White House Whodunit: “The Residence” offers a clever, old-fashioned mystery

As someone who grew up watching the original, 1960s “Mission: Impossible” TV series and currently obsesses over “Criminal Minds” and “The Mentalist,” I like to consider myself an expert on all shows crime and mystery.

So when I saw Shondaland — a production studio known for shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bridgerton” — released a new murder mystery TV show called “The Residence,” I forced myself to carve time out of my busy schedule to binge the series.

And it did not disappoint.

Released on March 20, “The Residence” delivered a clever, eight-episode murder mystery surrounding the death of the Chief Usher of the White House, A.B. Wynter. Watching the chaotic events that followed his death made both my heart rate spike and my cheeks ache from laughter.

Wynter, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is murdered while the president hosts a diplomatic state dinner for the Australian Prime Minister. He’s found within two minutes of the show, so don’t worry, no spoilers here.

In order to solve the case quickly and cause as little commotion as possible, the police bring in the “world’s best detective,” Cordelia Cupp, played by Uzo Aduba. I certainly believe she is the best detective in the world. And the most effortlessly hilarious one, too.

Cupp is an eccentric, comedic detective who likes to do the exact opposite of what the president’s advisors tell her to do. Her apparent defiance makes for a highly hysterical watch.

With the feud between Australia and the U.S., President Perry Morgan, played by Paul Fitzgerald, advises Cupp to solve the case before citizens think the Australians planned an assassination. Gotta love a time crunch.

Cupp starts interviewing all 157 people at the dinner to investigate alibis and backstories. Her interviewing techniques were arguably the most entertaining moments in the show. Sometimes, her most effective interviews were the ones where she just stared at the interviewee — an uncomfortably humorous exchange.

While investigating, the White House setting added an extra sense of pressure and mystery. The Chief Usher managed all things White House — the kitchen, decorations, planning, even plumbing. He knew every single person who worked at the White House.

And everyone had an issue with him.

Although it was slightly hard to remember all the suspects after their first appearance, I got the hang of it after a couple episodes. No hand-written, complex family trees needed. 

This complexity also contributed to the tension in the story. Since there seemed to be hundreds of suspects, I never truly knew what was coming next — or what everyone was hiding — despite my desperate attempts to play detective. The plumber, the maid, the First Gentleman — they all seem irrelevant until Cupp takes a closer look into their motives.

The White House room names added a “Clue” feel to the story. Detective Cupp used “Clue” terminology as she debated: Was it the plumber in the Yellow Oval Room with a candlestick? Or maybe it was the chef with a knife in the Game Room? 

These room names added a vintage mystery element to the show, which I absolutely devoured. I grew up watching a 1960s mystery show after all.

My one complaint of the entire series was that it may have been too long. The middle episodes especially seemed to drag the story out longer than needed as Cupp struggled whittling down suspects. But I guess I can forgive a bit of slow world building in exchange for Australian accents.

Despite the tedious interviewing, I would 100% recommend “The Residence” to anyone craving a “Knives Out” meets “Clue” murder mystery. And who doesn’t love the occasional “naur” from an Australian Prime Minister?