‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Snags New Netflix Murder-Mystery Drama Series

The next Shondaland series for Netflix will feature a familiar face for subscribers. Uzo Aduba, who won two Emmys for her work on Orange Is The New Black, will star in The Residence, a new series from Scandal writer Paul William Davies. Shondaland’s other Netflix hits include Bridgerton and the limited series Inventing Anna.

The Residence is based on the book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Anderson Brower, reports Deadline. The series is described as a “screwball whodunnit” set in the White House and focus on the staff of the world’s most famous mansion. Aduba will play the eccentric Metropolitan Police Department detective Cordelia Cupp, who is enlisted to find a killer after a dead body is discovered during a disastrous State Dinner. Cupp is an “astute observer of human behavior” and has a unique conversational style.

Lisa Johnson will direct the first half of the eight-episode series. Johnson directed an upcoming episode of HBO’s The Last of Us. Her other credits include episodes of Physical, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Dead to Me, Silicon Valley, and What We Do in the Shadows. Davies serves as the showrunner. Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, and Davies are executive producers.

Aduba starred in all seven seasons of Orange Is The New Black, appearing in 80 episodes as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren. She won her first Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014. After the show was re-classified as a drama under new Television Academy rules, she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. Aduba won a third Emmy in 2020 for playing the late U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm in the FX limited series Mrs. America. In 2021, Aduba earned an Emmy nomination for HBO’s In Treatment. She won five Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work on Orange Is The New Black.

While we wait to see The Residence, Shondaland fans have a third season of Bridgerton to look forward to. Netflix has not announced a premiere date yet, but the second season debuted in March 2022. Season 3 is expected to focus on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). As a result, Daphne is not expected to appear at all. Phoebe Dynevour confirmed earlier this week she is taking at least the third season off from the series, which was renewed through Season 4.