Less than one week after its release on Netflix, Mike Schur‘s newest sitcom, A Man on the Inside, is taking the streaming platform by storm. The show is based on the 2020 documentary The Mole Agent. It follows Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson), a retired widower whose daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), is worried about how isolated he’s become. When Emily encourages Charles to get a new job or hobby, Charles decides to pursue an unlikely job offer that he finds in the newspaper. A private investigator, Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), is looking for a man between the ages of 75-85 to go undercover at a retirement community, and Charles is just the guy for the job.
Over the course of eight episodes, A Man on the Inside shows Charles going undercover at Pacific View Retiring Community to figure out what happened to a resident’s missing necklace. During this time, he becomes friends with many of his fellow residents, tries new activities, and becomes in touch with his emotions again for the first time in a long time. Charles performs a speech at his friend’s funeral, and he has a heart-to-heart with his daughter about his wife’s final days. It is a beautiful emotional journey for this character as he builds new connections and strengthens old ones, a far cry from what you’d expect from a show about a man going undercover. However, one of the best parts of the show is Charles’ friendship with his fellow resident, Calbert Graham (Stephen McKinley Henderson).
Charles’ Friendship with Calbert is A Highlight of ‘A Man on the Inside’
As Charles spends more time at Pacific View Retirement Community, Julie warns him not to get too close to anyone there, because it detracts from his job. Additionally, there is the risk that any person there could be the person who stole the necklace. In spite of this, Charles makes a number of connections. The closest of these, by far, is his friendship with Calbert. Calbert is Charles’ best friend there, and they both confide in each other and do the assigned activities together. This leads to the best episode of the show, “From Russian Hill with Love.” The season’s penultimate episode starts with the investigation hitting a wall before leading to a delightful adventure for Charles and Calbert.
When it looks like the case will never get solved, Julie tells Charles that she will pull the plug on the operation the next day. With just one day left, Charles decides to spend his remaining time having a day out with Calbert around San Francisco. It is a beautiful and touching episode with moments of sharp humor as Charles and Calbert ride the ferry, go to a baseball game, visit the Golden Gate Bridge, and visit the Redwood Forest. At the end of the day, they go out for a nice dinner at what was Charles’ favorite restaurant to go to with his late wife, Victoria.
‘A Man on the Inside’ Subverts Comedy Tropes With Its Relationships
Most comedies have a central romantic relationship, and it was clear how A Man on the Inside could have fit into this mold. Charles could have had a love interest at Pacific View whom he fell in love with, and who felt betrayed when his identity was revealed. A Man on the Inside doesn’t do this, though, and it is very refreshing. While there are romantic subplots among some of the supporting characters, the show centers its platonic relationships. Charles has valuable developments in his new friendships and his relationship with his daughter throughout the season.
In only the second episode of the show, Charles rejects a potential love interest due to his feelings for his late wife. Instead, he makes close friendships. Calbert is the person that Charles grows closest to in his time at Pacific View, which leads him to put more effort into all of his relationships. On Charles and Calbert’s day out in San Francisco, they open up to each other about their late wives, their careers and hobbies, and their relationships with their children. Charles gives Calbert the courage to stand up to his son, and Calbert encourages Charles to open up to his daughter.
After Charles is revealed as a mole, Calbert is the most hurt above everyone else. After Charles leaves, Didi (Stephanie Beatriz) tells Calbert that he convinced her to stay by talking about how lonely he was before the friendships he made at Pacific View. Charles and Calbert have a sweet reunion, and Calbert even brings Charles as his date to Ginny (Sally Struther s) and Elliot’s (John Getz) wedding. Charles and Calbert’s friendship is centered throughout the season, and it is one of the highlights of A Man on the Inside.
A Man on the Inside is available to stream on Netflix.
