Ted Danson & Mike Schur Cross Their Fingers For More Cases In Netflix’s ‘A Man On The Inside’ As Duo Reveal Hopes For Season 2

Peter White
·2-min read

In Netflix’s A Man On The Inside, Ted Danson stars as Charles a retired professor who goes undercover in a retirement community to solve the mystery of a resident’s family heirloom that’s disappeared.

Based on the Maite Alberdi’s documentary The Mole Agent, the series, which launches today, could be seen as a limited project, a one and done investigation, but Danson and showrunner Mike Schur are hoping for more cases.

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In the finale episode [SPOILERS ALERT], Danson’s Charles answers his phone from private investigator Julie, played by Lilah Richcreek Estrada. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I have another job for you,” she says.

“Say no more,” replies Charles before hanging up the phone. “Hey, sorry I do need you to say more but whatever it is, I’m in,” he adds as he calls her back.

The setup is designed for a second season. Schur told Deadline, “We’re sort of in a fingers crossed, we’ll that bridge when we come to it, kind of a deal. But I will say that there is no shortage of ideas from me and from other writers about what we might do in a future season. Fingers crossed, we’ll see.”

Danson, literally crossing his fingers, adds, “Dear Lord, yes.”

A Man On The Inside sees Danson’s Charles answer a classified ad from private investigator Julie. Charles’ mission: to go undercover inside the Pacific View Retirement Home in San Francisco and solve the mystery of a stolen family heirloom. Everyone, residents and staff alike, is a potential suspect, and it’s up to Charles to solve the case without landing on the radar of Didi (Stephanie Beatriz), the all-seeing, all-knowing director of Pacific View.

But keeping a low profile proves difficult as the affable Charles quickly endears himself to his fellow residents. Being a ‘man on the inside’ sends Charles on a journey that makes him realize there’s a lot more life left to be had — and allows him to reconnect with his daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) in the process.

The series tackles themes of ageism, loneliness and Alzheimer’s dementia, started after The Good Place and Hacks exec producer Morgan Sackett suggested turning The Mole Agent documentary, which was set in Chile, into a scripted series.

It also stars Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sally Struthers, Eugene Cordero, Margaret Avery, John Getz, Susan Ruttan, Lori Tan Chinn, Clyde Kusatsu, Marc Evan Jackson, Jama Williamson, Wyatt Yang, Deuce Basco, Lincoln Lambert and Kerry O’Malley.

The eight-part series is produced by Universal Television with Schur and Sackett exec producing alongside 3 Arts’ David Miner, Micromundo Producciones’ Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibañez, who were being the Oscar-nominated doc, and Motto Pictures’ Julie Goldman and Christopher Clements, who also produced the doc.

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