20/45
A remake of Elagente Topo (2020)
Charles, a retired man, finds a new lease on life when he answers an ad for a private investigator and becomes a mole in an undercover investigation at a nursing home. “El Agente Topo” based on a Chilean documentary. Reviewing a show requires knowing the context and the content.
Having three parents dealing with the challenges of assisted living made it all the more enjoyable and impactful
Ted Danson plays an eight-year-old widower (Charles) who struggles to establish a new routine after his wife dies of dementia-related health issues. A series of classic sitcom plot devices, Charles takes a job as an undercover detective at an assisted living facility (formerly a “nursing home”) to solve a jewelry heist. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie, is a black-and-white, anything-goes, sarcastic contrast to Danson’s good-hearted, hard-edged Charles.
The two soon clash with the establishment
director (Stephanie Beatriz did a good job as Didi), Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and the various residents and their many silly relationships. Several ill-conceived speeches focus on older women’s dates that don’t fit into the rest of the story, and Charles’ daughter’s three outrageously irreverent (and interchangeable) teenage children distract and get thrown away. The best parts are Charles’ slow immersion into his new community with some social interactions with other residents, especially Caleb, played by Stephen McKinley Henderson.
The awkward banter between Charles and Chief Julie is hilarious
Also funny is the dead guy with jokes and comments about assisted living and what happened there. And while his daughter Emily’s home life isn’t very interesting, there are some great scenes between her and Charles in later episodes. The conclusion isn’t too hard to figure out (who stole what and what will happen to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles’s awakening and acceptance of his wife’s death are very precious.
There are little things
Parts played by older stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright) that might make older viewers smile, but they are mostly wasted on pointless jokes about old people and sex. Overall, I recommend it, especially to viewers in their 40s and older.