Ted Danson returns with a second season of A Man on the Inside, and this time he’s going undercover to solve a mystery at a college
Ted Danson has been a staple on TV screens ever since viewers were first introduced to Cheers bartender Sam Malone back in 1982. Since then, Danson has played a cantankerous doctor in sitcom Becker, a crime scene investigator on CSI (and then on CSI: Cyber), an afterlife bureaucrat in The Good Place, and, of course, a skewed version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Last year, Danson reunited with The Good Place creator Mike Schur for Netflix comedy A Man on the Inside, which found him portraying Charles Nieuwendyk, a retired San Francisco professor who’s hired by private detective Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) to go undercover at an assisted-living facility in order to crack a case involving stolen jewelry.
The show resonated with viewers, remaining on Netflix’s top 10 for five consecutive weeks after its release. With that kind of popularity, it was a no-brainer when Netflix picked up A Man on the Inside for a second season. “We are thrilled to make another season of A Man on the Inside, starring young up-and-comer Ted Danson,” Schur cheekily told Tudum. “From our partners at Netflix and Universal TV to the writers, cast, and crew, it’s a truly exceptional team of talented and lovely people, with one notable exception (young up-and-comer Ted Danson, who’s kind of a nightmare).”
While the first season was based on a true story (recounted in the Chilean documentary The Mole Agent ), the new season goes off in a new direction by sending Charles on an assignment at Wheeler College, a liberal arts university, where he must infiltrate the campus as part of an investigation.
Danson is joined by a new cast — or should that be suspects? — for the new season. That includes: NCIS star Gary Cole as Brad Vinick, a wealthy executive who makes a hefty donation to his alma mater, which leads to Charles getting hired by Wheeler; Michaela Conlin as Andrea Yi, an economics professor who is excited by upcoming changes at Wheeler College; Max Greenfield as Jack Beringer, the college’s charismatic president, whose job requires him ingratiate himself with wealthy graduates and squeeze donations out of them; Sam Huntington as Max Griffin, a journalism professor with a gift for rabble-rousing; Jason Mantzoukas as Apollo Lambrakis, a contractor who dreams of writing the Great American Novel; Constance Marie as Vanessa, a former con artist who serves as a part-time source on the criminal underworld for Julie; David Strathairn as Dr. Cole, head of Wheeler’s English department at Wheeler College, and the most famous and popular professor on campus; Jill Talley as Holly Bodgemark, the college’s overworked and perpetually frazzled provost; Madison Hu as Claire, a junior who works multiple campus jobs to pay for her tuition; Lisa Gilroy as Kelseigh Rose, a budding photographer and trophy wife of billionaire Brad Vinick; and Linda Park as Elizabeth Muki, director of the fine arts department.
Another new arrival is an actor quite close to Danson’s heart: his real-life wife Mary Steenburgen, who plays Mona Margadoff, a former musician who factors heavily into the case that Charles is trying to solve
at Wheeler.
In the first season, viewers first met Charles at a low point, bored out of his mind with retirement and eager to find his purpose. In his mid-70s, Danson can certainly relate. “I can feel that around my kids, who love and adore me,” he told Tudum. “They have very busy lives, and I get great joy out of being around them. When they’re too busy or don’t respond to a question or a text or a phone call, I can feel like my seat on the bus has gotten further and further back. I think that’s what happens a little bit with aging. All of a sudden, you have to find relevancy within, because you don’t always get it from without.”
For Danson, the message underlying the show is universal. “We tell our children, ‘You can do anything you want,’ when they’re growing up. ‘You can be anything. You can do anything. You’re magnificent.’ Why do we stop saying that to ourselves? All of a sudden, we buy into this shelf-life thing. Don’t. Keep your foot on the pedal. Don’t prepare for the end of your life. It’ll come. Just go as fast as you can.”
The season premiere of A Man on the Inside begins streaming on Thursday, November 20