34/45
A remake of the film Friday (2020)
Plot
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 for this show requires familiarity with the context and content.
It’s made more enjoyable and engaging by having three parents grapple with the challenges of assisted living
Ted Danson plays an octogenarian widower (Charles) who struggles to establish a new routine after his wife dies of dementia-related health issues. A classic sitcom series, Charles secures a job as an undercover detective at an assisted living facility (once known as an “old people’s home”) to solve a jewelry theft. His boss, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie, is a black-and-white, do-anything-to-solve-a-case, sarcastic foil to Danson’s kind-hearted and playful Charles.
The deadpan jokes and commentary about assisted living and the things that go on there are also amusing
The two quickly fall out with the facility’s director (played well by Stephanie Beatriz as Didi), Charles’ daughter Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), and the various residents and their many silly problems. There are a few poorly conceived gags about older women being daters that don’t fit with the rest of the storylines, and the incredibly disrespectful (and interchangeable) three teenage sons of Charles’ daughter are distracting and throw-offs. The best part is Charles’ slow immersion in his new community, with few social connections with the other residents, especially Caleb, played by Stephen McKinley Henderson.
The awkward banter between Charles and his boss Julie is entertaining
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 ending isn’t that hard to figure out (who stole what and what happens to Charles), but the sentimental parts of Charles’s reawakening and coming to terms with his wife’s death are very worthwhile. There are some small parts played by old stars (Sally Struthers, Veronica Cartwright), who might make older viewers smile, but mostly they’re wasted on pointless jokes about old people and sex.