Ted Danson and Mike Schur celebrate ‘living a bigger life’ with age in ‘A Man on the Inside’

As a person who has spent a considerable amount of time observing and reflecting on my own life, I find Mike Schur’s words to be particularly resonant. His experiences, as portrayed in this article, echo my own feelings about the natural shrinking of one’s life as responsibilities pile up.

Mike Schur, the mastermind behind “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” is buzzing with excitement like a kid on a sugar rush from Halloween candy. The morning after the Dodgers clinched the World Series, Schur – an ardent baseball fan with unwavering allegiance to the Boston Red Sox – is recounting the team’s remarkable comeback in the fifth inning of Game 5 against the New York Yankees, as Ted Danson shows keen interest, listening curiously.

In a more candid moment, Schur admitted, “I can’t help but feel guilty about it, but it’s a reflection of me: I took pleasure in seeing Yankee fans disappointed.” Having resided in New York for seven years, he experienced the Yankees winning the World Series four times during that period. He confessed to being miserable throughout this stretch, which left an indelible mark on him. “My heart is cold and calloused towards the Yankees,” he explained. “I can’t muster any compassion. It’s the one place in my life where I feel truly cynical and malicious.

“I was watching ‘The Great British Bake Off,’” Danson deadpans.

“Did you feel the same way about whoever won or lost?” Schur asks.

“No,” Danson says. “But I felt that way about the Celtics during the Magic [Johnson] era.”

The strength of interpersonal relationships, such as the fellowship between hobbyist bakers or the exhilaration shared by sports enthusiasts cheering for their team, is not only a part of Schur and Danson’s witty banter. It also forms a crucial foundation for their enlightening new sitcom.

Four years following their collaboration on NBC’s philosophical comedy “The Good Place,” which centered around morality, ethics, and deceased characters in the afterlife, Schur and Danson have teamed up once more for a heartfelt, humorous exploration of loneliness and finding purpose in later life. This new venture is called “A Man on the Inside,” an eight-episode series debuting on Netflix on November 21st.

In this rephrased version, the sitcom centers around the character Danson as Charles, a former professor and widower who finds himself stuck in a dull, solitary existence. To avoid bothering her, he grows emotionally distant from his daughter portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Ellis. However, things take an exciting turn when a private detective recruits him to disguise himself and investigate a theft at a retirement home in San Francisco, involving the mystery of a missing heirloom.

Schur and his collaborator, Morgan Sackett, were deeply engaged in transforming the 1989 baseball drama “Field of Dreams” for Peacock. However, as it became apparent that the project was not progressing, Sackett emailed Schur to ask if he had watched a documentary directed by Maite Alberdi. This film, set in Chile, follows the heartwarming and surprising tale of Sergio, a 83-year-old widower, who responds to an advertisement in his local newspaper to spend three months undercover at a retirement home to investigate potential mistreatment. What makes this film unique is that Sergio is a lovable James Bond impersonator, but the insights he provides about relationships, loss, and elder care are much more profound.

Sackett felt strongly that they should remake it as a series, with Danson in the lead.

Schur expresses, as he sits beside Danson on a comfortable sofa within Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters, “I watched the entire show almost immediately after.” About three weeks later, we had lunch with Ted. Sergio possesses an undeniable charm and charisma that is hard to replicate. In order to remake something successfully, you must be certain that you have someone capable of embodying that original performance. Given his unique abilities, only Ted was suitable for this role.

At 76 years old, four decades after his iconic role as Sam Malone in “Cheers,” Danson found himself drawn to the ideas explored in “A Man on the Inside”: that even in their later years, people can continue to make significant contributions and enjoy a higher quality of life through a sense of belonging. It wasn’t until afterwards that he questioned if he was suitable for the part. He might have been the right age, but given his description of himself as a “silly man who stays young by being silly,” he wondered if this character would align with the stereotypical image of retirement homes.

In the end, the clash between societal norms and Danson’s personality served to fuel his rebellion. This discrepancy granted Danson the freedom to pursue his personal ambitions, a time in life when most professionals are typically winding down their careers.

Over the past few years, a thought has been lingering in my mind: “I wish to continue working as long as my body permits, for I’m eager to explore what it means to be funny at any stage of life.” This is something I yearn to uncover. I don’t desire to revert to my past or cling to youth. Instead, I aspire to grow older and honor the process by celebrating aging, all while using humor as a way to mark this journey.

The documentary’s knack for blending humor from unexpected character actions with delicate topic discussions really resonated with Danson and Schur. They both highlight the film’s initial scenes, where potential spies attempt to showcase their tech skills – like taking pictures with a phone or connecting to the internet via Wi-Fi – as representing the tone they aim to embrace.

Danson, who was watching the movie with his wife, Mary Steenburgen, exclaims that the sequence was extremely funny. He admits that his statement might give an impression of him being superior, but he quickly clarifies. He understands technology well, but when a streaming service asks him to log in again, he gets frustrated and reacts with strong language. He expresses his anger by pressing buttons frantically on the device. However, Danson is capable of handling a FaceTime call.

He continues: “But what I loved, loved, loved is how Mike totally captured Charles’ journey from taking his spying very seriously to realizing, ‘No, no, no. There’s something human here that I need to tend to.’”

In order to expand the narrative scope for mysteries, suspense, and the private investigator character portrayed by Lilah Richcreek Estrada, Schur and his team used the theft at the retirement home as a central plot point in an eight-episode series. This choice also allowed for Charles’ character development, transitioning him from a bumbling novice spy to a skilled case solver. The cast includes Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) as the insightful retirement home manager, along with Sally Struthers, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Susan Ruttan, and John Getz portraying residents.

As a passionate movie reviewer, diving headfirst into this captivating project of transforming a documentary into a quirky sitcom, I’ve found myself guided by one unwavering principle: We’re going to meticulously alter and expand various elements, and even introduce characters that didn’t feature in the original documentary. However, the documentary serves as our guiding light, not so much for its narrative, but rather for the profound, indescribable essence it imbues – a feeling I can barely put into words, yet instantly recognize when it strikes me.

What really tugged at Schur is a reality that often sets in without notice: How our lives have gotten smaller in the modern age. Robert D. Putnam’s 2000 book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” which surveys how Americans have become increasingly disconnected from each other with the decline of social institutions like bowling leagues, had been a big influence in Schur’s crafting of “Parks and Recreation” and Leslie Knope’s guiding principle. That influence has carried over to “A Man on the Inside” too, he says.

In “A Man on the Inside,” Stephen McKinley Henderson plays Calbert, one of the main characters. (Photo by Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix)

The show begins by showing Charles carrying out his usual activities in a sequence: rising from bed, getting ready, meticulously preparing his coffee with measured beans, solving a crossword, taking a short rest, browsing the newspaper (and saving articles to share with his daughter), eating, reading, dozing off, and then starting the day all over again.

It’s clear that he remained silent throughout the day. People are inherently social creatures; we thrive on interaction with others. However, Charles, played by Ted, seems to have a narrower existence despite being lively and intelligent. The query here is: can he experience something that will make him appreciate the significance of living a more expansive life, not just for himself but also for us viewers?

It’s something that has deep personal resonance for Schur.

He admits it might seem odd, but he feels as though his personal world has contracted over the years, despite Danson highlighting his busy professional life. At 25, if someone suggested an outing, he’d jump at the chance. But now, at 49, he often defaults to a ‘No’, tired from the week’s exertions. He doesn’t consciously realize it as reducing his life, but that is precisely what happens. It’s natural for priorities to shift with age—to family, relationships, or career. Yet, there are elements of shrinkage in one’s life that may go unnoticed.

I believe COVID-19 served as a catalyst for change, leading us to adapt to a more modest lifestyle. Once the pandemic subsided, there was an underlying desire to return to normal activities like attending a baseball game or concert. However, it’s the smaller, everyday moments that really shifted – like dining out with friends or strolling with a loved one. I hadn’t fully grasped just how much these routine activities had been diminished in my own life until I worked on this project.

In his efforts, Danson works diligently to confront the apprehensions about growing old that he held in his younger years – and Jane Fonda lends a helping hand.

At age 70, he recalls thinking, “I’ve got to find a place to land. I need to pace myself and take care.” Around the same time, Mary joined Jane in ‘The Book Club’ productions. I met Jane, who was pressing the gas pedal at 80. She was already 80 when I turned 70. And she would spend a full day shooting for ‘Grace and Frankie’, then hop on a bus to help women in the service industry in Sacramento. She never slowed down. It struck him, “Oh, right. Keep going. Finish strong.” Why should we plan for decline? We tell our children they can grow up to be anything they desire. But we often stop telling that to ourselves at a certain age.

By making this series accessible to a larger group, many unaware of the initial documentary, Schur aims to shed light on the compassionate community of healthcare workers. They dedicate their lives, showing remarkable selflessness and grace, in providing care for those in need. Beyond simply highlighting this, he aspires that it stirs the same emotional impact that witnessing Sergio in “The Mole Agent” had for him and Danson.

After watching the documentary, everyone seemed to share the same sentiment: ‘I should reach out to my parents and spend more time with my children.’ This emotional response seems to be quite common, and I hope our show elicits a similar feeling, as that was our aim.

Danson, clearing his throat, adds with a mix of playfulness and earnestness, “It seems the message was geared towards those under 50. Allow me to offer some advice for our elder group: Don’t let up! Seize the day! This is your life, and it might not last forever. Go for it!

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2024-11-14 14:35