'The Residence' Is A Smart, Entertaining Murder Mystery

Uzo Aduba stars as a quirky detective in new Shonda Rhimes-produced Netflix series.

Executive producer Shonda Rhimes takes viewers back to the White House in Netflix’s newest satirical whodunnit, “The Residence,” which was created by Paul William Davies. The delightfully quirky and entertaining eight-episode miniseries begins, of course, after a body is discovered.

However, unlike recent franchises such as “Knives Out” and “The White Lotus,” the crime does not take place in a private mansion or at an exclusive vacation resort. The murder is committed at the White House during a disastrous state dinner with Australia.

Also complicating the plot is that the story is told through flashbacks. The time jumps from the present congressional committee that has been assembled to unpack the events of that fateful Oct. 11 because, as the committee says, “there’s been a lot of misinformation and speculation and confusion about these events” and the investigation.

“Wow, it’s a lot of dudes,” world-class detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) declares as she walks past the gaggle of powerful men debating what to do after the body is discovered and enters the third-floor game room. The president’s friend and adviser Harry Hollinger (Ken Marino), the head of the FBI, the head of the National Park Police and an agent from the secret service all trail her. They watch as Cupp crouches down next to the pool table. She examines the prone body of deceased head usher, A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito), and immediately sees everything wrong with the scene.

To the men, Wynter’s death conveniently appears to be a suicide; the president’s administration doesn’t need another scandal, there’s a handwritten note in his pocket and his wrists are cut. But the crime scene has a few puzzling inconsistencies that don’t add up. Most noticeably, Cupp points out the absence of a knife. (How did Wynter kill himself?)