Netflix’s new Shondaland series is a screwball murder mystery set at the White House

Shonda Rhimes has done it again. The TV mastermind behind Bridgerton, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder is back with a new Netflix series that promises to be equal parts glamorous, hilarious, and utterly chaotic. Picture a West Wing — Knives Out crossover, throw in some classic Shondaland-style romantic tension, and voila! You’ve got The Residence, a screwball murder mystery set inside the most famous house in America.

Loosely inspired by, but not based on, Kate Andersen Brower’s book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, this new Netflix drama blends political intrigue with a locked-room mystery. The premise: A dead body is discovered during a high-profile White House state dinner, sending the residence staff and D.C.’s elite into a frenzy. Enter Cordelia Cupp (played by Uzo Aduba), an eccentric detective with a talent for cracking impossible cases and delivering razor-sharp one-liners.

While most political dramas focus on the high-stakes power plays of presidents and their advisors, The Residence shifts the spotlight to the people who actually run 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — that is, the butlers, chefs, florists, and housekeepers who see (and know) everything. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the White House, but with a thrilling twist: Someone among them is a murderer. “The Residence is honestly a lot of things,” says showrunner Paul William Davies, a former writer for Scandal.

“It’s funny, it’s suspenseful, it’s clever, it’s totally farcical in places, it’s genuinely romantic in others.”

Adds Netflix: “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective ... 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.”

Expect plenty of deliciously soapy twists, unexpected alliances, and, of course, some swoon-worthy romance because, well, it’s Shondaland we're talking about. If there’s one thing Shonda Rhimes does better than anyone, it’s making sure love and murder go hand in hand.

The show’s debut is just around the corner; it hits the streaming giant on March 20. With its mix of mystery, comedy, and high-stakes drama, The Residence is shaping up to be one of the streamer’s biggest must-watch series of the year.

The post Netflix’s new Shondaland series is a screwball murder mystery set at the White House appeared first on BGR.

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Netflix’s new Shondaland series is a screwball murder mystery set at the White House originally appeared on BGR.com on Thu, 13 Mar 2025 at 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.