The Biggest Murder Mystery Set For 2025 You Haven’t Heard About

Netflix and Shondaland Present A Whodunit Inside The White House

Welcome to a brand new edition of Only Murders In The Inbox! If you’re a regular reader, thanks for returning, I appreciate you. If you’re only just now joining us, hello, we’re happy to have you! Every week, OMITI covers murder mysteries in literature and entertainment. We delve into the ways the Mystery genre is significant in pop culture. You’ll also find curated suggestions and lists here so if you’re looking for a particular type of book, movie or series, I’ve got you! New subscribers, start here:

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I know I’ve gone on and on about how the most anticipated murder mystery release of 2024 is Prime Video’s Cross starring Aldis Hodge based on Michael Connelly’s bestselling Alex Cross series, which premieres on November 14th (see the August 8th OMITI edition below). But there’s an equally exciting new murder mystery around the corner set for early 2025 you might not know about.

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Shonda Rhimes. Photo by Kwaku Alston for Netflix

In television, Shonda Rhimes is one of the most prominent and widely-respected executive producers and writers in the game. She made Grey’s Anatomy a household name, and had hits with Scandal, Private Practice and How To Get Away With Murder. She’s also responsible for one of Netflix’s most wildly successful series in the history of the streaming platform: Bridgerton. The historical romance pulled in a record-breaking eighty-two million views in 2021, and for its most recent season, almost 92 million views just in its first two months streaming. But when it comes to the Rhimes’ filmography, my personal favorite is the expertly executed and masterfully-written spinoff to Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte. That show is television storytelling at its absolute best.

When Bridgerton Meets Murder In Regency England

So when Netflix announced a new series — The Residence — with Rhimes’ production house Shondaland at the helm, I wasn’t surprised, especially knowing Netflix renewed their deal with Rhimes in 2021 for an extra hundred million dollars. But what was most exciting about this announcement is the premise of the show, which, for mystery fans, is fantastic news.

The first table read of The Residence. Left to right: Edwina Findley as Sheila Cannon, executive producer Betsy Beers, executive producer Shonda Rhimes, showrunner and executive producer Paul William Davies, director Liza Johnson, Uzo Aduba and Randall Park. Photo courtesy of Jessica Brooks for Netflix.

The newest show from Rhimes is The Residence, is a whodunit comedy set in The White House during a state dinner. The eight episode series is inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s 2015 nonfiction book, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House and focuses on White House staffers and their points of view — think Scandal meets Downton Abbey meets Gosford Park meets Glass Onion. Now that’s exciting!

The ensemble cast is headed up by Uzo Aduba from Orange Is The New Black, who stars as Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. The cast also includes Edwina Finley, Jane Curtin, Al Franken, Andrew Friedman, Julian McMahon, and Kylie Minogue. Paul William Davies, a longtime collaborator and producer in the Shondaland family, is acting showrunner, as well as executive producing the series with Rhimes.

Although there isn't a premiere date set yet, this series is already prepped to be one of the most exciting new mystery series in 2025. Make sure to subscribe to Only Murders In The Inbox for updates!

The cast and crew of The Residence at the first table read. Photo courtesy of Jessica Brooks for Netflix.

Sources

Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2021/07/15/netflix-increases-shonda-rhimes-100-million-deal-for-a-bigger-stake-in-culture/

Netflix https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-and-shonda-rhimes-expand-creative-pact#

Variety https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/netflix-data-viewing-fool-me-once-bridgerton-baby-reindeer-first-half-of-2024-1236150283/#

Song of the Day: “Where Evil Grows” by The Poppy Family