Netflix released its new murder mystery series The Residence, which comes from Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton mastermind Shonda Rhimes, on March 20 as one of the week's best new releases. Created by Paul William Davies, the series stars Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba as top-notch detective and passionate birder Cordelia Cupp, who's called to the White House to investigate a suspicious death of a staff member.
While we won't reveal any spoilers about the curious case of A.B. Wynter's death or the big reveal in the season finale, one question left behind by the season finale might still be on your mind. When episode 8 ends, there's a dedication to the memory of Andre Braugher. The beloved actor has starred in such popular television titles as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Homicide: Life of the Street, Men of a Certain Age, and much more on stage and screen.
Braugher doesn't appear in The Residence, which could cause some confusion for some viewers when seeing the dedication. The actor was originally cast in the series as A.B. Wynter in early 2023. On Dec. 11, 2023, Braugher passed away at age 61 from lung cancer. The Residence had already started filming, finishing four out of eight episodes before pausing due to the dual Hollywood labor strikes. However, Giancarlo Esposito took over the role, in a heartwarming honor to their past connection.
In NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street, Braugher starred as Frank Pembleton for the show's first six seasons, departing ahead of season 7. Esposito joined the cast of the series in season 7 in Braugher's stead as Michael Giardello. The pair of talented stars returned to appear together in the show's 2000 televised follow-up movie. Esposito stepping in for his old friend was the perfect way to pay tribute and respect his talents. It's such a special, if not very bittersweet, full circle moment.
The Residence star Susan Kelechi Watson, who stars as assistant usher Jasmine Haney and shares multiple scenes with chief usher A.B. Wynter, opened up to Parade Magazine about working with Braugher on the show before his tragic passing. She jokingly shared a story about telling her agents that she would only do the show if Braugher was doing it too. But working with him was one of the big reasons she wanted to work on this project and looks back fondly on their time together:
"I had the good fortune of working with him in almost every scene. I just had so much opportunity to sit with him and talk with him. I'm the fangirl that felt like, ‘Oh, I got a chance to be his friend.’ Just such a great artist, but such a family man, loved and adored by his wife and his kids. He would often leave set to go see his son on stage at the Guthrie Theater [in Minneapolis] and then come back. I can't say enough about Andre. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have been that close to him."
When the cast and crew returned to the set of The Residence in 2024 after the resolution of the strikes, Watson said that it was a "difficult time" for them as they mourned their friend and costar. Braugher knew much of the crew from this series from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which added another layer of loss. Since four episodes had already been filmed prior to his death, A.B.'s scenes had to be re-filmed with Esposito, which entailed reshoots with much of the cast.
Davies spoke with Deadline about Braugher's passing and Esposito's recasting, calling the actor's death "devastating" for the whole cast and crew and honoring him as "a lovely, very grounded, very decent and wonderful human being." The creator revealed the thought process behind the "brutal" reality of recasting Braugher and the "difficult assignment" Esposito had that he ultimately did amazingly in celebration of Braugher. Here's what Davies said:
"It was brutal and it was really hard for so many of us. We were lucky enough that Giancarlo, who also knew Andre, was close to him and had the deepest respect for him, was able to come in and do that role, and do it in his own way, but also honoring Andre. That’s a very difficult assignment, just on so many levels and he handled it with extraordinary grace and navigated that in a way that comforted us. It was hard."
Watson revealed there were initially questions about how to move forward after Braugher's passing, including if any of his material could be used or if the series could pivot to a different character, but the decision went to recasting A.B. She reiterated Davies' sentiment that getting Esposito on board, as someone who knew and respected Braugher, was "really a blessing." Having watched the series, it's unimaginable that anyone else could have honored Braugher in the same way.
In the season finale, after Cordelia reveals the big a-ha moment in the whodunit, she delivers a heartbreaking speech about A.B. that Davies says he wrote after Braugher's passing. Watson mentions that monologue eulogizes not only A.B. but also Braugher, and as one of the rare scenes featuring the whole cast in one room, they were able to share that moment of mourning together. If you look at that scene through that lens, it's without a doubt going to get you choked up.
The creator also revealed the reason behind placing the dedication at the end of the full season rather than placing it after the very first episode. As he explained to Deadline, Davies said it was important for him to celebrate Braugher's memory at the end of the series instead after one episode as a way to express "you were part of all this, and we have not forgotten you." That's by far the most thoughtful way an artist's last work can honor his legacy and lasting impact.
Watch The Residence only on Netflix.