It was recently announced that Netflix just cast eleven actors for their new murder-mystery series titled The Residence. According to Deadline, the streaming service added Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street, Frequency), Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us, NCIS) & Ken Marino (The State, Children’s Hospital) who will join previously announced Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black, Mrs. America) on the show.
Netflix will be collaborating with TV studio Shondaland to create the TV adaptation of Kate Andersen Brower’s (First Woman, First in Line) book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. Shondaland has been the network behind many acclaimed shows including Grey’s Anatomy which ran from 2005 to the present day with 19 seasons spanning 18 plus years. It is headed by Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, Crossroads).
The show will start off from adapting key figures, locations, dates, and plot points from the novel and go from there. Netflix and Shondaland would make eight-episodes in this season. The screenplay was written by writer Paul William Davies (For the People, Scandal) and describes this as, “… a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and back stairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.” via. Deadline
The show’s premise goes as follows: “132 rooms, 157 suspects. One dead body, one wildly eccentric detective played by Uzo Aduba, one disastrous State Dinner.” The mystery will begin from there for anyone interested in these stories. Joining Aduba would be recently announced Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street, Frequency), Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us, NCIS), and Ken Marino (The State, Children’s Hospital). They will be joining the other cast members which include Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl, Almost Famous), Bronson Pinchot (Our Flag Means Death, True Romance), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Your Honor, BlacKkKlansman), Edwina Findley (The Power, The Wire), Molly Griggs (Dr. Death, Prodigal Son), Al Mitchell (Stranger Things, Just Mercy), Dan Perreault (Strays, American Vandal) and Mary Wiseman (Star Trek: Discovery, Marriage Story).
According to Deadline, further details of the character include Braugher playing White House Chief Usher. A.B. Wynter. Watson will star as Jasmine Haney, a young and rising White House Assistant Usher. Lee is slated to be Tripp Morgan, President Perry Morgan’s younger brother and a bit of a screw-up. Marino plays Harry Hollinger, President Perry Morgan’s oldest friend, closest advisor, and most trusted confidante. Findley will play the role of Sheila Cannon, the White House Butler. Griggs plays Lilly Schumacher, President Morgan’s Social Secretary. Mitchell will portray Rollie Bridgewater, Head Butler/Maitre d’. Perrault to take part as Colin Trask, Head of the Presidential Detail for the Secret Service. Pinchot will be Didier Gotthard, White House Executive Pastry Chef. Whitlock Jr. plays Larry Dokes, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, Wiseman will play the part of Marvella, White House Executive Chef.
Deadline also reports that Braugher is currently represented by WME, Viewpoint, and attorney Keith Klevan. Watson is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Marino is repped by UTA, Artists First, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Wiseman is repped by Gersh and Lighthouse Management & Media. Lee is repped by Hansen Jacobson Teller. Pinchot is repped by Artists & Representatives and Bohemia Group. Whitlock is repped by Innovative Artists, Liebman Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello. Findley is repped by More/Medavoy Management. Griggs is repped by Paradigm and Perennial Entertainment. Mitchell is repped by Jana VanDyke Agency and CSP Management. Finally, Perreault is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Liza Johnson (The Last of Us, The Diplomat) would direct the first four episodes of The Residence. Davies would serve as the series showrunner and would be an executive producer alongside Shondaland’s Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton). Netflix is catching up on this genre’s resurgence in the mainstream since other shows came out in the 2023 season such as Rian Johnson’s Poker Face on Peacock Plus. Some shows and movies to look out for that might also complement this genre include Netflix’s You starring Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl, Easy A) and of course, Murder-Mystery 2 with Adam Sandler (The Meyerowitz Stories, Hustle) and Jennifer Aniston (Friends, The Good Girl). As of now, The Residence does not have an official release date, but there will be more stuff to report on once announcements comes out.