Netflix's latest Shondaland series The Residence is a murder mystery set in the most iconic home in America: the White House. Inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, the new must-watch TV show is a quirky detective story centered on the murder of the White House's Chief Usher in the middle of a state dinner. The eight-episode miniseries follows bird-watching detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) as she investigates all 132 rooms and 157 suspects (both staff and party guests) inside of the Executive Mansion.
While The Residence's cast is filled to the brim with memorable characters, the true star of the show is the White House itself. For its intricate whodunnit, the comedy series utilizes dozens of rooms found in the real-life mansion, from the bedrooms hosting POTUS's family to the massive basement where the staff runs day-to-day operations. So, how did Netflix pull off one of the biggest recreations of the White House ever filmed for TV? Read on for everything we know about the filming locations of The Residence, including how the show put its own spin on the historic building.
Where was 'The Residence' filmed?
To recreate the most famous house in America, The Residence took over a large chunk of Raleigh Studios in L.A., to build the "largest re-creation of the White House 'ever attempted,'" per Netflix's Tudum. The team, led by production designer François Audouy, "filled seven stages, used 10 miles of molding, 200 working doors, [and] 144,000 pounds of flooring," along with all of the small details that made the set match the real-life Residence. They also connected two soundstages to recreate the first floor of the White House, with the set making up 20,800 square feet, "almost the same size" as the real building.
According to Audouy, the series stays faithful to the architecture of the White House. This includes details that everyday Americans may not know about, like the secret passages and pocket staircases that connect the rooms. However, the show did take liberty with the fictional mansion's finishes, choosing a more contemporary style. "There is a lively palette with yellows and blues and greens," he said of the show's take on the third floor. "It’s going away from the muted browns and beiges of the actual White House. I was so surprised by how boring the real third floor is."
How did 'The Residence' recreate the White House's lesser-known rooms?
In addition to the White House rooms that are more well-known—at least by anyone who's received a tour—The Residence also highlights several rooms and floors that have rarely or never been recreated for television. This includes areas such as the Chief Usher's office that "haven’t been photographed for national security reasons," according to Shondaland. To design these rooms, the show brought on Haley Rivero O’Connor, former executive assistant to the chief usher from 2019 to 2022, to serve as a consultant.
Since the show's release, Rivero O’Connor has praised The Residence's accuracy compared to previous White House recreations. "We used to watch Olympus Has Fallen and Wonder Woman and all of these movies that had White House scenes, and we were like, ‘What is this? This doesn’t look at all how it looks. Where are they?" she told Shondaland. "[The Residence] was like visiting your childhood home. It was like a place you had been many, many times, but you never thought you’d go again. It was so surreal…I think anyone who’s worked [in the White House] will watch it and be shocked."
