SHONDALAND

Former Senator Al Franken Will Play a Senator on TV

The long-time “SNL” writer was ousted from the real-life Senate in 2017 after facing allegations of sexual harassment.

Former U.S. Senator Al Franken will don that title once again, but this time on the small screen, according to Deadline. Franken has been cast to play fictional Washington State Senator Aaron Filkins on Netflix's The Residence, a mystery-drama series about a murder involving White House staff members from writer Paul William Davies and executive producer Shonda Rhimes. The long-time SNL writer was ousted from the real-life Senate in 2017 after facing allegations of sexual harassment. In 2023, Franken was one of a slate of guest hosts on The Daily Show, and also guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2022. Netflix has also announced that Giancarlo Esposito will also join the cast of The Residence to replace Andre Braugher, who passed away in December.