The Residence is a new Netflix original miniseries that premiered today. The show has a large ensemble cast that includes Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason lee, Ken Marino, Randall Park, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. When a murder happens in the White House, it’s up to Cordelia Cupp (Aduba) to solve the murder that happened during a state dinner, involving 157 suspects.

I genuinely believe Uzo Aduba is one of the best working actresses today. Her range from her work in Orange is the New Black to Greedy People has consistently made her stand out and the right fit for any lead role. With the supporting cast, I had a feeling the unique concept felt right for a comedic tone. To my surprise, I did not expect every episode to be around an hour long. Due to its comedic tone, I had a feeling it would be around 30 minutes. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for the most part with the exception of a lackluster finale.

I initially reached out to the reps of Netflix to watch this. Due to me being out of town and being busy, I felt like seeing it early would be best, especially to get more potential viewers to check it out. Netflix gave me 7 out of the 8 episodes in order to avoid the spoiler being leaker. I was really enjoying the 7 episodes, and I couldn’t wait to see how it wrapped up. With a 90-minute runtime for its finale, I honestly was not looking forward to it as it didn’t seem warranted. I can say that now that I have seen all of it, that is the case, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see the genius of the rest of the show. I believe others will see what I mean with the finale.

When it comes to high-stake concepts like this one with a large ensemble cast, it can be so hit-or-miss. I am also a big fan of political thrillers, which this one sort of falls right into. The show does a great job at establishing who every single character is, giving them all incredible backstory to help everyone feel human instead of a plot device. From a scene-stealing Jason Lee to giving Uzo Aduba a side hobby to a beautiful love story in the midst of it, there was so much to get attached to.

I am also glad that I got to see this early, because I can only imagine this all on the day of its release would be overwhelming. Still, I think every episode deserves its purpose, giving you new information that makes you see the situation differently. Without any spoilers, I wasn’t a fan of who the murder victim was. I am a big fan of the talent and I think they could have been better served in the overall cast ensemble. It felt like the decision for that cast member to be the murder victim was deliberate to give us to care about a popular actor that we all like.

Even though it mostly has a dark and serious tone, the show still finds ways to stand out and be light-hearted. I love anything Randall Park is in. The guy is always in a supporting role, but always stands out every single time. His chemistry and comedic timing with Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perfect. I haven’t seen Jason Lee in who knows how long. While he is sort of playing a type cast of what he’s done before, he’s still quite entertaining in what he does. You also have Ken Marino who is both funny and consistently making you guess his purpose in the story.

With 8 episodes ranging around an hour long, the pacing can sort of be hit-or-miss. I love the characterization and story development, but just because you have an hour allotted doesn’t mean you always need to utilize all of it. The finale is 90 minutes long, which made me roll my eyes. By the 8th and final episode, it feels like the show is just gaslighting you for 8 hours as to who the suspect is. The final episode feels like it uses most of its runtime just to gaslight you more. “They did it!” “No, they did it!” It goes on and on, and it’s exhausting. On top of that, the finale doesn’t even use any of its long runtime to give all the side characters proper closure.

If you are a fan of the murder mystery genre, I think there will be plenty to enjoy. The production design is perfect, the cast keeps you engaged, and most importantly, the film consistently honors everything that came before it. I loved how it would add murder mystery titles into each episode title, which felt perfect for what happens in each episode.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Residence for the most part, but the finale really diminished my hype for it. Maybe that’s a byproduct of watching it so far apart from the rest of the show. I think if you are a fan of the murder mystery genre, you will get a lot of entertainment out of it. The cast does a great, and the writing does a solid job for the most part. As much as Netflix tries to deliver on original shows, this is one that’s worth watching.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)