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A Man On The Inside opens with a scene set in the ’70s, brilliantly de-aging Ted Danson as retired college professor Charles Nieuwendyk – just as he’s about to marry his sweetheart, since while he may be almost 77 years of age, those of us of a certain age will remember his lead as Sam Malone in Cheers, in the ’80s.
I presume they work off that image and rolled the clock back almost 10 years, but for the brief scene that it is, it works fantastically.
Alas, now, he’s not only retired, but also a widower, and leads a rather tedious existence, but thankfully, his daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis – Red One), is about to help him snap out of that, suggesting he finds a new challenge in life, rather than sit about, completing crosswords.
Cue a bizarre new job as a private eye, as Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada, no relation to CHiPS‘ Erik Estrada) wants him to check-in at the Pacific View residential home, pretending to be a new resident, albeit with recording devices, with initial tests at Observation and memory, covert photography, and using spy glasses – like something from Mission Impossible, all showing he’s over-eager and not very good at this, plus a bit of a klutz.
This leads to a script that’s very dry, with the pair get on like a house on fire, along with a number of women in the home giving him the glad-eye, including the brilliant Sally Struthers as Virginia.
He’s even good at pouring drinks when they set up a makeshift bar in the home, as ‘Happy Hour’ lasts most of the day. Now, where have I seen him do that before? 😀
In fact, Charles starts having such a good time, I’m wondering if he’s ever going to leave by the end of the series, or actually do any work?
Some time is also filled by introducing us to Emily’s dysfunctional family, and the kids who struggle to make a basic sandwich, but that aspect feels like it’s just not working for me.
A Man On The Inside has just 8 episodes, each running around 25 minutes before the end credits kick in and it’s very slow to move along, but while it’s fun to enjoy for watching Ted Danson bumble around in the first two I’ve seen so far, I’m not sure I’m going to make it to the end and find out who actually stole the necklace!
Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.
A Man On The Inside is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Netflix from today.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 25-30 minutes per episode (10 episodes)
Release date: October 10th 2024
Studio: Netflix
Format: 2.00:1
Series Directors: Rebecca Asher, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur, Anu Valia
Producers: Nate Young, Sylvia Batey Alcalá, Ted Danson, Frank Sackett
Writers: Emalee Burditt, Hayley Frazier, Michael Schur, Sylvia Batey Alcalá, Lisa Muse Bryant, Alex Creator: Michael Schur
Music: David Schwartz
Cast:
Charles Nieuwendyk: Ted Danson
Julie: Lilah Richcreek Estrada
Emily: Mary Elizabeth Ellis
Didi: Stephanie Beatriz
Calbert: Stephen McKinley Henderson
Jaylen: Miles Fowler
Virgina Foldau: Sally Struthers
Megan Chagughlaight-Accourse: Kerry O’Malley
Wyatt Nieuwendyk-Piñero: Wyatt Yang
Florence Joanne Whistbrook: Margaret Avery
Joel Piñero: Eugene Cordero
Elliott Haverhill: John Getz
Gladys Montrose: Susan Ruttan
Beverly Bankl: Veronica Cartwright
Helen Cubbler: Danielle Kennedy
Tabitha: Nina Gosiengfiao
Pilar: Shylo Shaner
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.