The television production company Shondaland, founded by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, is one of the most prolific in recent years. For this reason, fans have high expectations for Shondaland’s next scripted show for Netflix, The Residence. Shondaland is behind TV powerhouses such as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and the historical romance Bridgerton. Bridgerton was Shondaland’s first scripted show for Netflix, and upon its debut, Bridgerton was the most-watched original series launched on the streaming service. Shondaland also produced Inventing Anna and Bridgerton’s prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
The Residence moves away from historical romance and back to Scandal’s and How to Get Away With Murder’s territory. Paul William Davies, who wrote and produced for Scandal and created For the People, another Shondaland show, will serve as showrunner and executive producer for The Residence. The Residence moves back to the familiar White House setting, only this time as a comedy murder-mystery series about a murder that happens during a state dinner. While there isn’t a premiere date set yet, the cast and premise have already made The Residence the next whodunit murder mystery to watch this year.
Updated by Fawzia Khan on August 27, 2024: Fresh off the heels of the wildly successful Bridgerton Season 3, Shonda Rhimes and her production company, Shondaland remain in the news. Known for their high-quality shows, fans are eagerly anticipating the newest Shondaland project, The Residence, with bated breath. This feature has been updated with more details about the project.
The Residence Takes Inspiration From a Non-Fiction Book by Journalist and Author Kate Andersen Brower
Just like Bridgerton, Shondaland’s next Netflix series takes inspiration from a book. Only this time, the series is inspired by the non-fiction book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower. This adaptation was announced by Netflix on July 20, 2018, as a whopping nine-figure collaboration between Shondaland and the streamer. The book sheds light on the lives of the often-overlooked White House residence staff, from butlers and maids to florists and engineers.
The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House features interviews with multiple White House residence staff members, who recount stories about the Kennedys, the Nixons, all the way to the Obama family. The book also details lesser-known information about what goes on behind the scenes during important White House events like state dinners, an event that serves as the setting of the adaptation. The Residence also expands on the lives of the staff themselves, like storeroom manager Bill Hamilton, who served eleven presidents while working at the White House for over fifty-five years, and Stephen Rochon, who became the first African American chief usher.
132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous state dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.
– Official Log Line For The Residence
The Residence takes inspiration from this book and the stories the White House residence staff recounts, as well as their own stories and backgrounds, to create the characters around this whodunit murder mystery. However, the main storyline of Shondaland’s The Residence is fiction. The Residence revolves around a state dinner gone wrong and a murder at the White House residence where everyone is a suspect. With over 150 suspects and over 130 rooms in the White House, an eccentric detective must solve the mystery as the secrets and conflicts between the White House residence personnel are revealed. Liza Johnson was revealed to be the director for the first four episodes of The Residence on February 27, 2023.
The Residence Features a Star-Studded Cast
Uzo Aduba, known for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Orange Is the New Black, will star in The Residence as consulting detective Cordelia Cupp. Cordelia has a few unconventional methods when investigating, and many consider her a bit eccentric, but her unique style is sure to make people talk. Breaking Bad’s acclaimed Giancarlo Esposito is also a part of the cast as A.B. Wynter, the White House chief usher. The chief usher is the head of the residence staff, and the position of chief usher was not established until 1891 during the administration of President Benjamin Harrison. Before that, most of the responsibilities of the chief usher fell on the First Lady. As chief usher, Esposito’s role will most likely be a key character, as he’s the one responsible for the rest of the staff at the White House. He probably knows most of the secrets and conflicts that go on behind closed doors.
