Diksha Sundriyal
Created by Paul William Davies, Netflix’s ‘The Residence’ takes the audience into the White House, where a murder during a high-profile state dinner throws everyone into a state of confusion. To solve this high-stakes case, Cordelia Cupp, the world’s greatest detective, is brought in. Over the course of eight episodes, the investigation takes many twists and turns. Based on Kate Andersen Brower’s 2016 book, ‘The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House,’ the show presents a unique take on whodunit, but despite the great reviews, its presence in the top 10 in the weeks following its release, and the multiple Emmy nominations, the show was cancelled by Netflix and will not be returning for another season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Residence Season 1’s Viewership Did Not Match Its Cost
When it comes to renewing shows, streaming services, particularly Netflix, look at the cost-to-benefit ratio, based on which the decision to keep a story going is made. In the case of ‘The Residence,’ this ratio didn’t seem to match the expectations that Netflix had. A product of Shondaland, which has a history of delivering some of the most popular shows for Netflix, the Cordelia Cupp murder mystery was quite a humongous project from the production point of view. Because the show almost entirely takes place inside the White House, the crew created a replica of the building at Raleigh Studios in LA. Built across seven stages, it consisted of 132 connected rooms, with 10 miles of molding and 200 working doors.
The elaborately crafted sets, transporting the audience to what feels like a real White House, were a major factor in making the show impactful and entertaining. Sure enough, when ‘The Residence’ was released, it quickly climbed to the Top 10 watched titles on Netflix. However, it was released barely a week after ‘Adolescence,’ which was a massive success for the streamer. The four-part British crime drama became its second most-watched English language series yet. The success of ‘Adolescence’ seems to have cast a shadow on ‘The Residence’, and while it found some level of popularity and appreciation from the audience, it seemed that it didn’t quite match the mark that Netflix expected of it.
The Residence Season 2 Would Take Cordelia Cupp Into New Territory
The mystery of the first season is concluded in its finale, which means that Cordelia Cupp must move on to her next case. The second season would have taken her to a new place, perhaps a different Presidential house in another country, or something along those lines. The creators of the show had given some thought to the matter, and it was clear that ‘The Residence’ could only move forward as an anthology which brings a new case every season.
While we will never know where the writers intended to take Cupp next, it is fair to assume that Uzo Aduba wouldn’t have been the only cast member to return for a sophomore season. Characters like Randall Park’s FBI agent Edwin and Isiah Whitlock Jr.’s Chief of Police at the MPD, Larry Dokes, might have had the chance to find a space in the next instalment of the show. Aduba talked to TV Insider about the future possibilities and spoke of the bond that develops between Cordelia and Edwin, and how their friendship deepens over the course of the second season, that they “have developed a shorthand between each other. They have one great case under their belt, and I’m happy to imagine what else they might do [or] get into.”
Given that Edwin has firsthand seen Cordelia in action, it wouldn’t be a surprise that he would reach out to her the next time he finds himself in the middle of a particularly tricky case, which requires someone as brilliant as Cordelia. Or perhaps, the story could take a more personal route for the detective, where she finds herself entangled in a case that has personal stakes for her. This would have allowed us to get to know her more intimately, since the first season gives us next to nothing about her, apart from the fact that she is great at solving crimes and is an accomplished birdwatcher.
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