Ted Danson’s New Comedy Series Premieres This Fall

Ted Danson is making a much-anticipated return to the small screen with a new comedy series. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor has reunited with Mike Schur, the creator of The Good Place, for the upcoming series A Man on the Inside (previously known as A Classic Spy).

Inspired by the documentary The Mole Agent, which was an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature in 2021, the comedy has been tweaked to add more humor while maintaining its heartfelt essence. “Mike changed it to make it a little funnier,” Danson told Parade. “But kept the same sweet heart part of it.”

A Man on the Inside centers around a retiree who turns into a mole for a secret investigation. Danson described the premise as amusing, noting, “You don’t think of retirement homes as funny, but ours is!”

The series will make its debut this November, streaming exclusively on Netflix. Viewers can look forward to eight episodes of this quirky comedy.

The show’s storyline revolves around Danson’s character, Charles, a retiree who gets a fresh outlook on life when he responds to an advertisement from a private investigator and becomes involved in a covert investigation. Danson explained to Parade that the idea originated from a documentary in Santiago, Chile. “Somebody who had a parent in the retirement home was accusing them of mistreating their mother. So this private detective hires this older gentleman to be a spy and be in the retirement home trying to find out what’s going on,” Danson shared.

Schur’s adaptation infuses the series with more humor while still delivering a poignant message about staying connected with loved ones, even when they are in a retirement home. “It’s kind of a lovely message about, you know, don’t let go of your parents completely just because they’re in a retirement home,” Danson noted.

The cast of A Man on the Inside features a diverse ensemble of talented actors:

• Mary Elizabeth Ellis from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia plays Emily, a married mother of three boys and the daughter of Charles.
• Stephanie Beatriz from Brooklyn 99 portrays Didi, the managing director of Pacific View Retirement Residence in San Francisco.
• Lilah Richcreek Estrada from Chicago Med takes on the role of Julie, a San Francisco-based private investigator who hires Charles and pretends to be his daughter.
• Stephen McKinley Henderson from Fences plays Calbert, a transplant from Washington, D.C.
• Sally Struthers from All In The Family is cast as Virginia, who takes a special interest in Charles.
• Eugene Cordero from The Good Place portrays Joel, Emily’s husband and a 10th-grade science teacher.
• Margaret Avery from The Color Purple plays Florence, Virginia’s best friend at the retirement home.
• John Getz from Grace and Frankie plays Elliott, the resident lothario who feels threatened by the attention Charles gets when he moves in.
• Susan Ruttan from L.A. Law stars as Gladys, a glamorous former costume designer from New York and Charles’ neighbor.
• Lori Tan Chinn from Joy Ride is Susan, the President of the Pacific View resident council.
• Clyde Kusatsu from Never Have I Ever portrays Grant, a Princeton graduate at Pacific View.
• Marc Evan Jackson from Brooklyn 99 plays Evan, a client who hires Julie to investigate a theft case involving his mother’s necklace.
• Jama Williamson from A Good Place is Beatrice, the Pacific View Activities Director.

With its unique premise and an exceptional cast, A Man on the Inside promises to deliver a delightful blend of humor and heartfelt moments. Be sure to tune in to Netflix this November to catch Ted Danson and the rest of the cast in what is sure to be a memorable comedy series.

Source: Netflix, Parade