Agatha Christie Meets The West Wing In Netflix's 8-Episode Murder Mystery With A Top-Tier Cast
Liz Hersey is an Editor and Critic for ScreenRant's TV team, editing, reviewing, writing, and creating content about the iconic shows you love to watch. She began her editing career at ScreenRant in 2019, shortly after joining the site as a Writer that same year.
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Agatha Christie is having a moment right now, and her influence on a certain phenomenal Netflix murder mystery series is particularly apparent. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the renowned mystery author's death, leading to a renewed interest in Christie's prolific bibliography, while BritBox premiered Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence, a show based on Christie's famous bickering amateur detective duo, on the writer's birthday, September 15.
The whodunit genre as a whole seems to be experiencing a renaissance, with titles like The Sheep Detectives and Only Murders in the Building finding instant popularity. Netflix seems particularly invested in murder mystery movies and shows, releasing the last two Knives Out movies, The Thursday Murder Club, and the criminally underrated TV series The Residence.
A Shondaland series, The Residence, which premiered in 2025, is a Christie-esque locked-room mystery starring Orange Is the New Black's Uzo Aduba as eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp. Cupp is investigating a murder that occurred during a state dinner for the Australian prime minister at the White House.
With a murder that has a suspect list — 157 suspects, to be exact — of White House staffers and international dignitaries, The Residence sounds like a mystery version of The West Wing. However, the Netflix series is actually a clever inversion of Aaron Sorkin's definitive political drama series, never once setting foot in the Oval Office or the West Wing, and instead taking place entirely in the "upstairs, downstairs, backstairs" of the White House. Other than the famed building, what The Residence has most in common with The West Wing is an incredibly talented ensemble cast.
It's No Knives Out, But The Residence Is Packed With Familiar Faces
It's nigh impossible for a murder mystery ensemble to match the star power of the Knives Out films. Led by Daniel Craig, the franchise is packed with Hollywood elite, from Oscar winners to MCU A-listers. However, the cast of The Residence packs a punch and is a veritable who's who of television heavyweights.
Aduba, who won hearts — and an Emmy — for her tragicomic performance as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in Orange Is the New Black, gets to fully flex her comedy muscles in The Residence, and she's supported by TV stars famous for both comedic and dramatic roles, including Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat), Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us), Ken Marino (Party Down), Jane Curtin (SNL), and Jason Lee (My Name is Earl). Of course, no contemporary murder mystery is complete without a celebrity playing themselves, a role Kylie Minogue fills with aplomb.
The Residence Is Way Too Overlooked As A Murder Mystery Series
Despite the murder mystery genre's resurgence over the past few years, The Residence failed to make a splash when it premiered in March 2025. This is a shame because there's so much to enjoy beyond just a good whodunit: fans of political shows like The West Wing will get a kick out of perhaps the funniest TV series ever to take place in the White House, while Downton Abbey aficionados will definitely appreciate The Residence's upstairs-downstairs dynamic.
Then there's Aduba, whose Cordelia Cupp deserves to be on the Mount Rushmore of zany yet lovable sleuths alongside Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Benoit Blanc. Aduba was deservedly nominated for an Emmy for her performance in The Residence — an impressive feat considering how little impact the show had on the TV landscape as a whole.
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01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
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In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
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Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
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The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
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Unfortunately, one prestigious nomination wasn't enough to save a show with such low viewership, and Netflix canceled The Residence after one season. However, like the Knives Out franchise, The Residence was intended to be an anthology series, with Cupp investigating a new case each installment. This means that, despite ending too soon, The Residence season 1 completely wraps up its central mystery with no major cliffhanger. So, if you're a murder mystery fan and you haven't yet watched The Residence, run, don't walk.
- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Directors
- Liza Johnson
- Writers
- Paul William Davies
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