Aahana Swrup
Michael Schur’s Netflix comedy show ‘A Man on the Inside’ delightfully blends shenanigans with a sincere examination of the complexities of aging in the contemporary world. Starring Ted Danson in the titular role, the show follows Charles, a retiree who has lost his zest for life in the wake of his wife’s recent passing. However, after his daughter, Emily, encourages him to find a new passion, the man answers a Private Detective’s newspaper ad. As such, he becomes involved in an investigation into a theft at Pacific View Retirement Residence. Posing as Investigator Julie’s pretend father, Charles infiltrates the retirement home and embarks on a new adventure that shakes up his life in the most fascinating ways possible.
Despite its genre-appropriate eccentricities, the show maintains a heartfelt nucleus as its narrative revolves around the tricky concept of aging. From an authentic depiction of the elderly populace to the rapidly changing relationship dynamic between an older parent and their kids, the show tackles old age for all its good and bad. Therefore, Charles and his investigative misadventures end up spelling certain inspections about reality.
A Man on the Inside is Based on Maite Alberdi’s Documentary
Even as a primary comedy series, ‘A Man on the Inside’ possesses surprisingly firm origins in reality. The show is based on the critically acclaimed 2020 documentary, ‘The Mole Agent,’ directed by Maite Alberdi. The Chilean documentary, also known as ‘El Agente Topo,’ follows the real-life story of Sergio Chamy, an 83-year-old man. Chamy was hired by an investigator to infiltrate a retirement home and examine its treatment of its elderly residents. However, as he embarked on this mission, the covert mole found himself quickly falling into a camaraderie with the other residents. As such, the documentary becomes a compelling analysis of the inescapable loss and loneliness one encounters in one’s old age.
Despite the seemingly bleak themes of the documentary, ‘The Mole Agent’ retains a sense of humor and spirit that moves the viewers and forces them to engage with the central topics. Naturally, once Michael Schur watched the film at the recommendation of several people, the story immediately captivated him. Yet, the idea of turning it into a comedy show wouldn’t arrive until his producing partner Morgan Sackett suggested a remake of the film with Ted Danson as the lead. Consequently, as the idea took hold, it was only a matter of time before it took off.
A Man on the Inside Expands Upon Sergio Chamy’s Real Experiences
In adapting a comedy series that functioned on the premise of ‘The Mole Agent,’ Michael Schur wanted to ensure he wasn’t simply remaking the film. Instead, he wanted to add to the story to scrutinize the central themes further. As a result, ‘A Man on the Inside’ retains some elements from the documentary while fictionalizing others. The central character, Charles, remains an on-screen adaptation of Sergio Chamy, sharing his experiences as an elder widower seeking new thrills in life and surprisingly finding them on an infiltration mission at a retirement home. Yet, the elements surrounding his character’s narrative diverge significantly from reality.
In the documentary, Chamy’s infiltration into the retirement home is confined to investigating the establishment’s suspected mistreatment of the residents. Thus, in many ways, it operates as an inciting event that brings the documentary to its real subject matter: the exploration of old age. However, Schur wanted to flesh out the criminal plotline for the show. As a result, the central crime gets translated to the screen as a hefty theft. By doing so, the narrative allows space for Charles to grow as an amateur detective, bringing another facet of development to his character.
Likewise, Schur strived to expand upon other elements introduced within the documentary. As a result, the show fictionalizes the characters of several retirement home residents, including Calbert, Charles’ would-be best friend. Similarly, the show also expatiates the character of Charles’ daughter, Emily, allowing the narrative to take a deeper dive into their relationship. This results in a more expounded analysis of the central character’s life, which in turn affords the story more room to discuss the concept of old age.
Even so, despite the many changes that the show brings to its ancestral documentary, it works hard to remain true to its source of inspiration. As such, Schur and his team of screenwriters, including Sylvia Batey Alcalá and Lisa Muse Bryant, ensured the story never strayed far away from reality to become inauthentic. The showrunner spoke about the same in a conversation with the LA Times and said, “We’re gonna have to change a bunch of stuff, we’re gonna have to expand a bunch of stuff, we’re going to create new characters that are not in the documentary, but the documentary is the North Star. That doesn’t mean the story as much as it means the feeling, which I don’t even know if I could describe, but I know what it is when I feel it.”
A Man on the Inside Examines Largely Untapped Cultural Conversations
Michael Schur’s primary intention with the show ‘A Man on the Inside’ remains the generation of discussions around the topic of aging. As the showrunner sees it, society often overlooks this topic in conversations, preferring not to talk about it. Therefore, he wanted to showcase the broad spectrum of enriching experiences that one can entertain, even in the later chapters of one’s life. Naturally, this remains a topic held near and dear for lead actor Ted Danson, who, in his 70s, is facing life at full throttle.
As such, Danson aims to showcase the beauty and excitement of life, regardless of age, through his character. Consequently, the show inherently sports the central message of embracing the certainty of aging as a gift rather than a hushed-up inevitability. On the other hand, through characters like Emily and Didi, the retirement home manager, the story also tackles the complications of the relationship between the younger generation and their aging relatives. In doing so, the show highlights a yet unhighlighted part of mundane reality, establishing a highly relatable and realistic narrative.
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