Andre Braugher has been hailed as a "wonderful human being" by a star of The Residence with the series honouring him in the final episode.
The latest brainchild of Shonda Rhimes, The Residence, landed on on Thursday, March 20, featuring a narrative centred around Detective Cordelia Cupp (played by Uzo Aduba) who is tasked with solving a murder within the White House.
Joining the star from Orange Is The New Black, The Residence boasts an array of renowned actors including Jason Lee of My Name Is Earl fame, Randall Park from Always Be My Maybe, and pop icon Kylie Minogue appearing as herself.
Initially, Andre Braugher of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame was cast to play the show's victim, chief usher AB Wynter, a role that ultimately went to Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito due to tragic circumstances.
The entertainment world was left reeling with the announcement that Braugher had passed away at 61 from lung cancer, a disease he had only recently been diagnosed with, during the production of the show.
In a poignant homage, The Residence team dedicated the final episode to their beloved colleague, concluding with a title card stating "In Memory of Andre Braugher".
While such tributes are usually presented at the start of a series, creator Paul William Davies made a deliberate choice to place it at the end, making it the series' closing sentiment.
He revealed to Deadline: "There might have been a natural inclination to do that after the first episode, but for me, it was important to do that at the end of the whole series, to say, you were part of all this, and we have not forgotten you."
The Netflix series pays tribute to Braugher in more ways than one, as Davies explained that Cordelia's impactful speech in the finale was penned after his death: "It had meaning to me that way."
Actress Susan Kelechi Watson, who portrays assistant chief usher Jasmine Haney, reflected on the final episode: "In the last episode, it felt almost like a eulogy to Andre when Uzo speaks about AB Wynter.
"I remember that day, it was so special to hear it out loud.
"It was the first time we all got to be in the space and kind of mourn with one another over Andre in this and the special life that he lived."
Watson commented further: "This show, we've been through a lot. There's a lot of joy and a lot of laughter and a lot of fun.
"But we went through some tough things, coming out of Covid, [going] through the writers strike, and then dear Andre transitioned, but in the midst of all that, we were able to find solace in this really fun script that we all really love and enjoy, and we put even more excellence into it for that reason."
The Residence is available to watch on Netflix.