A Man on the Inside

I just finished A Man on the Inside and have to say I really enjoyed it. It was much funnier than I expected. The show is about a retired college professor (Ted Danson) who recently lost his wife and is looking for something new in his life. He responds to an add in the paper from a private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) who's looking for someone to go undercover at a San Francisco retirement home to find someone who stole a valuable necklace from one of the residents. It's gotten nothing but great reviews from both critics and the audience, it currently has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you're looking for a fun show to have some laughs and can binge in just a few hours then give this a try. You wont be disappointed.

Writing a review of this show requires familiarity with the context and content. Having three parents dealing with the challenges of assisted living made this more enjoyable and more affecting.

Ted Danson plays an octogenarian widower (Charles) who is struggling with establishing a new routine after the passing of his wife due to dementia related health issues.

Through a series of classic sitcom plot devices, Charles secures a job as an undercover detective in an assisted living facility (what used to be referred to as an 'old folks home') to solve a jewelry theft. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie, is a black and white, anything goes to solve the case, sarcastic foil for Danson's kind hearted and square Charles.

The two are quickly put at odds with the facility's director (well played by Stephanie Beatriz as Didi), Charles' daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) and the various residents and their many goofy issues.

There are several poorly conceived shticks focused around older women being randy that don't fit the rest of the stories, and the outrageously disrespectful (and interchangeable) three teenage sons of Charles's daughter are distracting and throwaway.

The best parts are Charles's slow immersion in his new community with a few social connections with other residents, especially Caleb, played by Stephen McKinley Henderson. Also fun are the dead on jokes and commentary on assisted living and the things that happen there.

The awkward banter between Charles and boss Julie is funny. And while daughter Emily's home life is not all that interesting, it sets up a couple of great scenes between her and Charles in the later episodes.

The wrap up isn't terribly hard to figure out (who stole what, and what will happen to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles's reawakening and acceptance of his wife's death are very worthwhile.

There are some small parts played by old stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright) that might make older viewers smile, but are mostly wasted on nonsense jokes about old people and sex.

All in all I recommend it, especially to viewers in their late forties and older.

**PERSONAL SIDE NOTE **

After four months of encouraging my FIL (he's86) to sign up for Netflix and watch this he finally did. This is a guy who doesn't watch much TV and almost no movies. AND he goes to bed at 6:30. Lost his wife to vascular dementia, retired architect, buttoned down retiree like Danson's character, and a daughter (my wife) who has been the one keeping him together.

We stayed and watched the first episode with him. My wife bet me he'd watch another episode after we left.

At 9:30(!) he texted to say he'd watched FOUR episodes.

The next morning he texted to say he'd watched the last four by 10.

Said he couldn't stop laughing or wiping tears from his eyes.

Thanked us and asked when season two was coming out.

My MIL has been gone for about a month and it was a salve for him to have this series to watch.

Loved it! What I was expected was a comedy full of clichés about somebody going undercover,his crazy antics & so forth.

Instead we get a series about a man that not only helped others,but actually helped himself heal from losing his wife.

This great series wasn't full of cheesy laughs & corny lines,found myself actually emotional during some parts because of the way topics were handled-Like the resident with memory issues.

However it wasn't all serious that made you feel down or bored getting through episodes,it kept the series watch worthy because you wanted to see how it played out-Who did the stealing,etc.

The casting to acting was great,cinematography & locations nicely done.

I really hope they do another season & bring a great mixture of laughs,emotions,script,location plus cast like they did on Charles next detective styled adventures as they did on this one.

A Man on the Inside was so much better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a show aimed for older adults because most of the cast is older, I mean it takes place in a retirement home. I was wrong, this can be enjoyable for people of all ages. Ted Danson continues to add to his already incredible legacy. It seems like everything he does these days is at least worth watching. It also stars the incredibly beautiful Lilah Richcreek Estrada, Stephanie Beatriz, among others. The show just came out last month and has already been renewed for another season, that's how good it's been doing on Netflix. I'm already looking forward to next season.

I'm a big fan on Danson, from Cheers to Becker to Good Place and now here. I have to admit, I hate seeing him get older, but it happens to us all.

The premise and setting didn't seem that interesting at first, probably because I'm half his age. But I'll be darned if these sweet old characters didn't draw me right in.

It's so rare these days to find a good show, and on Netflix of all places. Most seem rushed, or on a bottom of the barrel budget. But not here. The acting, the casting, the writing, the directing...all flawlessly done. I'd recommend it for that reason alone. It keeps you glued to the story, not bored scrolling.

Looking forward to season 2, I just hope it can match half the charm season 1 provides.