11/27
Remake of El agente topo (2020)
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”. Ted Danson, about 76, plays Charles, about 76, a retired engineering professor living in San Francisco. He is also the producer of this series, which differs from most by avoiding too much common dialogue with dirty language.
In fact, it is a very clean and pleasant result
In the story, his wife died maybe a year ago from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. He is healthy, but perhaps bored with the daily routine. He has a habit of reading magazines and newspapers and often cuts out interesting ones to send to his married daughter in Sacramento. One day, through the cut-out, he glimpses a small, short advertisement.
Charles will be the key
It is looking for someone between the ages of 75 and 85 for a specific job. This leads him to a private investigator hired by a man whose mother lives in a luxury nursing home in San Francisco where some meaningful jewelry has been stolen and the son wants the thief caught. So he is hired to report to the location and observe and report as the person who will uncover what is going on. Ted Danson is simply perfect in this role, which he plays with a lot of humor.
My wife and I enjoyed it, streaming
It quickly becomes less about who the thief was and more about the relationships. The cast of characters is played by a group of excellent actors, many of them old favorites that we have known for the last 50 years or so. After watching the first three episodes in one evening, we watched the last five episodes in one sitting after our usual Saturday steak and wine dinner. The conclusion is ready for a sequel, I hope they make one.