A Man on the Inside premieres November 21 on Netflix.
By Elazar Abrahams
Michael Schur has created some of television’s most beloved comedies like Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, so expectations were high for his latest project, A Man on the Inside. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t come close to recapturing the magic of his previous work, instead offering a half-hearted dramedy that’s neither funny enough to be a good comedy, nor gripping enough to be a decent drama. Despite a cast of all-stars led by Ted Danson and a clever premise ripped from the documentary The Mole Agent, the show is largely forgettable. What a shame.
Danson stars as Charles, a retired professor who goes undercover at a San Francisco retirement home at the behest of a detective agency. Danson brings his signature charm and comedic naivety to the role, centering the eight episodes with a fun lead performance. The supporting cast also does their best: Stephanie Beatriz is sharp as the no-nonsense head of the home, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis provides grounded humor as Charles’ exasperated adult daughter. The standout, however, is legendary character actor Stephen McKinley Henderson as Calbert, a resident with a touching arc that adds rare moments of emotional resonance.
Thematically, the show tries to explore aging and community, but its attempts to be heartfelt often fall flat. The case Charles is investigating — a minor mystery involving petty theft — feels so low-stakes that it’s hard to care about the outcome. Perhaps the flimsy setup is just an excuse to explore the retirement home’s dynamics, but while occasionally charming, those tangents lack the focus or depth needed to sustain interest.
The pacing suffers as the show meanders through unimportant subplots, and the humor, which should be an easy win for Schur, lands surprisingly few punches. Without sharp jokes or compelling drama, the series feels wholly skippable. The resolution of the central mystery is as unspectacular as the path taken to get there, leaving the season to fizzle out rather than end on a high note.
With a creative team like the one this show has, the series must be graded on a curve. So A Man on the Inside is not a total disaster, but it’s far from the sharp, awesome comedy fans might be expecting.
I give A Man on the Inside a C.
TV and City 