Jaffar Mahmood

In The Residence (2025), the investigation keeps stopping to explain itself or make room for another joke. Jaffar Mahmood and fellow director Liza Johnson favour a hectic comic manner, even when simply following a clue would be enough. We grew impatient with the interruptions because Uzo Aduba's detective had already earned our attention. This is a lively but uneven whodunnit, and Mahmood's direction helps make it so.

Mahmood wrote, directed and produced his debut feature, Shades of Ray (2008), addressing South Asian-American identity. His move into television directing in the mid-2010s led to dozens of comedy episodes. On Young Sheldon, where he directed repeatedly between 2017 and 2023, he also took producing roles. There is useful skill in keeping familiar characters recognisable while allowing actors some freedom within a settled programme. That care makes him a sensible fit for continuing comedies, though it tells us less about what he might do with another feature.

The Backstreet Boys lineup in Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a more conspicuous example of his work with a comic set piece. His move into hour-long series includes The Great (2023), and he directed four episodes of The Residence. The latter asks him to manage a large ensemble while keeping the investigation clear. A mystery also needs stretches when the audience can consider a clue without being hurried towards the next joke.

Davies's plotting is responsible for much of the trouble, adding complications faster than interest; it would be unfair to blame the directors for every delay. The shifts between timelines sometimes improve the guessing, and Aduba gives the programme a firm reason to keep watching. Too often, though, Mahmood and Johnson's comedy makes the questioning feel less important than whatever might interrupt it. We would welcome another mystery from him, provided he lets the detective get on with it.