‘A Man on the Inside’ Netflix Series Review - Michael Schur’s Impossible-To-Hate Comedy

Michael Schur is the creator of A Man on the Inside. He produced and wrote the American remake of The Office and co-created Parks and Recreation as well as Brooklyn Nine-Nine. No wonder I had a very good time with A Man on the Inside. I enjoyed every second of it. This is an impossible-to-hate series. The worst thing you can say about it is that it's propaganda for nursing homes and care facilities. Show it to your parents if they think such places aren't worth their time - that they would be exploited or mistreated by the staff members working in the facility. Charles (Ted Danson), a retired engineering professor turned amateur spy, does enter Pacific View, a retirement community, to catch a thief, but he ends up making good friends and is able to move on with his life. The show maintains a smooth balance between comedy, mystery, and tragedy. The shot near the first episode's opening, with Charles lying alone in bed, has so much poignancy. It instantly conveys whatever you need to know about his life and his promise to his wife at his wedding.

Now that Charles has retired from teaching duties, he has a lot of free time. One of the things he does is cut any article from the newspaper that he finds interesting and send it to his daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). It's the equivalent of sending WhatsApp forwards to your kids. Emily, one day, tells Charles that he should take up a new hobby to keep himself busy. She wants him to break out of his dull routine. Hence, when Charles finds a hiring ad in the newspaper regarding joining an investigative agency, he wears his suit and goes to the office. Since he displays some competence with technology (he is able to send a picture to his employer), he is hired almost immediately. Over the next few days, Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), Charles' boss, teaches Charles about basic spy stuff like engaging in casual conversations and taking pictures secretly. Charles doesn't exactly pass the test with flying colors, but Julie has no choice. So Charles infiltrates Pacific View and starts making a list of potential suspects to catch the thief. He also, unsurprisingly, makes new friends and begins to enjoy their company. Everybody loves Charles, and Charles loves everybody. Well, almost everybody, as there is a "sexual rival" named Elliott (John Getz) who thinks Charles wants to steal Virginia (Sally Struthers), the woman Elliott adores, loves, and admires.

Charles slowly reveals himself to be an expert at lying. I loved watching him fool Emily into thinking that he was in a rush and going outside (he places the phone's camera near his face and bends his body to give an illusion of going down the stairs). It's not easy to look after old people. The Pacific View staff do their job obediently, kindly, and patiently. No one takes a moment to take a deep breath or expresses exhaustion through discussion with friends or colleagues. One of the episodes displays the daily routines through Didi's (Stephanie Beatriz) perspective, but her tiredness is viewed as a sign of dedication, and this dedication stems from melancholic feelings. The issues, like the case of missing salt shakers, the worker's face are rendered cute, harmless, and funny. Didi, at one point, almost launches into a speech about the stress her staff faces every day in the building, but this is precisely what the show doesn't effectively display to us so that it can be light and sweet and entertaining. A Man on the Inside sees working in the retirement home through the lens of a rich person who considers a job like this "emotionally fulfilling."

Nonetheless, as I mentioned earlier, it's difficult to dislike A Man on the Inside entirely. There's something undeniably heartwarming about it. The series has an endearing quality that draws you in, thanks to the charming characters and lines like, "Get back here and stay out of my life." I would be lying if I said I am not brimming with excitement at the prospect of a second season. Schur certainly knows how to engage the audience with his stories.

Final Score- [7.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times