16/28
A remake of The Mole Agent (2020)
Chronology
Charles, a retiree, gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad for a private investigator and becomes a mole in an undercover investigation at a nursing home. Michael Schur was inspired to make “A Man On the Inside” after watching the Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent.” He says, “The documentary “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.’” On our show, we try to do something similar with the tone: Basically, does our show contribute to that feeling of wanting to call our moms? Ted Danson, about 76, plays Charles, about 76, a retired engineering professor living in San Francisco. He is also the producer of this series, which differs from most in that it avoids the vulgar language that is common in dialogue.
He is healthy, but perhaps bored by the daily routine
In fact, he is very clean and, as a result, more pleasant. In the story, his wife died perhaps a year ago from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. He is in the habit of reading newspapers and magazines and often cuts out interesting ones to send to his married daughter in Sacramento. One day, through a cut-out, he sees a short advertisement.
Charles will be the key
I am looking for someone between the ages of 75 and 85 for a specific job. This leads him to a private investigator hired by a man whose mother is in a luxury nursing home in San Francisco, some important jewelry has been stolen from him, and his son wants the thief caught. So they hire you to check the place out and observe and report as the person to uncover what is going on. Ted Danson is simply perfect in this role, which he plays with a lot of humor.
My wife and I enjoyed this series, we streamed it
Soon the story becomes less about who the thief was and more about relationships. The cast is played by a group of excellent actors, many of them old favorites that we have known for the last 50 years or so. After watching the first three episodes in one night, we watched the last five episodes in one go after our usual Saturday night steak and wine dinner. The ending sets up a sequel, I hope they make one.
