Charles Nieuwendyk is back on the case! Everyone’s favorite retired professor turned undercover investigative assistant returns in A Man on the Inside season 2 on Netflix. Last year, we met Ted Danson’s latest lovable comedy character, and viewers absolutely fell in love with the charming mystery series and its unique blend of heart, humor, and whodunit.
The second season of the Netflix hit features a whole new location, familiar faces added to cast, and a case that will keep us on the edge of our seats alongside Charles. But before we can begin binge-watching the new episodes, we have to make sure we’re ready. Here’s everything fans need to know about A Man on the Inside season 2, including the release date and more!
When is the A Man on the Inside season 2 release date on Netflix?
A Man on the Inside season 2 begins streaming on Netflix on Thursday, November 20 at 3 a.m. ET / midnight PT. The new season arrives almost exactly one year after the series premiere in 2024, but it’s one day early. How often can we say that Netflix dropped a new season of an original series in less than one year? The new season contains eight episodes, which will be available to stream all at once, and makes for the perfect weekend binge if you don’t want to start at midnight or 3 a.m.
Who’s starring in season 2 with Ted Danson?
Ted Danson returns to reprise his role as Charles Nieuwendyk, a role than landed him Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. Additionally, the main cast of A Man on the Inside appears to be mostly unchanged as Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Lilah Richcreek Estrada, Stephanie Beatriz, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are all confirmed to return in their roles, too. Danson’s real-life wife, Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, joins the cast.
Since the setting of season 2 changes from the retirement home to a liberal arts college, a number of the characters that we spend time with in the first season likely won’t return. However, a large number of new cast members have joined season 2: Gary Cole, Michaela Conlin, Max Greenfield, Sam Huntington, Jason Mantzoukas, Constance Marie, David Strathairn, Jill Talley, Madison Hu, Lisa Gilroy, Linda Park, and the aforementioned Mary Steenburgen.
Like with the first season’s various cameo appearances, we can also expect season 2 to have a few secret cameos from recognizable faces from creator Mike Schur’s past hit shows. There will also be returns from various recurring cast members from the first season. But for now, take a closer look at the confirmed season 2 cast members:
- Ted Danson as Charles Nieuwendyk
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Emily Nieuwendyk
- Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie Kovalenko
- Stephanie Beatriz as Did Santos Cordero
- Stephen McKinley Henderson as Calbert Graham
- Mary Steenburgen as Mona Margadoff
- Gary Cole as Brad Vinick
- Michaela Conlin as Andrea Yi
- Max Greenfield as Jack Berenger
- Sam Huntington as Max Griff
- Jason Mantzoukas as Apollo Lambrakis
- Constance Marie as Vanessa
- David Stathairn as Dr. Cole
- Jill Talley as Holly Bodgemark
- Madison Hu as Claire
- Lisa Gilroy as Kelseigh Rose
- Linda Park as Elizabeth Muki
What to expect from A Man on the Inside season 2
As teased in the season 1 finale after Charles figured out who was the retirement home thief, A Man on the Inside season 2 finds Charles taking on a new case and continuing to work with Julie. This time around, he’s going undercover at Wheeler College, which should be a bit more natural of a setting for Charles since he used to be a college professor before he retired.
He steps back into his old profession when he poses as a professor at Wheeler College to investigate the blackmailing of the college’s president Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield, from New Girl, The Neighborhood, and Netflix’s Running Point). He looks at the possibility of a billionaire alumni being behind the blackmail, but there are plenty more suspects with motives.
Check out the official synopsis for season 2 via Netflix:
“Eager to take on another big undercover case, Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) gets his chance when a mysterious blackmailer targets Wheeler College president Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield), who enlists Charles to go undercover as a professor. Who’s making these threats? Does it have something to do with the iconoclastic billionaire Brad Vinick (Gary Cole), a Wheeler graduate, and his proposed donation to the school? Charles finds no shortage of possible suspects, but his attention gets diverted by free-spirited music teacher Mona (Mary Steenburgen), whose zest for life awakens feelings he thought he’d buried after the passing of his wife. Is he ready to open his heart again at this stage in his life? And more importantly, has he fallen for the very criminal he’s been sent to unmask?”
Beyond the case, Charles seems to be opening himself back up to the possibility of love after seemingly getting closure on his wife’s death at the end of season 1. He will be romancing Steenburgen’s music teacher character Mona, an art imitating life moment for Danson and Steenburgen. But as the synopsis suggests, Mona might not be who she says she is.
Emily will also take inspiration from her dad and try something new, and Julie reconnects with someone from her past. Could this be a family member? A significant other? A former colleague? We’ll have to see what’s in store for the characters surrounding Charles this season, and try to piece together the blackmail mystery at Wheeler College along with him!
Is there a trailer for season 2?
Yes! Netflix released the official season 2 trailer for A Man on the Inside about two weeks ahead of the release on Nov. 20. As the preview clip reveals, everything we loved about the first season is still present in season 2 but bigger and better. Charles appears to have worked many cases with Julie, but he’s still as bumbling and accident prone as ever. The trailer also gives a glimpse of the dynamic between Charles and Mona and the suspicions surrounding her. Watch for yourself below!
