15/22
Remake of Salainen agentti vanhainkodissa (2020)
Synopsis
Charles, a retiree, gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a private detective and becomes the mole in an undercover investigation at a nursing home.. Based on the Chilean documentary “El Agente Topo”. Writing a review of this show requires familiarity with the context and content.
Having three parents dealing with the challenges of assisted living made this all the more enjoyable and affecting
Ted Danson plays an octogenarian widower (Charles) who struggles to establish a new routine after the death of his wife due to dementia-related health issues. In a series of classic sitcom plot devices, Charles secures a job as an undercover detective at an assisted living facility (what used to be referred to as a ‘nursing home’) to solve a jewelry heist. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julia, is a black-and-white, anything-can-fix-the-case, sarcastic slob to Danson’s hearty, square-faced Charles.
There’s also deadpan amusement in the jokes and commentary about assisted living and the things that go on there
The two quickly fall out over the facility’s director (played well by Stephanie Beatriz as Didi), Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and the various residents and their many misguided problems. There are several poorly conceived shtick-based plots centered around the elderly women who are chosen, who don’t fit in with the rest of the storylines, and Charles’ daughter’s outrageously disrespectful (and interchangeable) three teenage sons are distracting and helpful. The best parts are Charles’ slow immersion in his new community with a few social connections with other residents, especially Caleb, played by Stephen McKinley Henderson.
The awkward banter between Charles and the boss, Julie, is hilarious
And while daughter Emily’s home life isn’t all that interesting, it does create some great scenes between her and Charles in the later episodes. The conclusion isn’t terribly hard to understand (who stole what, and what’s going to happen to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles’s awakening and coming to terms with his wife’s death are very worthwhile. There are a few small parts by old-time stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright) that might make older viewers smile, but they’re mostly wasted on silly jokes about old people and sex.