Susan Granger’s review of “The Residence” (Netflix)
Shondaland has invaded the White House! Prolific producer Shonda Rhimes teamed up with Paul William Davies to create a captivating comedic whodunit miniseries that’s set in “The Residence” of the President of the United States.
The mystery begins when the dead body of stoic White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito) is discovered on the night of a gala State Dinner, honoring the Australian Prime Minister (Julian McMahon) – with pop star Kylie Minogue doing an impromptu live set.
Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Chief Larry Dokes (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) immediately summons unconventional, obsessive Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), an ever-observant, detail-oriented bird-watcher, to investigate.
Accompanied by affable FBI Special Agent Edwin Park (Randall Park), Cupp examines each of the palatial White House’s 132 rooms and hidden passageways, questioning 157 possible suspects, deftly separating fact from fiction.
There’s A.B.’s deputy Jasmine Haney (Susan Kelechi Watson), the President (Paul Fitzgerald), his impatient chief advisor Harry Hollinger (Ken Marino), sneaky Brother (Jason Lee), First Husband (Barrett Foa), drunken Mother-in-Law (Jane Curtin), and Secret Service Agent (Dan Perrault) along with various housekeepers, electricians and plumbers.
It seems everyone on the historical Residence’s staff fought with formidable A.B. at some point, including boozing Butler Sheila Cannon (Edwina Findley), inept Social Secretary Lilly Schumacher (Molly Griggs), volatile Cook (Mary Wiseman), and disrespected Pastry Chef (Bronson Pinchot).
Complicating matters, the confusing story is told in flashbacks as a Congressional committee, headed by Senator Aaron Filkins (former Senator Al Franken) and conspiracy-theorizing Senator Margery Bay Bix (Eliza Coupe), holding hearings into the crime.
Inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s non-fiction upstairs/downstairs “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House,” Paul William Davies’ quirky detective concept – reminiscent of Peter Falk’s Columbo, Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk and Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc – boasts contentious, multi-faceted characters, relevant topics and layered subtext.
Unfortunately, there are just too many superfluous subplots, punctuated by quick cuts between three timelines, unnecessary repetition and tedious nods to (sadly absent) Hugh Jackman.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Residence” is a suspenseful, subversive 7. All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
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