With the news of “Knives Out 3” releasing sometime in fall, fans of Daniel Craig’s popular movie franchise might start feeling the itch for another intriguing mystery in the meantime.
Thankfully, Netflix has just dropped the first trailer for what looks like the perfect fix, and that’s Shondaland’s new twisting whodunit “The Residence.”
Premiering March 20, 2025, “The Residence” comes from the minds of Shonda Rhimes and former “Scandal” writer and producer Paul William Davies. If the trailer is anything to go by, this mystery drama takes the classy humor from “Knives Out” and mixes it with plenty of suspense. And, given the murder at its center, it will probably include some shocking twists to keep you guessing.
“The Residence” follows detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) as she works to uncover the identity of a killer hiding within the walls of the White House. Of course, with the show being all about mystery, there aren’t loads of plot details floating around right now. But Davies did give some insight when speaking to Netflix: “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.”
If you’re a fan of “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Scandal,” then “The Residence” looks like it’ll be right up your alley. It seems to include the same mix of political drama, mystery, and unexpected twists that make Shonda Rhimes’ shows so addictive. We’ll just have to wait and see if this new mystery drama lives up to them.
Netflix just recently released its 2025 lineup, and “The Residence” was among the very long list of movies and shows set to drop this year. With so much to look forward to in the coming months, “The Residence” is definitely one I’ll be streaming the moment it hits Netflix in March.
What we know about ‘The Residence’ on Netflix
A lot of murder mysteries nowadays are based on books or real-life occurrences, but “The Residence” seems to be taking a different approach. Yes, it’s technically taking inspiration from Kate Andersen Brower’s book “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House” as a starting point, but everything else is new, including the actual story, twists, and detective work.
Fortunately Netflix has released an official logline for the eight-episode series, which reads: “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit 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 chaos, detective Cordelia Cupp joins forces with skeptical FBI agent Edwin Park (Randall Park) to piece together the deadly mystery. According to the teaser trailer, the victim in question is A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito), the White House chief usher.
This already sounds intriguing enough to me, even more so after seeing the stacked cast!
Starring alongside Aduba and Park are Al Franken, Andrew Friedman, Edwina Findley, Mary Wiseman, Nathan Lovejoy, and more. Singer and actress Kylie Minogue will even make an appearance as herself at some point in the show. It’s a big cast list, but one that makes guessing the killer even harder because it can be literally anyone.
That’s pretty much all we know for now, and I’m sure Netflix will release a longer trailer closer to the show’s release date. But even from the first teaser and the details above, “The Residence” looks like my type of binge-watch, and it’s even more appealing now that “Knives Out 3” isn’t officially coming until fall. So, if you're a fan of murder mysteries with a touch of comedy, “The Residence” is one to look out for.
In the meantime, check out the best mystery shows on Netflix now. You can also see our guide on what’s coming to Netflix in February 2025, which includes “Cobra Kai” season 6 part 3 and Robert De Niro’s conspiracy thriller “Zero Day.”
Stream all eight episodes of "The Residence" on Netflix starting March 20, 2025.
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