Every week, Netflix unveils its Top 10 lists for the week prior, ranking its most-viewed TV shows and movies. It was no big shock to learn that one of the widely-streamed titles on the service the week of March 17-23is the star-studded murder mystery, The Residence, in which Uzo Aduba plays a detective investigating a murder at the White House. What you may not realize, however, is that one of its original stars was replaced mid-production following his unexpected death. Andre Braugher, the actor best known for his work on shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, was originally cast as White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter, but due to Braugher’s death from lung cancer in 2023, his role was recast.
Braugher filmed several episodes of the show before his death, resulting in Giancarlo Esposito taking over the role. At the end of the show’s final episode, the Shondaland series honors Braugher’s contributions with a card reading, «In memory of Andre Braugher.» Several cast and crew members have also spoken about the loss of the actor, including Esposito, who said, «I honor him completely in my performance because I knew him. I worked with him on Homicide: Life on the Street, and we started in New York theater wayback when.» Esposito also added that he hopes his performance honors Braugher’s legacy: «I realized all I have to do is hold his spirit inside me and do the bestjob that I could do as an actor, without forgetting the legendary iconthat he was.»
The Residence isn’t the only massive hit this week to have recast a major role. The White Lotus, which currently sits at No. 1 on Max’s most-watched shows list, also replaced an actor in a key role after production had already begun in 2024. The role of Chloe was originally played by Francesca Corney, but in March 2024 — at least a month into filming the show’s third season — Corney was replaced by Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon. When news of the casting change was announced, Deadline reported that, although HBO made no official comment, there was speculation that «the producers felt they needed someone who played older.» Le Bon is six years older than Corney, and the role positions her as the younger girlfriend of Gary (aka Greg), played by Jon Gries — and the much older fling of the Ratliff brothers. Casting changes are nothing new in Hollywood, especially ones like this, where actors are switched out for reasons that only become clear once production has begun. Still, I can’t help but assume that Chloe’s storyline would be interpreted differently by someone else, potentially shifting the vibe.
It’s impossible, even unfair, to try and compare what a character could have been like in the hands of another actor, especially when you consider the circumstances of a show like The Residence. But if there’s any comfort to be found as a fan, at least we can look back on some of Braugher’s past work and be reminded that, even though he’s not on our screen right now, he left behind a trove of great performances to remind us of what he was capable of.
