‘The Residence’ Canceled at Netflix But the Story Was Just Getting Started

The lights are out and doors have closed on The Residence, as Netflix has canceled the White House-set murder mystery after just one season. Starring Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, the “greatest detective in the world,” Shonda Rhimes‘ whodunnit joins freshman medical drama Pulse on the chopping block of canceled shows.

Also starring Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Edwina Findley, Mary Wiseman, and Jane Curtin, news of the cancellation broke on July 2. Deadline first reported the news.

The Shondaland-produced mystery followed detective Cordelia Cupp (Aduba) as she investigated a murder during a state dinner. Across eight episodes, she questioned staff and guests to uncover hidden motives while exposing personal dramas inside the presidential residence.

But what could have been had the show continued? If the series had gone forward, the show would have become an anthology with Cupp at the center, taking on a new case each season. Based on Kate Andersen Brower’s 2016 book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, the tome covered true accounts shared by White House staff members, but featured no quirky detectives, leaving the door open for Cupp to possibly explore other iconic residences, tourist attractions, and so forth.

However, that isn’t the only development the show could have expanded upon. Aduba revealed that the show likely would have further explored Cordelia and Edwin’s relationship.

“I love thinking about the relationship that Cordelia and Edwin are forming,” Aduba told TV Insider. “They’re in the budding phase of their friendship and 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,” she adds.

Unfortunately, the potential partnership and their future adventures are now a thing of the past, as the first season of The Residence will also be its last.

The Residence, Season 1, Streaming now, Netflix