132 rooms. 157 suspects. 1 dead body. That’s the premise behindThe Residence, a comedic mystery thriller produced byShonda Rhimesthat’s set to hitNetflixthis March. StarringUzo AdubaofOrange is the New Blackfame, the new trailer for the series was recently released, and showcases all the drama and laughs we can expect fromthe Shondaland production, which also features a slew of other heavy hitters like Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, and Bronson Pinchot.
Inspired by the bookThe Residence: Inside the Private World of the White Houseby Kate Andersen Brower, the trailer for Rhimes' latest (seen below)makes it seem likeClueset in the White House. It opens inside the hallowed halls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where we meet Aduba’s character of Cordelia Cupp, a consultant with the Metropolitan Police Department who’s tasked with unraveling the mystery behind a dead body that’s found on the third floor during a state dinner. Along the way, we’re introduced to the colorful suspects, are treated to some funny one-liners,and are taken all over the White House as the tension builds.
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Developed by Paul Willian Davies, who is no stranger to working with Rhimes after having served as a writer on the hit seriesScandal,The Residencetakes its cues from not only Brower’s book, but from other whodunits that came before.“The Residenceis 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,” he toldTudum. He’s not lying, as not only is there an air ofClueaboutThe Residence, but we see dashes ofThe Man Who Knew Too Little,Columbo, and evenKnives Outsprinkled in there for good measure.
Uzo Aduba Says Her Character is a Wonderful Addition to the Shondaland Universe
Having already createdsome of the strongest female charactersto ever be seen on television by way of Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope (Scandal), Viola Davis' Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder), and Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey (Grey’s Anatomy), it appears as if Rhimes has done it again with Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp. While the trailer might make her seem at first like a bumbling detective, it’s clear that there’s more to Cupp than meets the eye. For theOrange is the New Blackalumni, she says it’s best not to judge a book by its cover because, in the annals of heroines from the Shondaland universe, hers ranks right up there with the best of them.
“What makes Cordelia part of the catalog of Shondaland heroines is that she’s strong, she doesn’t mince words, she’s unapologetically herself. This case is unsolvable to everyone except Cordelia Cupp.”
Based on the trailer alone, it looks likeThe Residenceis going to be a lot of fun to watch, and it goes without saying that it’s great to see Aduba back on our TV screens. Look for the eight-episode whodunit to hit Netflix on March 20, and if you want to check out some of Rhimes' other shows, you may currently streamScandal,How to Get Away with Murder, andGrey’s Anatomyon Hulu.
Grey’s Anatomy
