Minor spoilers for A Man on the Inside lie ahead. If you still need to catch up on the new series, you can view all eight episodes with a Netflix subscription.
The 2024 TV schedule has been chock full of great new shows this year, and one that you might have heard about is A Man on the Inside. Currently trending high on Netflix and sporting an incredibly talented cast, the Ted Danson-led series is primed to become a hit. When CinemaBlend spoke to creator Michael Schur about why he took on this show, he also revealed if he has plans for a possible Season 2, and he gave me an answer that already has me pumped.
Michael Schur, who also created The Good Place, has produced a show that certainly has plenty of comedy but also deals with more profound issues such as grief, love and loss. Prior to the series' premiere, I had the chance to speak to Schur and discuss what appealed to him about the project, given that he's primarily known for his pure comedic work. Besides a love for the documentary on which the series is based, Schur said that he wanted to do it because it sounded more challenging than anything he'd ever done up to this point:
It appealed to me simply because it was different, I think, and that I love the documentary. But I have tended in my life to come up with ideas or think about doing things. And sometimes I'll have the thought of like, 'Ooh, that sounds hard.' And as soon as I have that thought, I'm like, 'That's why I should do it.' If it's something I've done before, if it's too similar to something else I've worked on, it's like, 'Well, what's the point? I did that already.' This seemed like a different tone and a different set of characters, a different set of themes and ideas. And that's what makes it exciting and fun. That's what's new and interesting about it.
A Man on the Inside is based on an Oscar-nominated documentary called The Mole Agent. It follows a lonely elderly man, who takes on a job as an investigative assistant to track down a missing necklace in a retirement home. While there, he meets several new friends, which sparks a conflict due to the lies he's been telling them as well as his feelings about his mission.
Michael Schur has been in the writers' rooms of some of the best sitcoms of all time, like The Office and Parks and Recreation. However, his latest show definitely marks new territory for him, which seems daunting on the surface. Still, one can understand his desire to try something new and, ultimately, his show manages to balance lighthearted comedy and emotional heft well.
Several of Schur's past collaborators – including the star Ted Danson of the Good Place cast – pull together a series that really takes you on a journey from start to finish but still leaves you wanting more. And, when I asked about a possible Season 2, Schur responded by saying that he pitched this series as a multi-season show. Based on what the EP told me, he seems eager to see that through:
As far as Season 2 goes, we will cross the bridge when we come to it, but we always wanted it to be a show that lasted for many seasons. It wasn't pitched as a one season and out kind of thing. We'll know at some point in the near future whether we get to keep doing it. And I hope we do because it was really fun and really rewarding to do the first season.
Truthfully, as someone who has seen this show, I am so pumped, and absolutely adore how passionate Michael Schur is about the possibility of this series continuing. Critics have called it "perfect television", and I agree with them wholeheartedly. It's heartfelt, compelling and hilarious, and it has a team behind it that truly cares—what more could you want?
Netflix is known for cancelling one-season shows, which is a shame. So you better believe that I'm on my knees praying that A Man on the Inside lives to see another day and avoids facing the axe. And you might want to do the same if you're as eager as me to see a second season in which Charles takes on another investigation.
