'I watch TV for a living. This new Netflix comedy is my favourite show of 2024.'

Finding a new TV show to watch is like being a kid on Christmas morning. The excitement and anticipation, knowing you've just stumbled upon potential gold. Of course, there's the underlying #tension as you wonder if it will be everything you hoped for. 

In the case of Netflix's new series, A Man On The Inside, they knocked it out of the park. It's wholesome, it's heartbreaking, it's thought-provoking and through it all, it's funny. 

And while there have been a number of incredible releases on Netflix this year — from Nobody Wants This to Bridgerton's third season — I think this new offering is my favourite addition of 2024.

Watch the trailer for A Man On The Inside. Story continues below.

The series has scored a near-perfect 97% score on the review site Rotten Tomatoes — and it's not hard to see why.

The idea spawned from the critically-acclaimed documentary, The Mole Agent, which told the true story of a Chilean private investigator who hired an elderly man to go undercover in a nursing home. Talk about an intriguing story.

A Man On The Inside combines a number of my favourite things.

For starters, it was created by Michael Schur. If you don't know the name, you'll certainly know the resume: he's the genius behind Parks And Recreation, The Good Place, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He was also a producer and writer on The Office, before which he was an Emmy-Winning writer on Saturday Night Live. When it comes to comedy, he's the go-to guy. 

Then there's the cast, a veritable 'who's who' of the comedic scene.

Ted Danson leads the new series as Charles. Equal parts chaotic and charismatic when he's at his best, Charles is a widower and retired engineering college professor.

His opening scenes paint a vivid picture of the late-in-life routine many of us dread, not just for ourselves, but for our loved ones — he's lonely. 

Day-to-day, he potters about, sending news clippings to his daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and filling his time with busywork as he adjusts to life without his late wife. He's still sharp as a tack and could be vibrant and full of joy once more, but he's drifting.

When Emily suggests he take up a new hobby, Charles answers an ad from a private detective company looking for a senior citizen to go undercover at the Pacific View Retirement Community in San Francisco.

"Wanted, Investigative Assistant, Male 75-85, Must have phone."

Answering the ad, Charles meets Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), who tasks him with investigating a missing ruby necklace. 

Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) and Charles (Ted Danson) in Man on the Inside. Image: Netflix.

Pacific View is run by Didi (Stephanie Beatriz), who you may know as Rosa from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She's the polar opposite of her iconic detective character. She's kind, warm, and puts everyone's needs above her own. 

The retirement home's residents are portrayed by incredible actors including the legendary Sally Struthers (Gloria, Nine To Five, Gilmore Girls), Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), John Getz (Another World), Lori Tan Chinn (Orange Is The New Black), Susan Ruttan (LA Law), Veronica Cartwright (Alien, The Birds) and the iconic Broadway and film star Stephen McKinley Henderson (Lincoln, Dune, Lady Bird). 

The film pedigree of these stars alone is enough to fill a Video Ezy. If those still existed.

Other supporting roles are filled out by Danson's former The Good Place co-stars, including Eugene Cordero, Marc Evan Jackson and Jama Williamson.

This is a comedy with true heart. And it doesn't hurt that Schur has an eye for talent, regularly reuniting his favourite comedic stars in new shows for an added oomph of familiarity. The cast feels as warm and welcoming as the halls of Pacific View.

Stephanie Beatriz plays Didi. Image: Netflix.

Sally Struthers and Margaret Avery are two standouts. Image: Netflix.

Once inside the retirement community, Charles starts making connections with his 'senior citizen' cohort as he aims to uncover the truth. But in doing so, he finds a renewed interest in… everything.

Where Charles has simply been existing, his new friends prove there is life left to live.

It has to be said, I'm in my 30s. I can't pretend to know what it might be like to be 70 plus and face an endless stream of media and culture that mocks or pities the ageing. Tacky portrayals of the older population are a dime a dozen.

Many 'late in life' plotlines seem to shout "you're not dead yet!" as though that's inspirational, or treat their characters above retirement age as funny accessories who can't keep up with the times.

What I loved about Nancy Meyers' The Intern was that it took Robert De Niro's iconic persona and plonked it in a world where everyone treated him like he couldn't so much as work a job or drive a car. And he proved them wrong at every turn. That's Robert De Niro! He's smart and cool and actually has a lot he could teach YOU.

Likewise, Man on the Inside depicts universal themes like life beyond grief, found family, career goals, and relationship scandals (as well as a little detective work) to move the plot forward. It doesn't just expect you to say 'wow look at 75-year-old Ted Danson using a phone'.

It plays into stereotypes as much as it subverts them.

Yes, the residents love their wrapped hard candies. Yes, they're eating lunch when it should be breakfast time. And yes, people underestimate their capacity for life and joy and adventure — but it doesn't stop them from leading well-rounded lives. Well, some of them. You'll get your curmudgeons wherever you go.

In Man on the Inside, the subject of age didn't feel trite or cruel, it's just a fact. The undercurrent of age and death runs throughout the series for obvious reasons: this is a place that signifies a new life stage.

It's where some people go so they can live in a community, with friends and fun opportunties; it's where some people go when they have no family to care for them; it's where some people go to die.

Nothing makes that clearer than The Neighbourhood; which is both a nod to Danson's former show, The Good Place, and a place where residents with Alzheimers are cared for. This is particularly triggering for Charles, whose wife died from the disease.

Charles and his daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). Image: Netflix.

As you can tell, the focal point of the show is not always spying and crime-solving. Though there's certainly a fun 'whodunnit' theme that ties each scene together, even if Charles occasionally forgets the sneaky purpose of his new life inside Pacific View.

From realistic depictions of loneliness that you could relate to at any age, to portraits of familial grief, to intriguing insights, to the horny nursing home residents, it's evident Schur's goal is to serve up a genuine show about very human relationships. And, as always, his aim is to make you laugh.

In the case of me, and my instant plans to re-watch the series, I'd say he succeeded.

A Man on the Inside is now streaming on Netflix.

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