Our take
Man on the Inside may be a detective show, but at its core, it’s a series about the beauty and pain of aging. It follows recently widowed Charles as he befriends the residents at a nursing home he’s secretly investigating for thievery. Despite himself, Charles opens up, which complicates the case but gives the story all of its heart. Not a lot of shows are willing to sift through the realities of old age, and even when they do they tend to focus (understandably) on the painful aspects of it–death, grief, sickness. Man on the Inside is a welcome reminder that there’s more to it too. There’s the freedom to be who you are, and family and friendships to strengthen. Man on the Inside won’t be the sharpest mystery you’ll see anytime soon, but it just might be one of the most poignant and heartwarming ones you’ll watch. It might also get you to call up an elderly loved one and check in on them, finally.
What it won
Golden Globes
1 nom
SAG Awards
1 nom
The story
A retired professor with a knack for snooping gets a new lease on life when a private investigator recruits him to go undercover and crack a case.
Elsewhere
"It’s a tremendous performance made to look effortless, much like A Man on the Inside is a sage, ambitious new series made to be painlessly, pleasantly enjoyed."
— Ben Travers
"A delightfully pleasant charmer, a comedy that's almost calming as it drops into a tumultuous world."
— Brian Tallerico
Widower Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) checks into a retirement home as an undercover spy looking for a missing necklace. But the more he bonds with the residents, the more complex his initial mission becomes.
While cute, the multiple The Good Place references can be distracting. We get it, he’s The Architect! He hasn’t transformed enough face- and costume-wise for us to forget!
It’s more of a treatise on how to spend your twilight years than it is a gripping mystery, but it’s enjoyable all the same!
The details
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
