Ted Danson has been a part of several of the best sitcoms of all time over the decades as the star of Cheers and The Good Place and a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. For his latest project, he’ll incorporate a true story into those laughs with A Man on the Inside, a Netflix new release that’s available to stream now. The series is based on the Oscar-nominated documentary The Mole Agent, and critics are weighing in after watching the eight-episode show ahead of its release.
A Man on the Inside centers around Charles (Ted Danson), a widower who is hired to go undercover at a retirement home to investigate some possible wrongdoings. Coming from Michael Schur, the creator of gems like The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Amber Dowling of The Wrap says fans may not be expecting how well the show sits in its moments of silence and tackles life’s biggest questions. Danson is more than up to the task, the critic says, writing:
It’s Danson who truly shines, bringing genuine warmth and earnestness to the role of Charles in only the way Ted Danson can. It’s no wonder the role was developed and written with him in mind. Charles, an architect nerd and professor, cares deeply about the residents he befriends and carries an infectious enthusiasm for becoming an investigator. At the same time, he is grieving his wife and her final days dealing with dementia, a subject the show handles with absolute care.
Meredith Hobbs Coons of AV Club grades the upcoming 2024 TV series a B, calling it a sweet show that emphasizes its heart more than its punchlines. With a stellar cast to tell these emotional stories, A Man on the Inside is a winner that’s bound to make you cry. The critic continues:
As the culture at large remains divided and more than a little mean, the appetite for heart-warmers like AMOTI isn’t getting quelled anytime soon. And sitcoms for the septuagenarian set can provide a rich landscape of emotions and side stories to explore. A Man On The Inside works because it balances its resonant, evergreen themes related to companionship and aging with measured doses of humor and, indeed, plenty of charm.
Aramide Tinubu of Variety agrees that Ted Danson is delightful in the new comedy, calling AMOTI a “charming and hilarious whodunit that examines grief, love and the excitement of new beginnings from the perspective of seniors.” More from Tinubu:
A Man on the Inside is perfect television… Not only is [it] stuffed full of feel-good and laugh-out-loud bits, including a fist fight, several very eventful happy hours and some truly chaotic moments involving Charles’ nonchalant grandsons, but the show actually works as a true mystery. There is an array of potential suspects among the staff and residents of Pacific View, and just when Charles and Julie think they’ve uncovered a lead, things shift, taking the case in a brand new direction.
Daniel Fienberg of THR says whether you’re laughing or crying at A Man on the Inside, the emotion feels earned, with its great cast expertly walking the line between humor and heart while handling issues of aging, dementia and illness with seriousness and respect. Fienberg writes:
Probably 90 percent of the time, A Man on the Inside isn’t laughing at its characters, or at least not for reasons related to their advanced age. It almost never feels condescending and it never feels cruel. This isn’t at all surprising, because if anything characterizes Mike Schur’s worldview, it’s a generosity of spirit towards nearly everybody other than Councilman Jeremy Jamm.
A Man on the Inside sounds like another win for Ted Danson, though some may not have expected a project between him and creator Mike Schur to carry such emotion, especially in just eight 30-minute episodes. If these reviews have inspired you to check this show out, the entire first season is available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.
