The Residence

I really enjoyed this! It’s not just a fun murder mystery, this series has been enriched with bird-watching trivia, historical lore about the White House, and excellent and myriad methods of storytelling.

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The story, which is based on a book of non-fiction written by Kate Anderson Brower, is told byway of a senate hearing. As the people are testifying, we watch the story play out. We also see the story unfold as members of the White House staff and attendees of the state dinner tell the detective what they saw. The editing is very good.

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Although they did film a few outdoor scenes on the grounds of the White House, the series obviously wasn’t filmed in the actual White House. We know this only because the camera would sometimes pan out so we could see the house without its front wall.

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The set was built in a studio in Los Angeles and was painstakingly created to be as close a replica as possible to the White House while also jazzing up some parts of it to make it a bit more colorful.

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The recreation of the White House they built in the studio includes handmade wallpapers, 200 doors, 75,000 tons of flooring, 1500 copies of the actual books that are in the WH library, 200 bespoke plates, and includes areas of the WH never seen before on film (like parts of the basement and the Chief Usher’s office). All that effort was worth it because it feels authentic. It really seems like it has been filmed in the actual White House and that adds to the gravity and hilarity of the situation.

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The casting is excellent, with a huge cast of 15 regulars and 37 people who have a recurring role, including Jane Curtain as the mother-in-law of the president, Al Franken, who plays a senator, and Kylie Minogue!

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Initially, the person who dies in the first episode was played by Andre Braugher (of Brooklyn 99 fame), but he died in real life about halfway through the filming of this. His part was recast with Giancarlo Esposito, who does a good job of it, although I think Mr. Braugher would have been perfect for the role.

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Uzo Aduba, who plays the detective, is great in this. She has some hilarious lines and carries the role with dignity. I love that her character clearly knows her value, she doesn’t allow people to disrespect her, has quirks that she doesn’t apologize for, and she is a feminist.

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This fabulously different murder mystery is also a love note to America. It's great!

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