A Thanksgiving episode of ‘A Man on the Inside’ meditates on mothers and loss

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Mike Schur bemoans the loss of holiday episodes on television.

The shift away from the traditional September-to-May TV season means we’re losing holiday-themed episodes that used to be a big part of television. The creator notes they especially miss seeing shows tied to holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, a tradition that was common throughout their childhood and in most of the shows they worked on before around 2015.

I just finished watching the second season of Dan Schur’s comedy, “A Man on the Inside,” and it’s great! He’s the guy behind “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” so I had high expectations. There’s this Thanksgiving episode that starts out totally chaotic and funny, but it unexpectedly turns into something really touching about the relationships between mothers and daughters. It genuinely surprised me!

The fifth episode, titled “Thanksgiving Break,” follows Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) as he hosts Thanksgiving dinner at his home with his new girlfriend, Mona (Mary Steenburgen, also Danson’s wife). Charles’ daughter, Emily, struggles with whether to recreate her late mother’s pecan pie, fearing it will upset her father as he starts a new relationship. Adding to the mix, Mona invites Charles’ boss, Julie, and Julie’s mother, Vanessa, a former con artist who spent time in jail, causing tension between them. The episode explores the complexities of family, loss, and new beginnings during the holiday.

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In Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside,” Schur and Danson come together again for a heartwarming and funny exploration of feeling alone and figuring out what matters later in life.

Instead of continuing the season’s main storyline about Charles’s college investigation, the episode focuses on exploring the characters and their personal journeys through the holiday celebrations.

According to Schur, Thanksgiving is typically the most stressful and emotionally charged time for families.

The Thanksgiving dinner takes a dramatic turn when Julie confronts Vanessa, making her confess a past mistake in front of everyone. However, the episode’s most touching moment comes when Julie and Emily connect over their shared experiences with loss. While Julie points out the differences in their situations, Emily offers heartfelt advice: “You only get one mom,” she says, “and I miss mine every day. If there’s even a small chance you can fix things with your mother, you should try.”

Julie seems to hear her, and texts her mom, “I’m sorry,” and “I love you.”

Schur explains it’s a story about two grown women, each with a unique mother, facing different challenges in their lives. He adds that Thanksgiving often encourages people to think about their family relationships.

Ellis explains that the episode made the cast weep during the table read.

Ellis recently shared that life is a mix of joy and sorrow. While things can be going well and filled with laughter, we inevitably experience loss and broken relationships. But, according to Ellis, the beauty of life lies in our ability to heal and rebuild.

During the first season of “A Man on the Inside,” Charles pretended to be a resident at a retirement community. The show deliberately kept details about Julie’s personal life a secret, using her as a contrast to Charles’s character. So, Estrada was excited when Schur told her future episodes would finally reveal her history.

Review

‘A Man on the Inside,’ starring Ted Danson, is sweet, serious but always funny

The 76-year-old actor stars alongside other actors in their seventies as a former professor who goes undercover working at a retirement home.

It’s great that the show finally reveals the reasons behind Julie’s behavior. She’s not perfect – she’s flawed, messy, and very human, which is what makes her so easy to connect with.

During the scene with Emily, Estrada focused on showing the audience the hidden pain Julie usually keeps concealed beneath her strong exterior.

Estrada explains she wanted the audience to see the character’s raw emotion and pain, as she could no longer mask it. She hoped viewers would connect with the wounded inner child still struggling to cope with a past trauma and attempting to heal.

The new storyline about becoming a mother happened at a significant time in the actress’s personal life. She was just over five weeks after giving birth when filming began, and being a new mom herself – and thinking about how her character’s choices would impact her son – gave the story a deeper meaning and felt very real.

She realized that her actions impact others deeply, and she started to really feel that connection. Thinking about her own mother, she understood that even when people try their hardest, they can still unintentionally hurt those they love.

Now that she was starting to understand what being a mother meant, she felt more sympathy for Vanessa, despite having to portray Julie’s early distance from her own mother.

Ellis can relate to Emily’s situation, as she’s raising a nearly 14-year-old son going through typical teenage changes. It reminds her of Emily’s experience with her three teenage children, who are mostly interested in video games. Ellis feels the conversation between Julie and Emily reflects her own views on how to parent.

I try to be honest with my kids about parenting. I tell them I’m learning as I go and I’m bound to make mistakes. But I also want to teach them about forgiveness – I’ll ask for theirs when I mess up, and they can ask for mine when they do something silly. It’s about being generous with forgiveness and practicing it together.

Schur explains that the episode was intentionally structured to bring Julie and Emily together for a conversation. However, they didn’t want to lose the show’s silly humor. For example, Vanessa’s boyfriend, played by Jason Mantzoukas, shows up with his sick guinea pig, adding to the comedic chaos.

Sneaking that kind of thoughtful material into sitcoms is what Schur does best, Ellis says.

What Mike Schur does brilliantly in his shows is explore huge, thought-provoking ideas by focusing on how they affect his characters. This allows families to watch together and hopefully discuss these topics, bringing them closer and encouraging positive growth.

Thanksgiving provides a natural opportunity for these kinds of conversations. At the same time, the show’s creators and actors are bringing back a classic TV practice.

Ellis compares it to those classic water cooler moments from before, when everyone would return from Thanksgiving break and immediately gather at work to discuss whatever big thing had happened while they were away.

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2025-11-20 14:36