In today’s crowded TV landscape, it sometimes feels impossible to pick your next show to binge. Should you stream the latest episode of The Last of Us tonight? Or maybe re-watch a classic episode of 30 Rock. (And yes, 30 Rock is now considered a classic. Time is cruel)
So we’re here to tell you — this month, it should be A Man on the Inside.
Why? Well, for starters, this Ted Danson comedy is a fun, sweet and slightly underrated sitcom that deserves more praise than it has received since it debuted last year on Netflix.
Here are a few more reasons why you should watch it in May or anytime throughout the year.
The Premise Is HilariousBased on a Chilean film called The Mole Agent, Netflix’s A Man on the Inside follows a retired widower named Charles (Danson) who’s struggling to find meaning in his life. His daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) encourages him to get a job, and the one he finds is unlike anything she ever expected. Private investigator Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) hires him to move into a retirement home so they can investigate a recent jewelry theft in the community.
Executive producers Michael Schur and Morgan Sackett are some of TV’s biggest comedy hitmakers working today. After writing on shows like Saturday Night Live and The Office, Schur went on to create The Good Place, Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He and Sackett, an Emmy-winning director, have also been executive producers on shows like HBO’s Hacks. These guys know what they’re doing, and it shows in every minute of this sharp comedy.
The jokes land, the character beats feel genuine and the mystery of the stolen jewelry takes surprising turns you won’t see coming.
It Explores Aging With Unflinching Realism
A Man on the Inside isn’t afraid to tackle the ugly side of aging, like how family members often abandon the elderly or the heartbreaking difficulty of dementia. The emotional depth in this series is keenly felt, especially when Charles is remembering the loss of his wife to Alzheimer’s.
At the same time, A Man on the Inside shows the wacky and fun side of senior living. Pacific View Retirement Community might as well be Degrassi High due to how the residents juggle romantic partners and deal with personal drama. They drink, trash-talk, complain and party. Getting older is no picnic, A Man on the Inside tells us, but it’s also not the end of the world.
The Cast Is StellarIn addition to Danson, A Man on the Inside stars Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Encanto alum Stephanie Beatriz as Didi, the director of the retirement community. Unlike tough-talking detective character Rosa Diaz, Didi exudes warmth and compassion as she works herself to the bone to ensure the happiness of every resident. Beatriz shows off a sweet side we don’t usually get to see, and it’s one of her best performances to date.
The elderly residents of the retirement community are played by fantastic character actors you’ll definitely recognize, even if you don’t know them by name. Sally Struthers (Gilmore Girls), Lori Tan Chinn (Orange Is the New Black) and veteran theater actor Stephen McKinley Henderson play a few of the eccentric and endearing senior citizens at Pacific View, and watching Charles develop his relationships with them is one of the most entertaining parts of the show.
The second season promises even more fantastic performances, since Danson’s real-life wife Mary Steenburgen, New Girl’s Max Greenfield, Gary Cole of NCIS, frequent Schur collaborator Jason Mantzoukas and more were recently announced as part of the season 2 cast. With only eight episodes to stream at around 30 minutes each, Man on the Inside is the perfect show to watch as schools close for the summer season and adults contemplate their vacation plans. So what are you waiting for?
Man on the Inside is streaming on Netflix.
