‘A Man on the Inside’ Trailer: Ted Danson and Mike Schur Turn ‘The Mole Agent’ Documentary into a Crime Comedy Series

Ted Danson is going undercover to solve crime in the unlikeliest of places — a retirement home.

The “Cheers” icon leads Netflix series “A Man on the Inside,” which is based on Maite Alberdi‘s Oscar-nominated 2021 documentary “The Mole Agent.” Danson’s “The Good Place” showrunner Mike Schur is the creator of the series, with Alberdi executive producing.

The official synopsis reads: “Retired professor Charles (Danson) feels life has nothing new in store for him. A year after his wife’s passing, he’s become stuck in his routine and grown distant from his daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). But when he spies a classified ad from private investigator Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), he’s inspired to roll the dice on a new adventure. Charles’ mission: to go undercover inside the Pacific View Retirement Home in San Francisco and solve the mystery of a stolen family heirloom. Everyone, residents and staff alike, is a potential suspect, and it’s up to Charles to solve the case without landing on the radar of Didi (Stephanie Beatriz), the all-seeing, all-knowing director of Pacific View. But keeping a low profile proves difficult as the affable Charles quickly endears himself to his fellow residents. Being a ‘man on the inside’ sends Charles on an exciting journey that makes him realize there’s a lot more life left to be had — and allows him to reconnect with Emily in the process.”

The cast also includes Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sally Struthers, Eugene Cordero, Margaret Avery, John Getz, Susan Ruttan, Lori Tan Chinn, Clyde Kusatsu, Marc Evan Jackson, Jama Williamson, Wyatt Yang, Deuce Basco, Lincoln Lambert, and Kerry O’Malley.

The real-life story of “The Mole Agent” centered on 83 year-old Sergio who was hired by a private investigator to infiltrate a senior-care facility after a client expressed concerns about their mother. “The Mole Agent” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; the narrative series adaptation was announced in 2023 with an eight-episode order.

Danson and Schur collaborated for four seasons on NBC’s “The Good Place,” which earned 12 Emmy nominations during its run, including three nominations for Danson. Schur is also known for co-creating “Parks and Recreation,” “Rutherford Falls,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

Univeral Television series “A Man on the Inside” is executive produced by Schur (Fremulon), Morgan Sackett, David Miner (3 Arts Entertainment), Alberdi and Marcela Santibañez (Micromundo Producciones), and Julie Goldman and Christopher Clements (Motto Pictures).

“A Man on the Inside” premieres November 21 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.