Contrarian Culture Club Recommendations

What to watch to keep you engaged and/or distracted this weekend: featuring The Residence and Eyes on the Prize III

Are you looking for something to amuse, inspire, enlighten, or maybe just distract you from… well, everything? Each week, The Contrarian will share our culture picks—the best things to watch, read, listen to, follow, or go see right now.

Courtesy of Jessica Brooks/Netflix

The Residence (Netflix)

I realize that a show about murder and incompetence at the White House might not sound like the most appealing thing right now, but would still urge anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit and loves going behind the scenes of hallowed institutions to fire up The Residence. From executive producer Shonda Rhimes and creator Paul William Davies, this witty, upstairs-downstairs murder mystery is set at the White House during a tense state dinner with Australia. In the midst of the lavish event—featuring a performance by a sparkly Kylie Minogue—chief usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito, of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame) is found dead in the third-floor game room.

Enter Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black), a consulting detective for the Metropolitan Police and eccentric bird enthusiast (is there any other kind?) tasked with investigating the murder. Turns out there are plenty of people in the household staff with violent grudges against Wynter, from free-spirited butler Sheila (Edwina Findley) to aggrieved pastry chef Didier (Bronson Pinchot). Al Franken also has a supporting role as a senator leading the hearing inquiry into the murder. (A real stretch for him, to be sure.)

Courtesy of Jessica Brooks/Netflix

I like to imagine the elevator pitch for this was something like “Clue meets The West Wing, with a side of Downton Abbey.” The eight-episode series is very loosely inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House, by Kate Anderson Brower (who also happens to be a Contrarian contributor). And while it clearly deviates from the source material and is consciously over-the-top in a very Rhimesian way, The Residence does manage to paint a fascinating portrait of life inside the White House, complete with elaborate sets and detailed production. It also humorously explores the tensions that can emerge between the residence staff, many of whom have worked at the White House for decades, though the administrations change every few years (may it remain that way).

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Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest, 1977-2015 (HBO/Max)

At a moment when the Trump administration is waging war against DEI and attempting to erase the contributions of Black Americans from the historical record, Eyes on the Prize III is essential viewing. The six-episode series, which arrived last month on HBO, is the third installment of the landmark civil rights documentary which first aired on PBS in 1987. Created by Henry Hampton and narrated by the late Julian Bond, Part 1 covered the decade that began with the murder of Emmett Till and culminated with the triumphant passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1965. Part 2, released in 1990, followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the rise of the Black Power movement, and battles over school busing in the 1970s. Arriving 35 years later, Part 3 chronicles the ongoing fight for civil rights, with episodes looking at affirmative action, environmental justice, housing and healthcare disparities, the destructive impact of the War on Drugs, and the Million Man March.

Courtesy of HBO

The final installment, which focuses on Barack Obama’s presidency and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement—ends just before Trump’s election in 2016, a potent reminder that the fight is ongoing. (For those who want to start from the beginning, Part 1, which was hard to find for years, is now available to rent on Apple, and to stream via sources including Kanopy.com, which is free with a library card. Because of licensing issues, Part 2 remains difficult to find outside of libraries or school settings.)

Meredith Blake is the Culture Columnist for The Contrarian

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Contrarians, please leave any recommendations for the community in the comments!