A "Cozy Mystery" set in a Retirement Community?

Or just "getting cozy" in a Retirement Community?

The Ted Danson-starring 2024 Netflix show A Man on the Inside promises a mystery set in a retirement community. Given the low-violence premise (only a theft, not a murder) and the geriatrics-heavy list of suspects (it’s a retirement community!), viewers are prepared to sit back and enjoy a good old-fashioned “cozy” mystery.

While it ultimately turns out that Ted Danson’s character just gets cozy in a retirement community, it’s still an entertaining—and thoughtfully provocative—look at lives of seniors, even for viewers who are not quite there yet.

Having visited a few senior residences in recent years courtesy of relatives, I confess to experiencing pangs of CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community)-envy while watching the 8 short episodes (at 28 minute each, easy to binge if you are so inclined) of A Man on the Inside. Linen tablecloths at meals, rollicking Happy Hours, drama classes, residents’ council meetings, outings to malls, and downtown San Francisco views!

Clearly, especially given the aforementioned downtown San Francisco location, residents of Pacific View Retirement Community must be well-off, or have children whose successes allow them to finance luxurious accommodations—look at the sizes of these suites!—with enviable proximity to the Golden Gate Bridge, boat tours around Alcatraz, and Oracle Park baseball stadium.

The cast showcases a veritable rainbow coalition despite the fact that—probably in a nod to the economic reality of elder care in the U.S. and of living in San Francisco—the residents skew more white and Asian than the staff. All in all, there’s something idyllic about retirement community living as depicted in A Man on the Inside. If I could afford retirement in San Francisco, I’d want to inquire about how I might reserve an apartment there! And getting a unit at Pacific View seemed a suspiciously stream-lined process, unlike experiences of those I know who entered considerably less fancy digs….

The fantasy retirement community setting aside though, A Man on the Inside offered, if not a full-fledged mystery, a poignant glimpse of senior living. Death is indeed on the doorsteps of Pacific View. Perhaps more threatening though to these seniors was the other dreaded D-word. We discover fairly early in the series that the Ted Danson character’s wife had succumbed to Alzheimer’s, and the necessity—the inevitability?—of a memory care ward for dementia (euphemistically called “the Neighborhood”) clearly caused disquiet for many residents.

Ted Danson looks very comfortable in the role. Those who remember him best from Cheers might find it hard to believe that he could answer an ad for males aged 75-85 (when did he get to be 77?), but he also exhibits vulnerability and the loneliness that afflicts someone who recently lost a life partner. At times he appears bereft, purposeless, and unanchored, but does so with a subtlety that is convincing.

I don’t know that viewers should tune into A Man on the Inside expecting a crackling good whodunit. On the other hand, I’m glad that I watched this engaging meditation on fears and joys of senior living, wrapped around a tiny little mystery.