Here’s what I basically never do: Sit down and watch a new Netflix show in its entirety in one sitting. It was never my style. In fact, I never do that on any TV show. I rarely have time and I also like to spread things out a bit. However, sometimes that just isn’t possible. A show will grab me and the next thing I know it’s over.

Such was the case with Ted Danson’s new Netflix dramedy. A man inside, I thought I’d watch the whole thing last night, maybe watch a few episodes and then just watch the whole thing before bed. This is the tl;dr version of this review. It was so good and so enjoyable and worth seeing that I watched it all at once.

It’s cliche, I know, but I laughed and cried. This is a show that tugs at the heartstrings, but also has plenty of moments of humor, conflict, and good-natured fun. Since then it has also become my favorite Ted Danson role The good place.

Both shows were created by Michael Schur, who some of you may know as Dwight Schrute’s cousin Mose The office. He is also the creator of many of my favorite comedies including Brooklyn Nine-Nine And Parks & Recreation.

A man inside reminds me of all those shows – and you’ll see some familiar faces – but it has its own flavor. The series follows Charles (Ted Danson), a retired engineering professor whose wife has died and who now lives in relative isolation, mailing newspaper clippings to his daughter and taking long, wistful walks alone. He is lonely, but feels comfortable in his solitude.

Until one day, urged by his daughter to do something to keep himself busy, he comes across an interesting classified ad.

The job is unique. Private detective Julie (Lilah Richcreek) hires him to go undercover in a fancy retirement home to catch a jewelry thief who she is supposed to track down without anyone in the retirement home knowing. This also includes the home manager Didi, played by Brooklyn Nine-Nine Alum Stephanie Beatriz.

I don’t want to give anything away beyond this premise – the whole thing is based on Maite Alberdi’s documentary from 2020 The Mole Agent– but what follows is not only a clever crime thriller with a completely unique take on espionage, but also a truly heartfelt exploration of friendship, romance and parenthood in recent years. I admit, although I’m still far from my old age, I think a lot these days about aging and death (which is the subject of my latest poem), and this felt like a remarkably timely series.

Charles is having the time of his life at the Pacific View retirement home – “It’s like high school!” he exclaims at one point – but the real connections he builds with the people there proves more difficult than expected. to reconcile his role as a spy. The ongoing grief over his wife’s death also weighs on him as he comes into close contact with other seniors suffering from the same illness that she succumbed to in her final years: dementia. I would compare the tone to dramas Shrinkage, who also deals with important topics with a wink and a smile, or to one of my favorite cozy secrets, Only murders in the building, although it’s not nearly as silly.

There are lots of little spy references throughout. Charles reads Smileys people, one of John le Carré’s famous novels, before he sets off on his own espionage adventure. The titles of each episode refer to a spy or mystery film or book, many of them from Le Carré such as “Tinker Tailor Older Spy” or other classics: “The Man Who Knew Too Much About Bridges”, “The Strange One”. Incident with the dog in”. the painting course”, “Gifts and Clear Danger” and so on. It’s all very clever.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted, but emotionally moving, cozy crime thriller. So many shows and movies focus on youth and the struggles of youth; It’s nice to see how you come to terms with age and what that brings with it. Danson plays the role of Charles absolutely perfectly, even though he is amply supported by an incredibly charming cast. While it’s not Schur’s funniest or most unique project, it’s still a profound and deeply satisfying watch. Try it. It looks like they’re hoping to do a second season, but this particular story is wrapped up in season 1, so there’s no need to worry about cancellation.

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