Michael Schur’s A Man on the Inside takes us into a retirement home following Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson), a former engineering professor. Charles is a widower living a quiet, retired life and raising his daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). At the beckoning of his concerned daughter, Charles finds an ad in the newspaper for a man ages 75-85 for a PI gig. He shines as a star candidate, and after proving he can handle the most basic pieces of technology, he infiltrates Pacific View’s retirement home to solve the mystery of a stolen necklace.
Right out the gate, the show triggers the waterworks with an eerily dead Charles; the emotional gut punch is effective. From that point on, we watch as Charles goes through the motions and eventually finds his footing as a PI, channeling his inner spy. The show is a gear shift for Danson, who is coming off of a string of sitcoms (The Good Place, Mr. Mayor) playing similarly dressed characters. The man loves a suit.
However, A Man on the Inside taps into the actor’s more emotional side. He plays a grief-stricken man who ultimately suffers from loneliness. Charles is unlike Danson — yet Schur has developed a character that only Danson can play. Charles’ emotions swing from melphalan to giddiness, sadness to joy, and Danson is critical in landing the emotional plane carefully to overthrow the show’s balancing act.
A Man On The Inside’s Cast Is Perfect
The Series Also Balances Humor & The Realities Of Aging
Adapted from the 2022 documentary The Mole Agent, A Man on the Inside offers a bite-sized comedy that aggressively hits the feels and tickles the funny bone. There are several hearty laughs to be had, but the show’s shining accomplishment is being so feel-good without skirting around the sadder realities of aging. The simplicity of the production aids in highlighting the emotional beats without shrouding them in over-the-top antics, exaggerated camera work or bombastic performances.
“The community he finds at Pacific View is something I could revisit every year for as long as feasible. The people, the laughs, and the tears are so worth it”
On the topic of the performances, the ensemble cast is brilliant, featuring familiar faces who shine brightly. What makes the show work is the characters’ lack of artifice. There is a genius in every person, giving off the feeling that everyone is playing a version of themselves because they can relate. The honesty in the performances makes the heartbreaking moments and moments of joy feel so impactful.
Despite the show’s brilliance, it’s hard to see whether the series will have longevity. Despite Grace & Frankie being a Netflix staple, the streamer cannot be trusted to renew anything. On one hand, there is something utterly delightful about Danson fronting a show about an amateur PI in his golden years. The community he finds at Pacific View is something I could revisit every year for as long as feasible. The people, the laughs, and the tears are so worth it.
The Netflix Series Is Less About The Mystery & More About The Heart
A Man on the Inside doesn’t really care about the mystery nor is it treading the Matlock lane per se. Instead, the show is an emotional, affirming tale that tackles the anxiety and fear of growing old and eventually dying, but it does so with laughter. At times, I thought, “wow, this show could not be better timed,” releasing on the heels of Joan’s golden romantic adventure on ABC’s The Golden Bachelorette.
“There are several hearty laughs to be had, but the show’s shining accomplishment is being so feel-good without skirting around the sadder realities of aging”
The warm, fuzzy feelings that surfaced from watching Joan’s batch of men talk about their respective late spouses and express excitement for what’s next in their Golden Years were top of my mind while watching. A Man on the Inside taps into the grief and sadness that comes with outliving partners and aging out of parenthood, but as Charles excitedly tackles the theft case, he gains much-needed perspective about his situation and the reality that loneliness is indeed the number one threat to our elders, something that is preventable.
Schur’s latest is funny, sweet, and engaging. Most importantly, it’s heartwarming. The series nails the delicate balance of having fun with the realities of retirement homes and embracing the bittersweetness. Danson is perfectly equipped to express this delicate balance through his thoughtful and engaging performance.
He shines as he embraces Charles’ general melancholy, but as Charles becomes accustomed to living at Pacific View, Danson becomes increasingly more vibrant. Charles becomes giddy, relaxed, joyful, and fulfilled after such a great loss. It’s funny to think a premise like this could be the foundation for such an emotional showing of support and love for the elderly community, but leave it to Schur to never give us a straight comedy that doesn’t have a ton of heart and care.
