43/29
Remake of El agente topo (2020)
Charles, a retired man, gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a private detective and becomes a mole in a secret investigation into a nursing home. Michael Schur was inspired to create “A Man On the Inside” after watching the Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent.” He says, “The Mole Agent” is powerful because it makes people feel something remarkably similar, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender, and I would describe that feeling in a very reductive way as, “I have to call my mom.” In our show, we tried to do something similar with the tone: Basically, does our show contribute to that feeling of making us want to call our moms? Writing a review of this show requires familiarity with the context and content.
Having three parents dealing with the challenges of assisted living made this more enjoyable and affecting
Ted Danson stars as an octogenarian widower (Charles) struggling to establish a new routine after his wife’s death from dementia-related health issues. In a series of classic sitcom plot devices, Charles lands a job as an undercover detective in an assisted living facility (what used to be called a ‘nursing home’) to solve a jewelry heist. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julia, is a black-and-white, anything-can-solve-the-case, sarcastic snarky Danson’s hearty, square-headed Charles.
There’s also deadpan amusement in the jokes and commentary about assisted living and the things that go on there
The two quickly find themselves at odds with the facility’s director (played well by Stephanie Beatriz as Didi), Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and the various residents and their many mischievous problems. There are several poorly conceived shtick-based old women who are chosen, who don’t fit in with the rest of the story, and the outrageously disrespectful (and interchangeable) three teenage sons of Charles’ daughter are distracting and useful. The best parts are Charles’ slow immersion in his new community with few social connections with other residents, especially Caleb, played by Stephen McKinley Henderson.
There are some small parts
The awkward banter between Charles and the boss Julie is funny. And while daughter Emily’s home life isn’t all that interesting, it does set up some great scenes between her and Charles in later episodes. The conclusion isn’t terribly hard to understand (who stole what, and what’s going to happen to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles’s reawakening and coming to terms with his wife’s death are very worthwhile.
Overall, I recommend it, especially to viewers in their forties and beyond
played by old stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright) who might make older viewers smile, but are mostly wasted on silly jokes about old people and sex.