I was just saying how much I resent shows that are too much into their own earnestness, so it may seem strange that I am now recommending a show as sweet as this, but hear me out.
A Man on the Inside stars Ted Danson as Charles, a widower whose daughter worries is lonely and doesn’t know what to do with himself, so she encourages him to take up a hobby. Following her advice, Charles answers an ad in a newspaper from a private investigator who is looking for someone willing to infiltrate a senior living community to help find out who has been stealing things from residents. The investigation becomes much more than Charles expected as he not only realizes he’s having a lot of fun and is really good at being an undercover investigator, but he ends up really caring about the people who work and live there. What’s going to happen if they find out he’s been lying to them? What’s going to happen when it’s time for him to leave? Will he ever actually find out who’s been committing the crimes? Does any of that even matter when a show is this well written and Ted Danson has truly never been better?
You can’t let this one slip you by. You owe it to yourself, A Man on the Inside is that warm cup of cocoa you crave before bed. It’s one of those rare good things in the world that we should all be grateful exists. Credit to creator extraordinaire Michael Schur, who also created The Good Place and co-created Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine for giving us another warm blanket of a television show that is funny, warm, clever, sweet and smart—and knows when just the right amount of earnestness is enough.
You will fly through these eight half-hour episodes, so savor them. A second season is coming though, thank goodness. Until then, revel in the goodness that is A Man on the Inside. And yes, make sure your Mom and Dad are watching, too.
The first season of A Man on the Inside is streaming on Netflix. It has been renewed for a second season.