Michael Schur’s newest project, “A Man on the Inside,” debuted on Netflix on Nov. 21, quickly becoming a huge success. The show surpassed “Arcane: Season 2,” amassing about seven million views within its first week of streaming.
The series, which is loosely based on the award-winning documentary “The Mole Agent,” follows recently retired and widowed Charles (Ted Danson). At the behest of his daughter, who wants him to shake up his routine, Charles responds to an advert in the newspaper from a private investigator, Julie (Lilah Richcreek). Julie is investigating the disappearance of an expensive ruby necklace and tasks Charles with infiltrating the scene of the crime — an old age home — in an attempt to uncover the perpetrator.
The show explores difficult themes of grief, loneliness and the treatment of elderly people at their varying stages of aging. In an interview with Tudum, Schur discussed his motivation for creating the show and how he took the opportunity to explore the often-neglected topic of aging from a heartfelt perspective.
“It struck me as such a good idea to adapt [the documentary] because we just don’t talk about this stuff. It feels painful, and it’s especially hard to talk about it directly with your parents,” Schur told Tudum.
In another Tudum interview, Schur discusses his approach to addressing sensitive subjects like Alzheimer’s and aging.
“What the writing staff and I talked about all the time was, ‘We’re just going to present it,’” Schur said. “‘We’re not going to shy away from it. We’re not going to make it into a bigger deal than it is, and we’re not going to pretend it’s a smaller deal than what it is. We’re just going to do it.’”
Within its first two weeks of streaming, the series has been well-received by critics and audiences alike, earning a 94% rating from critics and a 91% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics lauded the show’s balanced and respectful portrayal of elderly people. A review in The Hollywood Reporter highlighted how the show’s comedy abides by certain rules, refusing to make any low-blow jokes that are condescending to the elderly. While there are a few jokes that want the audience to giggle at how technologically inept some old people are, the jokes are never cruel.
However, some critics were disappointed by the lack of comedy, especially when comparing “A Man on the Inside” with Schur’s other projects, like “The Good Place,” which is known for its artful balancing of seriousness and effortless comedy. A review in The Guardian concedes that viewers who come to the show as a fan of Schur’s previous work would probably not enjoy it as much. But if viewers set aside the expectations they have of what the show should be, they may be surprised by its tenderness, especially as it delves into its running thread of dementia.
In fact, Schur’s choice of a more serious tone was deliberate. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that the mystery aspect was meant to serve as a vehicle for an emotional impact, mirroring the approach of “The Mole Agent.”
“The point of the documentary is not the whodunit,” Schur said. “The point of the documentary, and the show, should be that a man whose life was getting very small, and he was shutting himself down and closing himself off from the world, goes on an adventure, and in doing so, meets a lot of people and has a lot of experiences that expand his world and make him feel like there is more to life.”
Schur goes on to say that he established very early on in the writing room that the finale would wrap the mystery up at the start of the episode, leaving the rest of the runtime to focus on “all of the stuff that actually really matters,” like his relationship with his daughter and the friends he made at the old age home.
Most critics and viewers resonated strongly with Schur’s genuine appeal to emotion through the story of Charles and his very human relationships. In its review, Variety described the show as “stuffed full of feel-good and laugh-out-loud bits,” adding that the show “reminds viewers how important human connection is for all of us.”
Although the season ends with the mystery solved and all loose ends tied up, the last episode ends with private investigator Julie calling Charles for another case, leaving the door open for a second season. While Netflix has yet to announce whether the show will be renewed, there is no hesitation from Schur’s side.
Danson appears optimistic about the possibility of another season. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “Netflix has its system, so we won’t know that for a month, but we seem to be doing really well.”
In the meantime, “A Man on the Inside” is available for streaming on Netflix.
Ananya Kashyap is an Arts and Entertainment Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. She can be reached at ananyask@uci.edu.
Edited by Alaina Retodo and Jaheem Conley.