The Residence review: Shondaland delivers your newest murder mystery obsession on a silver platter

Netflix has another hit on its hands with its latest Shondaland offering, The Residence. Whip-smart writing and an all-star cast combine for a binge worthy new comedy murder mystery that sets a very high bar for the competition. What to Watch screened the series ahead of its release and this is one show that we’ll be watching over and over again.

Uzo Aduba stars as Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric but legendary detective with the Metro Police Department with a particular fondness for bird watching. She’s called upon to investigate the death of White House Chief Usher A. B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito, who took over the role for the late Andre Braugher) who was found dead under mysterious circumstances during a state dinner with the Australian prime minister.

There are just over 150 people in the White House between the guests and staff, including Kylie Minogue, and it’s up to Detective Cupp to sort through their stories to figure out what happened to Mr. Wynter. There’s finger pointing, there are misremembered moments (three different people recall the same event but have three different recollections of how many people ran outside — three, two or 15 — and whether Mr. Wynter was with them), there is scandal and there are truths meant to be hidden that suddenly come to light.

Through it all, Cupp’s eagle eye is taking in every detail and exposing the lies in her quest for the truth. It becomes very clear that the death of the Chief Usher is but the tip of the iceberg as the investigation yields more questions than answers. The series shifts between the past and the present, and gaps in the narrative are filled seamlessly in courtesy of a congressional hearing trying to get to the bottom of the whole affair.

Aduba commands attention in every scene. As Cupp, she is cool, calm and in control in an impossibly chaotic situation. The Residence cast is an impressive who’s who of talent, and despite the massive size of the ensemble everything comes together remarkably well. Randall Park’s FBI SpecialAgent Edwin Park is the perfect comedic foil to Aduba’s deadpan Cordelia Cupp, who prefers to work alone; the reluctant duo make their way through the White House and listen to countless interviews that only deepen the mystery.

One of the things that really stands out about The Residence is the focus on the support staff who keep the White House running. Mr. Winter’s death reveals that he was at the top of a very well-oiled machine that includes cooks, groundskeepers, plumbers, electricians, painters and even the official calligrapher. Without their hard work, the whole place would fall apart and

Like Bridgerton, the sets in The Residence — especially those of the White House, where the majority of the story takes place — are so detailed that you’d think they filmed on location at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We also have to praise the camera work throughout the series; with 132 rooms to explore, there are stunning sequences where the camera moves seamlessly from room to room to provide the viewer with a bird’s eye view of just how big the White House, and the crime scene, is.

The Residence is a delightful mix of comedy, drama and intrigue and it never takes itself too seriously. It’s in the same vein as Knives Out (which happens to get an acknowledgement as the title of episode 3), but the sprawling crime scene and laundry list of characters and their motives is reminiscent of the seminal classic Clue.

If you like murder mysteries, smart comedies and huge casts of very talented people, then The Residence will be your next obsession.

All eight episodes of The Residence are available to stream on Netflix.