One of Netflix’s newest comedy shows, A Man On The Inside was released last month, created by the same people who made The Good Place, starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. The show already has high ratings, with 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.7 on IMDB, so expectations should be very high because people sing its praises.
The show starts with a retired father, Charles, played by Ted Danson who struggles with meaning after his wife’s death. Eventually, his daughter suggests he finds a hobby or looks for a small job. Taking her advice, he goes through newspapers advertisements and finds an advertisement posted by a private investigator, Julie, played by Lilah Richcreek, looking for men in his demographic. He completes the interview and gets the job, which is to go undercover in a retirement home and try to find a stolen item.
By the second episode, viewers already hooked, because the set up to the story was great, and not only does it have comedy, it also includes a sad story line involving Alzheimer’s , as Charles’ wife passed away from it. The pacing of the story throughout the show was consistent and there was never a scene where I got bored and looked away. I like the mix of comedy but also a sense of realism about how diseases like Alzheimer’s alter families, and themes around giving attention to your parents and visiting them, even if you’re busy. These makes the show more unique and not just a regular comedy show.
The acting was also very good. Ted Danson excels in roles like this. I wasn’t very familiar with the other actors on the show, but they all did a good job. The most notable of the smaller actors to me was the man who played Calbert, Charles best friend in the nursing home, who was played by Stephen McKinley. His character was very well written and played, and their friendship was great to see.
Overall I liked the series. The acting was good, and the plot was well written. The flow is really good and the show also has mixes of comedy, realism and seriousness which makes it complex and more unique to watch rather than straight comedy. Season 2 has been green lit after an immense positive reaction by viewers and will release sometime in 2025 continuing the story.
