Netflix's The Residence has all the right ingredients, but this is where it went wrong.

Looking for a cosy murder mystery to sink your teeth into? Netflix has, once again, come through with a new binge-ready show.

Netflix's The Residence is a murder mystery set within the White House. The series, produced by Shondaland, follows Detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) as she investigates a murder during a state dinner.

With 157 suspects and 132 rooms to navigate, Cordelia has her work cut out for her to get to the bottom of this murder mystery.

The cast includes Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Eliza Coupe, Susan Kelechi Watson, Ken Marino, and, of course, Kylie Minogue, who plays herself.

Creator Paul William Davies (a writer for Scandal) drew inspiration from Kate Andersen Brower's book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House about the inner workings of the government, which makes for a unique whodunit series.

Watch the trailer for The Residence. Post continues after video.

The cast is a delightfully eclectic mix of comedy actors; a revolving door of loveable faces from your fave TV shows. The storyline is engaging with stakes just high enough to keep you invested but low enough to keep the show light and fresh.

I should have loved this show. It ticks so many of the boxes that make a stellar cosy murder show. So why did I feel so flat by the end of every episode, and why did it feel like a bit of a chore to continue?

I'll start with the stuff that worked.

At times, the writing is funny and irreverent with gags dropping at lightning speed.

The setting of the White House is a refreshing take on the sort of dark, dampened homes these sorts of murder mysteries are typically set within. The entire spectacle of the multiple rooms was effectively captured, with the set design being flawless.

The murder occurring on the night the White House was hosting a diplomatic dinner with Australia (that's us!) was a surprising twist.

There are plenty of Australian references littered throughout. And don't worry, unlike a lot of Netflix's attempts at our local tongue (The Good Place still has a lot to answer for!), don't expect any phony accents either.

Thankfully, they cast Julian McMahon as the Prime Minister and Brett Tucker as the Foreign Minister. And yes, they're both born and bred Australians (even if I do still associate Julian with his American accent Charmed).

Kylie Minogue is the breakout star. Image: Netflix.

Between the Kylie Minogue hits blaring in the background and frequent references to Hugh Jackman, this series will make Australians feel at home.

Minogue is so good in this, with her complaining that she "had to sing 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' seven times. Seven f**king times," being a particularly hilarious line.

The Residence making the American President gay and married to the First Gentleman was a welcome detail.

This feels particularly significant in current times. Because let's be real: presenting a progressive American utopia is a far cry from the man who currently sits at the helm of today's White House, the same man who has been outspoken about his contempt for LGBTQ+ people (especially transgender Americans) and their rights.

But, interestingly, they never indicate which way the fictional President falls politically. He's a confusing enigma — but one thing we do know, his term isn't exactly going well.

Uzo Aduba's Cordelia Cupp and Randall Park's FBI agent Edwin Park had a fun dynamic together. They had a bit of a Sherlock and Watson back-and-forth going, and each character was made better for the time they spent with the other.

These two were a lot of fun together. Image: Netflix.

Unfortunately, that's where the praise of Cordelia Cupp ends. This character just didn't really work. To Uzo's credit, she did her best with the material she was given. From her work on Orange is The New Black, it's known that she is an incredible comedic talent, but this character was misguided.

An eccentric, difficult and detailed-orientated detective is a well-trodden path from film franchise Knives Out to British classic Vera, but the leads of these stories all share one thing in common: they're likeable.

Cordelia comes across as abrasive and rude, with the character lacking the nuances needed to make the viewers truly root for her.

Then there's the murdered guy who — as mean as this is to say — I couldn't care less about.

Giancarlo Esposito played A.B. Wynter, the White House Chief Usher who is murdered in The Residence. There is just something lacking in this character, and it could have a lot to do with Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andre Braugher being originally cast in the role.

The beloved actor passed away in December 2023 while filming the Netflix show. The role was later recast with Esposito stepping in to honour Braugher's memory.

The late actor was cast in the role of the White House Chief Usher. Image: Fox.

It does make the viewer wonder what could have been, because Braugher would have brought a lot of heart and humour to this role, a delicate balance that Esposito doesn't quite land.

With neither of the murdered or detective characters working, it's hard to want to invest in the show's narrative.

Then there's the issue of inconsistent writing. As mentioned, there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but there are also so many scenes with dialogue I found borderline mind-numbing.

Each episode, characters were stuck in these lengthy circular conversations with characters uttering repetitive lines with the rhythm of an Amy Sherman-Palladino show. Don't get me wrong, I typically love fast-paced dialogue (I'm Gilmore Girls' biggest fan) but in this instance, the writing wasn't funny enough to justify the verbal foxtrot and I just found it annoying.

In some scenes in The Residence, the characters would make a joke and repeat it again until it lost any remnants of humour.

All that said, is it still a fun and ultimately harmless watch? Absolutely.

The Residence is filled with so many iconic actors that you'll never be bored and the murder mystery has enough twists and turns to keep you hooked.

Feature image: Netflix.