Deon Cole hosts the 57th NAACP Image Awards on February 28th. Photo: Paramount+.
Preview:
‘Sinners’ took home the big prizes at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.
‘Paradise’ and Cynthia Erivo were also among the winners.
The event took place Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Following the difficult, insulting moments of this year’s BAFTA Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Deon Cole, which took place Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, were a chance to balance things out.
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And Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ proved to be the big winner, going home with 13 awards following a nomination count of 18. Star Michael B. Jordan himself won both a Best Actor award and was honored with Entertainer of the Year.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, with NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson honoring the late civil rights activist, whose family was in attendance at the ceremony.
With its unusual central sleuth, a lot of frustrated potential suspects and a (mostly) one-location setting, this new series still manages to avoid coming across like a bad copy of the ‘Only Murders’ format.
Here, creator/showrunner Paul William Davies (no stranger to White House affairs after working on Rhimes-birthed crisis management thriller series ‘Scandal’) mixes a crafty, funny mix of his own personal favorite mystery writers (the episode titles all nod to classic mystery books or movies) with the intriguing inner workings of the most famous address in America, since he also drew from Kate Andersen Brower’s book ‘The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.’
It’s a combo that works really well –– the scurrilous world of behind-the-scenes drama during a State dinner for Australia is a fantastic backdrop for a teasing conundrum.
The key to any good mystery –– whether it’s supposed to be funny or not –– is a carefully constructed script with enough red herrings to throw you off the scent of the final truth at the heart of the matter.
Here, Williams and his writing staff concocted the twisted story of White House chief usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito), who rules efficiently and smoothly, but can’t abide personal drama. When he shows up dead on an upper floor of the residence at the White House, some within the building want it written off as a suicide, while others are convinced it was murder.
Naturally, that calls for a detective to be brought in, and ‘The Residence’s creative team have made one for the ages in Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, a dedicated ornithologist who just so happens to have a genius brain for ferretting out the answers to mysteries.
But it’s not just the Cordelia Cupp show, the scripts weave and wander around the residence, replaying moments in time from different angles and creating a solid group of characters to tell the story. And while a lot of the series takes place within the title location, there is also a hearing happening to break things up.
Directorially, Liza Johnson and her team bring an interesting style to the show, which sweeps through a version of the White House, and perfectly complements the story.
Uzo Aduba is delightful as Cordelia Cupp, a consulting detective in the Sherlock Holmes mold, who is brought in by befuddled authorities to crack the case.
Aduba is a natural at this sort of quirky comedy, and the character she brings to life is effortlessly entertaining, whether she’s interrogating suspects, confounding those who perceive themselves superior to her or tracking down a rare bird she wants to cross off her spotting list.
Her mismatched buddy comedy chemistry with Randall Park’s FBI agent Edwin Park is one of the best elements of the series –– they’re on the same mission, but they rarely agree on how to go about it, and Park’s deadpan energy syncs well with Aduba’s.
Giancarlo Esposito faced his own challenge coming into the show, as he inherited the role of chief usher Wynter from Andre Braugher. While Braugher had briefly played the part before the 2023 WGA strike shut down production, he died before filming could resume, leading to Esposito (who, coincidentally, replaced him years ago on ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ before they co-starred in the follow-up TV movie to the show) stepping in.
Wynter might seem like a character Esposito has become very known for playing –– icy, analytical and quietly arrogant, but he proves to be a refreshing change from that mode, with some more layers (even if his death kicks off the central mystery).
Of the considerable supporting cast, highlights include Al Franken, playing the senator leading the hearing into the investigation, the ever-reliable Eliza Coupe who steals scenes as Senator Bix, who is eager to get to the truth of the matter, and Mel Rodriguez, playing Bruce Geller, the chief engineer who had no great love for Wynter, but does fall for another member of the household staff.
Jason Lee is good value as Tripp Morgan, the President’s scruffy, lazy, salt-obsessed and light-fingered brother, bringing just the right level of sibling rivalry to the show, while Jane Curtin makes a meal of the role as the President’s mother-in-law who loves a drink, but hates noise.
Oh, and kudos to pop legend Kylie Minogue for being so game to make fun of herself in a couple of episodes.
With its quirky score and offbeat central figure, you could effectively call this ‘Only Murders in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’ (yes, yes, we know… the residence is part of the White House proper, just go with it.)
This latest Shondaland offering has a solid cast, a great mystery and a watchable story that keeps you guessing.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Residence’?
Set in “upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs” of the White House, Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises in order to solve a murder which happened during a state dinner. During the investigation, interpersonal conflicts between 157 personnel of the residence start to unfold.
