Below are spoilers for the first few episodes of A Man on the Inside on Netflix. If you still need to catch up with the series, you can check out all eight episodes with a Netflix subscription right now.
The 2024 Netflix schedule has gifted us plenty of new shows this year, but one of my personal favorites has been A Man on the Inside, the latest series from Michael Schur, and one particular scene between star Ted Danson and co-star Susan Ruttan had me sobbing for several minutes . Thankfully, I was able to speak to Danson, who told me the heartfelt story behind that moment in Episode 5
A Man on the Inside is based on the documentary The Mole Agent and follows an elderly man who takes on an investigative job to find out who stole a priceless necklace in a retirement community. While there, he meets Gladys, one of the residents who is suffering from early dementia and slowly regressing more with each passing day.
In Episode 5 of the series, Charles and Gladys have several scenes together, which is poignant since Charles' wife passed from the same disease. When I had the chance to speak to Danson about this episode and the story behind filming these scenes and if he was prepared for something like this, he openly admitted that he had experience with a family member who suffered the same disease:
My father had early Alzheimer's, but everybody's experience with that is different.
He went on to tell me that while he did have that experience, it was working with Rattan that made that episode all the more remarkable, especially the scene where Gladys becomes frightened because she can't recall where she is:
What I'll say about filming that though was Susan Ruttan, who's the actor who played that part, is such a fine actor. And she had to be so real in every moment because if she hadn't been, the audience would've gone, 'Oh, you lost me. I don't believe it. And shame on you for using such a sad illness.' They would've felt manipulated. She was real; it was just like being sucked into the situation as an actor. I didn't have to act. I just had to be with Susan Ruttan.
A Man on the Inside is a certified win for Schur and Danson, and it's currently topping Netflix's TV charts. The creator himself has said how passionate he is about A Man on the Inside; they would love to do a Season 2 that furthers Charles' story of being the ultimate (if not a bit clumsy) spy.
Really, from speaking with Danson, the show isn't just about espionage (even if it is one of the best spy TV shows right now) or the thrill of it – it's about finding family when it feels like you've lost so much in your life, which is the beauty of the community at the retirement home Charles stakes out in. Gladys was just one of those many people that made a lasting impact on the character, and on me and the audience too.
Since Charles will most likely be in a new place on a new mission, I doubt we will see Gladys again—it won't be like The Good Place cast, where we see the same people every season. Even so, I'm okay with that.
Hearing the story behind Danson and Ruttan's filming made those scenes that much more special, and it just made me love the show even more, and I'm exciting for any emotional directions it takes me in next.
