A Man on the Inside

Joining a handful of exceptions that manage to be consistently funny and profoundly affecting, Michael Schur’s exquisite new comedy, “A Man on the Inside,” earns the infamous descriptor [hilarious and heartfelt].

“A Man on the Inside” is not a slapstick snort-fest in the mold of so many movies headlined by elderly stars misbehaving, thank goodness. Earnest and genuine in its storytelling, it's populated with fully realized characters who only somewhat adhere to Schur’s closet of personality types

A charming showcase for its star, but a program based on a thoroughly ridiculous premise. .... The principal virtue of “A Man on the Inside” is its sweetness.

The shift [to a university campus] manages to keep the heartwarming, gently amusing charm that won over fans — despite shoving San Francisco further into the background.

There’s little in here that rises to the heights of “The Good Place” or “Parks and Recreation,” though I’ll admit that I laughed pretty much nonstop throughout the scene where Jason Mantzoukas’s (minor) character is introduced. Still, it’s both endearing and well-made, and there aren’t enough pleasant comedies like that out in the world.

While the overarching mystery is a bit more predictable, Season 2 makes up for it with smart humor, emotional character development, and an emphasis on community.

This show limits itself to risk-averse humour; retaining the weighty themes (in this case old age and its attendant isolation) but failing to probe or subvert them.

A gentle, heartfelt comedy drama that’s hard not to enjoy, especially with the ever reliable Ted Danson in the lead role.

A charming show that alternates between hilarity and the heavier topics that plague people who outlive their natural life. Very few shows can address aging, grief, and loss while still keeping a sense of humor and playfulness. What I love most about this show is how simple it keeps its characters and situations. It never tries to be "big" but just by addressing end-of-life questions, it feels big. Just about anyone could get something out of this show: a child with an aging parent, someone who works with aging or dying people, a parent who's disconnected from their child, or even younger people who want to see how older people see the world (Hint: It's not much different than how they see the world). I just loved it. It's one of the few Netflix shows that's better than its trailers suggest. Not hype! I look forward to season 2.

Season 1. Total waste **** cast. If you just want some feel good TV to pass the time with that won't tax your brain too much, this is perfectly serviceable. I just didn't think the humor was written well enough to give these very talented actors anything to work with.

Michael Schur is known for Brooklyn 99 and The Good Place (both of which I loved), so I was excited about this new show. Ted Danson stars as a retired widower who goes undercover in a nursing home to find a thief. There's lots of built-in potential for comedy, but it never materializes. Instead of mining for laughs, every episode introduces another resident who has issues that are common for seniors (and often sad). Danson is charmingly bumbly. The rest of the cast could have been stocked with quirky seniors but isn't. As a comedy, this series is disappointing. It tries so hard to be heart-warming and emotionally manipulative that it lost any potential for fun.

Slow. Boring. Not funny. The one funny joke was about the nurse who sings Mambo Number 5 but doesn’t know any of the words.