39/37

Remake of El agente topo (2020)

Line of Events

Charles, a retiree, finds a new lease on life when he answers an ad for a private investigator and becomes a mole in an undercover investigation at a retirement home. Michael Schur was inspired to create “A Man On the Inside” after watching the Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent.” He says: “The Mole Agent” documentary is powerful because it makes people feel something remarkably similar across all ages, ethnicities, and genders, and I would describe that feeling very reductively as, “I have to call my mother.” In our show, we tried to do something similar with the tone: Basically, does our show contribute to that feeling of making us want to call our mothers? Ted Danson, about 76, plays Charles, about 76, a retired engineering professor living in San Francisco. He is also a producer on this series which stands out from most by avoiding the all too common crude dialogue.

He is healthy but maybe bored with his daily routine

In fact, it is very clean and more enjoyable as a result. In the story, his wife died maybe a year ago from Alzheimer’s. He has a habit of reading periodicals and newspapers and often cuts out an interesting one to send to his married daughter in Sacramento. One day, through a cut-out hole, he sees a short classified ad.

Charles will be the key

Looking for someone in the 75-85 age range for a specific job. This leads him to a private investigator hired by a man whose mother is in some kind of high-end retirement home in San Francisco, significant jewelry has been stolen and the son wants the thief caught. So he is hired to check out the scene and observe and report as the person who exposes what is going on. Ted Danson is simply perfect in this role, which he plays with great humor.

My wife and I enjoyed streaming

The focus quickly becomes less on the identity of the thief and more on the relationships. The characters are played by a group of excellent actors, many of whom are old favorites that we have known for about 50 years. After watching the first three episodes in one evening, we watched the last five episodes in one go after our usual Saturday night dinner of steak and wine. The ending is setting up for a sequel, I hope they make it.

One of the most enjoyable we have watched