Some things are universally true, like Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation or the fact that water is wet. Also true: TV viewers love a murder mystery.
There’s a reason, after all, that there are so many of them on TV at any given time, from long-running procedurals like “Law & Order” to soapy dramas like “Pretty Little Liars” to dark and prestigious limited series like “True Detective.” TV viewers even like ‘em funny, like the recent “Matlock” reboot, “Only Murders In The Building” or Kaitlin Olson’s hit “High Potential.”
You have to think that’s why Netflix and Shondaland teamed up once again to make “The Residence,” its new 8-episode whodunnit set (of all places) in the White House. With a bang-up ensemble cast that includes everyone from Randall Park to Bronson Pinchot to Kylie Minogue, and a series of twists and turns that practically requires a binge-watch, the show feels like money in the proverbial bank.
Everyone from your grandma to your teenage niece can watch “The Residence” and get some joy out of it, making it essentially the “Is It Cake?” of crime dramas.
Story-wise, “The Residence” hinges around the murder of the White House chief usher (Giancarlo Esposito, replacing the late Andre Braugher) during an Australian State Dinner. With 157 suspects in the White House and quite a lot at stake, the Metropolitan PD calls in the almost too enigmatic detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) to investigate, bringing with her a bird-watching guide, several cans of tinned fish, and some razor-sharp barbs.
Cupp’s also got big Benoit Blanc energy and that’s probably by design. The “Knives Out” movies are fun and inherently watchable and that’s the same kind of energy “The Residence” exudes, giving a clever wink and nudge to audiences time and time again. There are delicious casting decisions, like Al Franken’s turn as a slightly-shifty senator leading a congressional investigation or the way the show repeatedly alludes to Hugh Jackman’s charismatic presence at the state dinner, without ever actually showing him on screen.
And like in “Knives Out” or, one could say, the current White House, almost every marquee character in “The Residence” is a little bit awful. Esposito’s usher was cold and stuck in his ways. Paul Fitzgerald’s President Morgan is as charismatic as a piece of paper, somehow driven to the win by sketchy political operatives like Ken Marino’s Harry Hollinger, who you just know will eventually end up in minimum security prison. There are awful relatives (the excellent Jane Curtin and Jason Lee), loose cannon chefs (Mary Wiseman and the aforementioned Pinchot), spiritual gurus (Taran Killam) and randy Australians (Brett Tucker.) Even the characters who feel virtuous end up a little bit tarnished by the time Cupp’s through with them and for good reason: Aduba gives Cordelia a sharply honed edge that would make any weak-willed person crack almost immediately, often driving people to talk by the use of loaded silence alone.
While Aduba’s Cupp is ostensibly the star of “The Residence,” she really doesn’t steal the show. That’s not a slight to her, but rather a credit to both the entire ensemble and to the show’s writing and editing teams, who weave a layered tapestry of interactions, backstories and “blink and you’ll miss it” moments into a rich and deeply interesting tableau. “The Residence” is the kind of show that rewards a second watch, with clues and gags laid so deep into its text that you really have to take it all in twice to absorb it thoroughly.
If “The Residence” does well — and how could it not, really — then we’ll almost certainly see Cupp again for a Season 2, tackling some other murder with a whole new cast of characters and all new stakes. While some murder-mystery series can make a second caper seem like an afterthought, “The Residence” seems almost custom-built for repeat performances. And while cynics could argue that the show is maybe a little too shiny, like it was built in a lab to appeal to the most Netflix viewers possible, in this case it seems like that’s somehow not a bad thing.
“The Residence” is fun, frothy and full of intrigue, and sometimes that’s more than enough.
“The Residence” is now streaming on Netflix.