Why are you always in a club?
Main Cast: Ted Danson, Lilah Richcreek Estrada
Creator: Michael Shur
Season 1
You know, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cheers back in the day. It was fine, but I liked the supporting cast far better than leads Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Flash forward a bunch of decades and Ted Danson has aged like a fine wine, getting better with every show.
His latest outing, A Man on the Inside, proves that he remains at the top of his game. This Netflix series is loosely based on the Oscar nominated Chilean documentary The Mole Agent.
Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a retired college professor. He lives alone in the house he shared with his late wife and his life is pretty quiet. His daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) is worried about him and encourages him to try something new and meet some new people.
Charles does exactly that. He answers an ad for an undercover private investigator and lands the job. Not what Emily had in mind, but Charles is giddy about his new gig. A Man on the Inside takes us into a retirement community where a theft has taken place.
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There are so many great things about this show, but the greatest is Danson’s ability to walk the razor edge of funny and poignant. Charles is a meticulous, intelligent man, still grieving his wife. He is also thrilled with this exciting new adventure, for which he is not at all prepared or qualified. Danson gives us a whole person – at once silly, lonely, gregarious, and deeply empathetic to the indignities of aging visited upon some of his new friends.
Created by Michael Shur, who has had a hand in some great TV in his career including The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, and Hacks, A Man on the Inside leans hard into its wonderful supporting cast. Sally Struthers, Margaret Avery, John Getz, Susan Ruttan, Veronica Cartwright, Clyde Kusatsu, Lori Tan Chinn, and Stephen McKinley Henderson bring their decades of experience in film and television to every scene. Their clear joy in this production elevates the entire experience.
The mystery itself, the theft that Charles is investigating, gets him in the door and leads to some excellent shenanigans, particularly with technology. Charles’ relationship with his straightforward boss Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) gives us insight into his character and the investigation gives the meat of the story a raison d’etre. It is not terribly interesting by itself, but without it we have no frame on which to hang the far more engaging stories within the community.
Overall, A Man on the Inside is delightful from beginning to end. I don’t know anyone, of any age, who hasn’t enjoyed every episode. In many ways it’s comfort content, like Ted Lasso. We step into this wonderful world, in a San Francisco that’s both familiar and a fairy tale, and fall in love with the people who live there. Netflix has renewed A Man on the Inside for a second season and I can’t wait to see where they take Charles next.
Season 2
When I heard that season two of A Man on the Inside was taking place on a college campus, I hoped to see Charles as a fish out of water with students. While we do get some of that, the season mostly involves the faculty and administrators of Wheeler College.
Someone has stolen the laptop of the school’s president and is leveraging the contents to stop a massive contribution from a problematic billionaire. Charles and Julie are hired to find the thief so the donation can proceed.
The case is more interesting this time around, with more moving parts and potentially perilous outcomes. But, as in season one, the best part is watching Charles make new friends (and a few enemies).
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Standouts in season two are David Strathairn as a bristly English professor, Jill Talley as the Wheeler College provost, Constance Marie as Julie’s mother, and of course, Mary Steenburgen as a free-spirited professor of music.
Steenburgen and Danson have the easy chemistry of a long-married couple, making it fun to watch as they step into their characters. But I didn’t love the character of Mona. Through no fault of the actors, her quirkiness felt over-the-top and forced. A caricature rather than a character.
But everyone else? Loved them all. I was so happy to see Calbert (Stephen McKinley Henderson), Virginia (Sally Struthers), Elliott (John Getz), and Didi (Stephanie Beatriz) from Pacific View Retirement Community return.
Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), her husband Joel (Eugene Cordero) and their three teenagers, along with PI Julie (Lila Richcreek Estrada) continue to grow and their characters gain a lot of depth this season. Emily and Joel dealing with their teen boys is particularly fun.
Our bad guy this season is billionaire Brad Vinick, played with much glee by Gary Cole. He perfectly embodies the 21st century tycoon—full of entitled arrogance covering up buffoonish incompetence.
Season two of A Man on the Inside is every bit as delightful as season one. Aside from the overly-broad sketch of Mona’s character (that I think they can rein in if she’s back in future seasons) the entire ensemble worked together beautifully. This series really capitalizes on Ted Danson’s singular combination of charm and comic timing.
I also love that it taps into the culture of aging and navigating its many challenges. There is a huge audience for entertainment that doesn’t center exclusively on youth. Everyone involved in A Man on the Inside seems intent on widening the focus rather than shifting it entirely and succeeds in leaving nobody by the wayside.
As of late January 2026, Netflix has not announced whether A Man on the Inside will return for a third season. I really hope they don’t make the mistake of canceling one of their very few outstanding comedies.
Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills. TV and indie movies are her jam.
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