‘The Residence’ Season 2: Why Netflix Isn’t Making Another Season

Despite its breakout freshman run, Shondaland’s whodunnit The Residence, starring Uzo Aduba as birdwatching detective Cordelia Cupp, will not be returning for a second season at Netflix.

Premiering on the streamer in March, the series centered around an eccentric detective tasked with solving the murder of White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter during a state dinner for the Australian prime minister at the White House.

Although the show was initially tagged as a limited series, The Residence’s well-reception among viewers and critics spurred talk of a possible Season 2 renewal, which would have seen the show transform into an anthology with Cupp taking on a new case each season. However, that Season 2 renewal never came. On Wednesday, July 2, Netflix brought the axe down on two of its freshmen series – the medical drama The Pulse and The Residence – leaving many fans wondering why The Residence wasn’t renewed for Season 2.

While Netflix hasn’t addressed the show’s cancellation, it seems that a number of factors likely contributed to the decision, including ratings and cost.

The Residence was generally considered to have a decent performance on the platform. The show not only achieved an 85% critics score and 78% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but also spent four weeks in Netflix’s Top 10. However, according to Deadline, the show’s success was ultimately overshadowed by the wild popularity of Netflix’s limited series Adolescence, which debuted just a week before The Residence and quickly rose to become one of the most-watched shows ever on Netflix.

More than just its unfortunate timing, The Residence was also an expensive series to produce. In addition to a star-studded cast that also included Giancarlo Esposito, Randall Park, Susan Kelechi Watson, Ken Marino and Jason Lee, the series also featured an expansive set – a near-full replica of the White House that included a total of 132 rooms connected across seven soundstages at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. The set reportedly included 10 miles of molding, 200 working doors, and 144,000 pounds of flooring. Extensive VFX work added to the production costs, leading to an exorbitant price tag. There had reportedly been “conversations over the past couple of months about ways to reduce the budget” for Season 2, but nothing materialized from them.

Reacting to the show’s cancellation on Instagram, Shonda Rhimes wrote, “The Residence is a brilliant, smart, funny show. So disappointed it won’t get the second season it deserves. Brava to the amazing cast, writers and crew.” Responding to the post, Aduba thanked Rhimes “for extending me the opportunity of a lifetime. I am just so grateful.”

The Residence is available to stream on Netflix.