Plot: Retired professor Charles feels life has nothing new in store for him. A year after his wife’s passing, he’s become stuck in his routine and grown distant from his daughter Emily. But when he spies a classified ad from private investigator Julie, he’s inspired to roll the dice on a new adventure. Charles’ mission: to go undercover inside the Pacific View Retirement Home in San Francisco and solve the mystery of a stolen family heirloom.
Review: Michael Schur’s track record should speak for itself. After writing memorable episodes of The Office, Schur went on to co-create both Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and created the brilliant The Good Place. Ted Danson, who starred in The Good Place, has reunited with Schur for the new series A Man On The Inside, which mines similar comedic elements for a shorter, more focused series that blends humor and mystery into a heartfelt story of what the lives of senior citizens are like. Inspired by a true story, A Man On The Inside is a sweet and funny series with a solid ensemble embarking on a unique whodunit that is enjoyable for all ages.
Ted Danson leads the series as Charles, a retired professor of engineering who putters around his home after the passing of his wife a year earlier. He has a strained relationship with his daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), who suggests that her father find a hobby to fill his days. Charles answers a want ad placed by private investigator Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), who is trying to figure out who stole a necklace in a retirement community. Charles goes undercover as a new resident in the community to investigate, which sets up all sorts of hijinks and scenarios. Over the course of the eight-episode series, Charles eliminates some suspects while uncovering others as he tries to solve the crime without exposing his true identity. This involves the septuagenarian struggling to keep a low profile despite the high school-esque atmosphere of the old folks home.
Each half-hour episode poses a new wrinkle, clue, or red herring as Charles tries to befriend various residents, including women pursuing him romantically like Virginia (Sally Struthers), threatened competition like Elliott (John Getz), and an unassuming new friend like Calbert (Stephen McKinley Henderson). Charles must also try to keep in the good graces of Didi (Stephanie Beatriz), the kind facility manager. As Charles’ investigation runs into potential suspects ranging from residents to staff, he must also try to keep his relationship with Emily strong as she contends with her own family struggles at home with her husband Joel (Eugene Cordero) and their three teenage sons. What starts as a distraction for Charles from his own lonely life as a widower soon turns into happiness and joy at being surrounded by other people looking for the same things in life that he is. That also means there is an opportunity for some fun when he realizes how people his age still get frisky, drink heavily, and do some drugs as well.
Ted Danson has long played a much different kind of leading man, returning to his days on Cheers and in films like Three Men and a Baby. Over the last decade, Danson has expanded his comedic talents in both The Good Place and as a fictionalized version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Embracing his age and his white hair, Danson is a sympathetic and likable lead. He is something of a nerd having fun playing spy, which makes for some wholesome humor throughout A Man On The Inside. There are supporting performances from Mike Schur’s prior cast, including Stephanie Beatriz, who plays a far different role than she did on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. There is also a brief appearance by D’Arcy Carden and some other fun connections to Schur’s earlier series. So much of this show benefits from the older cast, which you will likely have seen many times before in supporting roles, like Margaret Avery, Susan Ruttan, Lori Tan Chinn, and Clyde Kusatsu.
Mike Schur wrote and directed several episodes of A Man On The Inside based on the documentary The Mole Agent. That film, directed by Maite Alberdi, was nominated for an Academy Award when it was released in 2020 when Schur was given the idea to adapt the film as a series by Morgan Sackett. Sackett directed multiple episodes of A Man On The Inside, which has a lot of fun with the concept. Airing on Netflix, the series does not need to abide by network television restrictions but still manages to keep things pretty clean. The series’ aesthetic is bright and glossy, like The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but also shares some of the slightly darker humor of Only Murders In The Building, another series about seniors playing amateur sleuths. What sets this series apart from the Hulu show is its brighter tone and heart, which is not about death despite being with a cast all in the later years of their lives.
A Man On The Inside will not raise the bar for small-screen comedy, but it has a strong sense of humor and a solid heart. The series made me smile constantly at the sweet characters, even if none of the humor really delivers anything we have not seen before. Ted Danson, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Stephanie Beatriz, and the entire ensemble brought this story to life, making me grin. Nothing will blow people away about this show, nor does it stand out like Schur’s prior shows, but A Man On The Inside is a feel-good show with feel-good characters that is an enjoyable and quick binge. I look forward to returning to this series for a second season and more.
A Man On The Inside premieres on November 21st on Netflix.