Charles, played by Ted Danson, is a retired professor whose life, after the death of his wife, seems to have lost all zest. Everything changes when he is recruited to be a spy.
No, this is not international intrigue. A woman living in a senior housing community has had an expensive necklace stolen. Her son hires a private detective to investigate the theft. She, in turn, recruits Charles to go undercover as a new resident in the senior living community, to identify possible suspects, and, if possible, solve the crime.
There is a great deal of humor, including Charles’ clumsy efforts to look like a dashing spy and many hilarious send-ups of stereotypical characters in senior living: the self-important president of the residents’ council, the grouchy old man, the lovelorn older women far too eager to make the acquaintance of a single man moving in down the hall.
After the first few episodes, however, the story deepens. Charles, terribly lonely since his wife’s death, begins to make new friends. He observes his neighbors supporting one another through their frailties. Grieving the death of a new friend in the community helps Charles to further process his grief over his own wife’s death and to talk more openly with his daughter about his late wife’s final, dementia-haunted days.
Eventually, the mystery is solved and the missing necklace recovered. By then, however, both Charles and the viewers can see that possessions such as the necklace were never that important. Ultimately, A Man on the Inside is a celebration of community, of friendship and family, of the many ways, great and small, that we all can encourage and support one another.
-- Bill
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