Having explored the sexcapades of Regency England and the scams and lies of Anna Delvey, Shonda Rhimes is turning her attention to foul play at the White House. The woman behind “Bridgerton” and “Inventing Anna” has a new show in the works at Netflix. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streamer has ordered eight-episode murder mystery “The Residence” to series. Rhimes and her producing partner Betsy Beers are executive producing.
The project will use Kate Anderson Brower’s book “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House” as “a jumping off point.” Published in 2015, the non-fiction bestseller shares the stories of the White House residence staff who worked during the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama administrations.
“The Residence” is being produced by Netflix as part of Rhimes’ overall deal with the streamer. The official synopsis reads: “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous State Dinner. ‘The Residence’ is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.”
“Development of ‘The Residence’ was first announced in July 2018 as Rhimes set her original Netflix slate. Netflix and Shondaland acquired the rights to Brower’s nonfiction book,” the source notes.
“Inventing Anna,” the first show Rhimes created since “Scandal,” is still ranking in Netflix’s top 10 nearly four weeks after its premiere. “Bridgerton,” the Regency-era romance she EPs, will return for its second season March 25 on Netflix. Rhimes is also working on a “Bridgerton” spinoff following Queen Charlotte and anthology “Notes on Love.”
Rhimes’ other credits as a writer and producer include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19,” and “For the People.” The former is the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history.