Netflix goes political for new mystery-comedy series

Netflix has demonstrated in recent weeks that it's not afraid to cash in on the interest in politics that's swirling around the US, at least, in recent weeks thanks to the arrival of Donald Trump's second presidency. I wrote last week about how its new thriller Zero Day looks surprisingly timely, on that note.

Now, though, Netflix has unveiled another politically-tinged show that's coming soon, except it's coming from a very different angle. The Residence will be a comedy murder mystery, much like Only Murders in the Building – except if the building was the actual White House.

The Residence | Official Teaser | Netflix - YouTube

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The show will start streaming on 20 March, so it won't be here for over a month yet, but it looks like a really fun addition to the streamer's catalogue. It'll see Uzo Aduba star as a world-famous detective who just so happens to be present at a gala dinner at the White House when a high-profile murder happens.

From there, only one course of action makes sense, and that's to investigate the whole thing, interviewing a wide array of suspicious archetypical characters. It looks like we'll get to hear from suspicious and knife-wielding chefs, potentially compromised behind-the-scenes maids, and cigar-toting Machiavellian politicians, with motives all over the place.

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It looks like great fun, basically, with the sort of tone that will make it much easier watching than Zero Day, which is more of an authentic thriller warning about the dangers of political overreach. While there will be a President in the plot of The Residence, don't expect it to preach much about political points, I'd say. Whether you think that's an issue or not might come down to your personal perspective.

The show is another indication that whodunnits are massively in vogue, too, whether they're comedy-inflected or played a bit more straight. People are clearly in the mood to be led along through twisty plots, trying to figure out for themselves what happened. All the best streaming services have their own mystery shows now, but The Residence looks like a new option to get onto your queue if you're a Netflix subscriber.