A Man on the Inside- Season 2 (review)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 18 December 2025

Ted Danson is back, this time alongside his real life wife Mary Steenburgen, working as a trainee private investigator in this Netflix comedy drama.

Charles is working small cases, predominantly exposing love affairs, but craves another big investigation to pursue. This arrives when a college president hires Kovalenko Investigations to discover who stole his laptop amidst a large donation by a controversial wealthy benefactor, with Charles posing as a visiting professor on campus.

The setting change from Pacific View Retirement Community to Wheeler College is initially concerning, but the college also makes a nice setting and brings with it a whole host of new likeable characters too. Furthermore, Calbert, Didi, Virginia and Elliott all reappear, as does Pacific View, creating enjoyable ties to the first season. Additionally, the series is still set among the stunning backdrop of San Francisco.

This season also delves into Julie’s personal life, revealing some childhood trauma behind that tough exterior. We learn that she has an estranged relationship with her mother, who went to prison when Julie was a child. The decision to include this further aspect is a good one as the characters are such a driving force of this show.

The Thanksgiving episode is the highlight of the season. The case isn’t covered in this episode, instead focusing purely on all the characters and their relationships with each other as everyone gathers at Charles’. Mona upstages Charles, foreshadowing that her free-spirited personality may be incompatible with his more regimental nature, and Emily struggles with the absence of her mother, while Julie struggles to forgive hers.

The series provides another satisfactory ending as the case is believed to be solved, only for a final twist to come. Additionally, Charles qualifies as an official PI, Emily attends Wheeler, Julie and Didi make up with romantic intent teased and Ben is welcomed to Pacific View.

Once again, the absolute foundation of the show is its unwavering heart and warmth. Rarely is a show this enjoyable to watch as it delicately balances lighthearted comedy with more emotional moments.

A Man on the Inside is as feelgood as a series gets; here’s hoping there’s more cases to come for the newly-qualified spy!

8/10