A Man on the Inside arrived on Netflix on November 21, 2024, introducing television fans to their next favorite cozy mystery-comedy. Created by Mike Schur and based on the Chilean documentary The Mole Agent, the new must-watch series is led by Ted Danson as Charles, a retired professor and widow who chooses an interesting new life path, becoming an amateur spy in a retirement home rocked by theft. After he enters Pacific View, things get complicated as he has to balance his covert investigation with his building relationships with the residents.
By the finale of the eight-episode debut season, Charles's time at Pacific View ends. The same can't be said for his amateur detective career, as Schur and Danson already have plans for the series' next mystery. Here's everything we know about the potential of A Man on the Inside season 2, including whether any of season 1's stars could return for more episodes.
Has 'A Man on the Inside' been renewed for season 2?
Prepare for more septuagenarian spy antics! On December 26, 2024, Netflix announced that A Man on the Inside has been renewed for a second season. The forthcoming season is among Netflix's slate of comedy shows set to return (and we're thrilled about), including the romance series Nobody Wants This and Survival of the Thickest.
“We are thrilled to make another season of A Man on the Inside, starring young up-and-comer Ted Danson,” series creator Michael Schur told Tudum. “From our partners at Netflix and Universal TV to the writers, cast, and crew, it’s a truly exceptional team of talented and lovely people, with one notable exception (young up-and-comer Ted Danson, who’s kind of a nightmare).”
When will 'A Man on the Inside' season 2 come out?
While it's too early for an exact release date, Netflix has revealed that A Man on the Inside season 2 is set to arrive on the platform sometime in 2025. This puts the new episodes in line with season 1's production schedule. According to Deadline, A Man on the Inside (then titled A Classic Spy) gathered its cast in early February 2024 and began filming later that month, before its November 2024 premiere. With this guide, fans can likely expect new episodes no later than November 2025, just one year after season 1's debut.
Who in the 'A Man on the Inside' cast will return for season 2?
With A Man on the Inside being a mystery-box series, it's nearly guaranteed that the show's mystery solvers (and their families) will return for season 2, including Ted Danson (Charles), Lilah Richcreek Estrada (Julie), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (Emily), and Eugene Cordero (Joel).
Unfortunately, it's not as clear whether any of the residents or staff of Shady Pines would return since that story from season 1 gets wrapped up nicely by the finale. Hopefully one or two of Charles's new friends could pop up for a cameo, but it's more likely that A Man on the Inside would bring on an all-new cast each season, à la Only Murders in the Building.
What will 'A Man on the Inside' season 2 be about?
Spoilers for the ending of A Man on the Inside ahead. The final moments of A Man on the Inside's season 1 finale flash forward a month after the Pacific View case ended. After getting briefed on a new case, private detective Julia says her team will have to pass because it's "impossible," before her assistant Megan (Kerry O'Malley) points out how they already know someone perfect for the job. "Oh, crap," Julie says, before calling someone and telling them, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have another job for you."
Charles is on the other line, and has a brief, very cool moment where he answers, "Say no more," and hangs up...before quickly calling back. "Hey, sorry. I do need you to say more. But whatever it is, I'm in." Restart the guitar riff, we have a season 2.
Because season 1 ended without cliffhangers, Charles' next investigation is entirely open-ended and the show could go in several different directions.
Creator Mike Schur has ideas, though. Speaking with Deadline when the show premiered in November 2024, he shared hopes for a continuation and what he had been thinking about in terms of its future. "We’re sort of in a fingers crossed, we’ll that bridge when we come to it, kind of a deal. But I will say that there is no shortage of ideas from me and from other writers about what we might do in a future season. Fingers crossed, we’ll see," he told the outlet. Meanwhile, Danson reportedly crossed his fingers and added, "Dear Lord, yes."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Danson admitted that his new Netflix series may be his favorite job yet and how its future could go in several way. The star reiterated that "there's no shortage of stories to tell" in the series, and mentioned that he'd love to see some of his co-stars reappear in a second season.
"I'm so grateful that I have no idea [about season 2's plot], so I wouldn't have to pretend like I can't tell you," he said. "I know that Mike has millions of ideas. If we're so lucky, seeing how it takes place in San Francisco, it'd be nice if some of these characters [from season 1] we could bump into them on the street, because it won't take place in that retirement home. It'll be someplace else, but they all live in San Francisco, so it'd be wonderful to bump into them that way."
