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THE RESIDENCE – Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger , , , , , , , , ,
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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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Susan Granger

Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at R.K.O., M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures; her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M. As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O'Brien and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. During her adult life, Susan has been on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic. Her newspaper reviews have been syndicated around the world, and she has appeared on American Movie Classics cable television. In addition, her celebrity interviews and articles have been published in REDBOOK, PLAYBOY, FAMILY CIRCLE, COSMOPOLITAN, WORKING WOMAN and THE NEW YORK TIMES, as well as in PARIS MATCH, ELLE, HELLO, CARIBBEAN WORLD, ISLAND LIFE, MACO DESTINATIONS, NEWS LIMITED NEWSPAPERS (Australia), UK DAILY MAIL, UK SUNDAY MIRROR, DS (France), LA REPUBBLICA (Italy), BUNTE (Germany), VIP TRAVELLER (Krisworld) and many other international publications through SSG Syndicate. Susan also lectures on the "Magic and Mythology of Hollywood" and "Don't Take It Personally: Conquering Criticism and other Survival Skills," originally published on tape by Dove Audio.