42/46
A remake of El agente topo (2020)
Charles, who has retired, gets a new lease on life when he answers a private investigator ad and becomes the mole for an undercover investigation at a nursing home. Based on the Chilean documentary El Agente Topo. To write a review of this show, you need to be familiar with the context and content.
Having three parents dealing with the challenges of assisted living made it more enjoyable and affecting
Ted Danson plays an octogenarian widower (Charles) who is struggling to establish a new routine after his wife dies from dementia-related health issues. In a plot device from the series’ classic sitcoms, Charles secures a job as an undercover detective at an assisted living facility (what used to be called a “Home for the Elderly”) to solve a jewelry theft. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada, as Julie, is black and white, but who can solve the case, sarcastically, Danson’s kind-hearted and square Charles.
Also fun are the deadpan jokes and commentary about assisted living and the things that go on there
director (well played by Stephanie Beatriz as Didi), Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and the various residents and their many silly problems. There are some poorly conceived gimmicks for the older women that don’t fit the rest of the story, and the incredibly irreverent (and interchangeable) three teenage sons of Charles’ daughter are distracting and distracting. The best parts are Charles’ slow immersion in his new community, with few social interactions with the 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 life at the home isn’t all that interesting, there are some great scenes between her and Charles in the later episodes. It’s not terribly difficult to figure out (who stole what) to finish. , and what will happen to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles’ awakening and acceptance of his wife’s death are very valuable.
Overall, I recommend it, especially for viewers in their forties and older
The parts played by old stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright) may make older viewers smile, but are mostly wasted on meaningless jokes about old people and sex.
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