THE RESIDENCE
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Edwina Findley, Mel Rodriguez, Molly Griggs, Bronson Pinchot, Jason Lee, Jane Curtin, Al Franken, and Ken Marino
Creator: Paul William Davies
AMARÚ
I’ve seen The Residence’s playbook dozens of times: murder mystery in a high stakes location, a quirky investigator, and a multitude of colorful suspects. Give me that vibe a dozen more times too if it’s this entertaining. I want Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp to be named amongst the Benoit Blancs and Hercule Poirots. I need Heather Capps, John Daigle, Ali Greer, and Roger Nygard to understand how essential their editing was to the pitch-perfect comedic timing. I have to impart that I don’t care what flaws this show has (some bits last too long) because this is exactly, perfectly, my shit. Five reels.
QUENTIN
Full disclosure: given that The Residence is from Shondaland, I almost ignored it. However, I’m a sucker for movies like Knives Out and Clue, so curiosity won me over. Whatever it lacks in originality — it has all the stereotypical hallmarks of the eccentric “world’s best” detective, quirky suspects galore, red herrings, and the like — it makes up for in charm, the performance of Uzo Aduba, and her chemistry with Randall Park. It’s certainly not without its flaws, as a few of the quirks are too quirky and there are some asides that don’t add much, but this is nonetheless a winner for light-hearted murder mystery fans.
