In the second season of A Man on the Inside, Ted Danson’s character Charles finds himself investigating a blackmail case at a college.Supplied
Part of the appeal of A Man on the Inside, last year’s Netflix entry from Michael Schur starring Ted Danson, was that it explored life in the golden years. The eight-episode series was based on a Chilean documentary called The Mole Agent, in which an octogenarian goes undercover in an elderly care facility to solve a theft.
The scripted series followed the same premise and was a showcase piece for Danson as Charles, a former professor who had lost purpose after the death of his wife. In becoming employed and meeting new people his age, he carved out new life for himself. He realized that just because the older years didn’t look how he’d pictured, that didn’t mean they weren’t worth living. In connecting those dots he also reconnected with his daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) and his grandchildren.
Why Blue Lights is the best cop show on BritBox
Aside from Danson’s appeal, the first season showcased beautiful San Francisco backdrops and an array of guest stars who added colour and charm. Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright, John Getz and others delivered understated but funny performances that added heart. The real star was Stephanie Beatriz as Didi, the head of the elderly centre, who added another layer of relatability as she cared for her clients, fought for budgets and compartmentalized the various facets of her life to excel at her job. If you haven’t checked out the sixth episode, it’s a beautiful love letter to caretakers that may bring you to tears, and Beatriz’s performance is why.
That magic is lost in the series’ second season, which swaps the nursing home backdrop for Wheeler College, Emily’s alma mater. Danson returns as Charles, who has grown bored with run-of-the-mill spy cases and wants something bigger to sink his teeth into. So when the college hires Charles’s boss, Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), to solve a blackmail case, she asks her elderly employee to go undercover as the new professor.
From there a lineup of new characters emerges, including Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, as Mona Margadoff, Charles’s new love interest. Gary Cole, Max Greenfield, Michaela Conlin and David Strathairn all orbit the case as well. Unfortunately, despite the star power, this group brings a different energy and tone to the series, transforming it from endearing and hopeful to something less special and more contrived.
Charles’s boss Julie, played by Lilah Richcreek Estrada, asks him to go undercover at the college as a professor.Supplied
There are plenty of whodunnits out there, and frankly they do it better. Only Murders in the Building also features older men who ooze character, the Knives Out series has successfully carved a colourful universe in the genre, and there are oodles of British offerings with more compelling cases.
Meanwhile, most of the characters at Wheeler are entitled or live in that college bubble those who never left school float in, so the stakes feel low. It’s hard to care about blackmail when each character is less likeable than the last. The show asks viewers to root for those who are struggling financially to keep the school (and therefore liberal arts) alive, but other than some quick scenes with students, the narrative sticks to the admins and never really offers a glimpse of what these people are fighting for.
As for Charles, he no longer feels like the fish-out-of-water spy who was so endearing in Season 1. He’s been doing this for a while when the show returns, which means he’s gotten better at it and those moments of messing up are no longer innocent or funny. They’re just frustrating, because at this point he should know better. The character’s sheer joy at recording musings for Julie to later review or concocting wild plans for a mission were part of the appeal. Now he’s too seasoned to care, which takes away from the fun.
Danson’s real-life wife Mary Steenburgen joins for the second season as his love interest, Mona Margadoff.Supplied
There is something to be said about a mystery that isn’t centred on murder, and when it can A Man on the Inside continues its warm and fuzzy tone. Danson is still the debonair lead he’s always been, but his place in this fictional world no longer feels organic. Characters from the retirement community return in awkward ways and often feel out of place among the liberal arts members of the college community.
Elsewhere, the series veers into new territory with the introduction of Vanessa (Constance Marie), whom Julie has been using to help solve cases for years. Turns out Vanessa is Julie’s estranged mother, and Julie only maintains a professional relationship with her owing to Vanessa’s criminal past. That connection becomes the main emotional thread in Season 2 as the women work to repair it, but by the end the resolutions feel rushed and unearned.
There’s also a missed opportunity to criticize the connection between funding and arts. If the show had dug into the actual issues it could have transformed the season into a modern conversation. Instead, A Man on the Inside continues to play it safe by staying on the surface and leaning into quirky comedic moments that feel fabricated for the sake of a quick laugh.
Sure, these next eight episodes are still earnest and easy-to-digest, but by stripping away everything that made this show so special in Season 1, A Man on the Inside is also forgettable.