.” 

When does The Residence premiere?  

Grab your magnifying glass — The Residence is now streaming on Netflix. 

How many episodes is The Residence? 

Cordelia cracks the case over eight episodes. Each installment of The Residence is a reference to a classic murder mystery. You’ll spy nods to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (which also inspired Mike Flanagan’s 2023 horror drama), Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series, Oscar-winning noir The Third Man, and more.  

The complete The Residence episode titles are: 

• Episode 1: “The Fall of the House of Usher”
• Episode 2: “Dial M for Murder”
• Episode 3: “Knives Out”
• Episode 4: “The Last of Sheila”
• Episode 5: “The Trouble with Harry”
• Episode 6: “The Third Man”
• Episode 7: “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb”
• Episode 8: “The Mystery of the Yellow Room”

Davies was particularly excited about Episode 8’s title, which references Gaston Leroux’s The Mystery of the Yellow Room, a foundational novel in the locked-room mystery canon. “That was written well over a hundred years ago. It almost invented the genre,” says Davies. Much of The Residence’s finale is set in the Yellow Room of the White House and unravels the series’ own locked-room (or, really, locked mansion) whodunit. “It just seemed so perfect.”   

Who is Cordelia Cupp?  

Cordelia Cupp is a consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police Department and the most sought-after investigator in the world. She’s known for her unexpected humor, relentless pursuit of truth, and sharp eye for human behavior. For Aduba, these qualities are what Cordelia shares with the Shondaland protagonists that came before her.  

“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,” Aduba says. “They are smart. They are lethal with their words. They’re fearless women.” 

And not only does Cordelia possess all of these amazing characteristics — she’s also an avid birder to boot. While Aduba doesn’t consider herself a birder just yet, she did explore the hobby in order to more convincingly portray the detective.  “Cordelia’s passion for birding tells me about her patience. Birding takes an incredible amount of it,” Aduba says. After all, the practice is mostly about waiting for the perfect moment to arise, the actor learned.   

“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,” Aduba says. 

Who’s in the cast of The Residence? 

A stacked crew of stars lead you on this “comedic, almost farcical” journey, as Davies calls it. The cast of The Residence is:  

• Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, a consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police Department. Wry, funny, relentless, intensely focused, supremely confident, an astute observer of human behavior, and a legendary birder, Cupp is the most sought-after detective in the world.
• Randall Park as FBI Special Agent Edwin Park, a federal agent assigned to work alongside Cupp on the night of the state dinner. Park is skeptical of Cupp’s unique investigative style. He’s our Watson.
• Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul, The Gentleman) as A.B. Wynter, White House chief usher
• Al Franken (Saturday Night Live) as Sen. Aaron Filkins, the senior senator from Washington state
• Andrew Friedman (Better Call Saul) as Irv Samuelson, director of the National Park Police
• Julian McMahon (FBI: Most Wanted) as Stephen Roos, the prime minister of Australia
• Edwina Findley (The Wire) as Sheila Cannon, White House butler
• Molly Griggs (Dr. Death) as Lilly Schumacher, President Morgan’s social secretary
• Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) as Tripp Morgan, President Morgan’s younger brother and a bit of a screwup
• Ken Marino (Party Down) as Harry Hollinger, President Morgan’s oldest friend, closest advisor, and most trusted confidant
• Al Mitchell (Stranger Things) as Rollie Bridgewater, head butler/maître d’
• Dan Perrault (Strays) as Colin Trask, head of the presidential detail for the Secret Service
• Bronson Pinchot (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley) as Didier Gotthard, White House executive pastry chef
• Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us) as Jasmine Haney, a young and rising White House assistant usher
• Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Your Honor) as Larry Dokes, chief of police, Metropolitan Police Department
• Mary Wiseman (Star Trek: Discovery) as Marvella, White House executive chef
• Spencer Garrett (Bombshell) as Wally Gick, director of the FBI
• Singer and actor Kylie Minogue plays herself
• Jane Curtin (The Spy Who Dumped Me) as Nan Cox, first mother-in-law
• James Babson (For the People) as Daryl Armogeda, operations supervisor
• Eliza Coupe (Pivoting) as Sen. Margery Bay Bix, junior senator of Colorado
• Izzy Diaz (Good Trouble) as Eddie Gomez, carpenter
• Paul Fitzgerald (Dare Me) as President Perry Morgan
• Ros Gentle (American Horror Stories) as Rachel Middlekauff, media tycoon
• Chris Grace (Superstore) as Duane Ladage, electrician
• Juliette Jeffers (Tulsa King) as Angie Huggins, White House painter
• Sumalee Montano (The Lost Symbol) as Dana Hammond, chief of staff to President Morgan
• Nathan Lovejoy (The Good Place) as Alden Tamridge, Australian ambassador
• Taran Killam (High Potential) as St. Pierre, an energy medium
• Julieth Restrepo (Griselda) as Elsyie Chayle, White House housekeeper
• Mel Rodriguez (Last Man on Earth) as Bruce Geller, White House engineer
• Brett Tucker (Big Leap) as David Rylance, Australian foreign minister
• Rebecca Field (Shameless) as Emily Mackil, White House gardener

Aduba is overjoyed to be leading this star-studded cast. “We have an amazing group of phenomenally talented, good, good, good human beings who are generous, thoughtful, fun, gifted, talented, just awesome. … It was straight jams every day with our cast,” she says. “We loved coming to work every day.” 

Are there photos from The Residence? 

Yes. Images from the series give you a peek at Cordelia’s detective look, which suggests there’s more to her “than meets the eye,” says Aduba. “Her outfit doesn’t look like the world that she stepped into.” Her pragmatic ensemble contrasts with the black-tie looks of the state dinner party guests, who are all in their glitziest duds — along with Minogue dazzling with a microphone in hand.   

But, Aduba explains, Cordelia’s difference from high society is her superpower. “Real heroes don’t wear capes. But she has that jacket that’s just so cool,” the actor explains. “We’re used to seeing either the red cape with the S, or the black cape and the mask on Batman, but this is Cordelia’s uniform.” 

The Residence costume designer Lyn Paolo (who also worked on Queen Charlotte) and creator Davies collaborated extensively on the ensemble. Davies wanted it to feel “iconic” and “instantly recognizable,” à la the fashions of Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple. Aduba thinks they succeeded. “Lyn knocked it out of the park with that look. It feels like the new spin on a superhero uniform,” she says. “It tells you everything you need to know about Cordelia, which is that she’s not afraid to stand out. Cordelia doesn’t operate like everyone else.”  

Previously, The Residence cast and crew gathered for their first table read at the start of production. Take a peek at the photos below to see the star-studded group settle into their roles.

Can I watch The Residence’s trailer?

Yes, and welcome to the White House. The trailer introduces us to a handful of the 157 suspects prowling about The Residence. So which one is the killer? As social secretary Lilly Schumacher (Griggs) says, “A lot of people in this house had issues with A.B.” As evidence of the murdered chief usher’s many enemies, we see suspects smashing desserts, throwing kitchenware at a wall, and so much screaming. One of those bellowing characters is Tripp Morgan (Lee), the little brother of the president. 

“Tripp is outspoken; he doesn’t care. He wants to cause trouble,” Lee tells Tudum “He fancies himself a rebel against the system. And his brother, of course, is the system.”

Just how far would Tripp go to revolt against President Morgan? Watch The Residence to see all the backstabbing (literal and figurative). 

Who’s the creative team behind The Residence? 

Scandal writer Davies is the series’ creator and showrunner. Davies grew up “religiously” reading detective fiction like Agatha Christie’s novels. (His middle daughter’s middle name is even Agatha.)

But the “detective part” of The Residence only arose when Davies decided he wanted to explore the “presentational” nature of the White House. “I ultimately married [that] idea with the genre I knew, loved, and that had always wanted to work in,” he says. “That’s the alchemy that created the show.” 

Davies is also an executive producer, as are Rhimes and Betsy Beers. The appeal of working with this team is one of the factors that drew Aduba — an avid fan of Scandal — to the mystery series. She first had dinner with Davies and the Shondaland team and then received the scripts. “I hadn’t read anything quite like them. They had such an energy that I thought was really cool,” she says. “Cordelia was a character that I hadn’t played before and that felt exciting.”    

Is The Residence based on a book? 

No, it’s not. While the series uses Kate Andersen Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House as a jumping-off point, Brower’s book isn’t filled with deadly twists and gumshoe work. Instead, showrunner Davies has created an all-new story inspired by the nonfiction book.

“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,” he says. “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.” 

You can see all the drama unfold now that The Residence is streaming on Netflix. And keep checking back with Tudum for all the clues you need for your next Shondaland obsession.  

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