Ted Danson's New Love Interest In Netflix's Man On The Inside Is The Most Fitting Choice, But I'm Also Here For The Role An NCIS Vet Will Play
A dream come true and a pleasant surprise!

It would seem that Netflix’s A Man on the Inside Season 2 is taking a page out of Only Murders in the Building’s playbook and absolutely stacking its ensemble of guest stars. I write that not just because the critically acclaimed Ted Danson-led comedy has cast his real-life wife as his love interest, but there’s an NCIS vet joining the cast in a very fun role, too.
Months after A Man on the Inside received its Season 2 renewal, we got some information about the new episodes’ release date, story and stars from EW. We learned the series will return on Netflix’s 2025 schedule on November 20, and we finally got to know who Danson’s actual wife, Mary Steenburgen, will be playing, and it’s his love interest! We also got some other new info, as it was announced who Gary Cole will be playing.
Alright, with that said, let’s break down what we know. In the synopsis for the upcoming season, we got a small taste of the new mystery Danson’s character Charles will be trying to solve. We know he’ll be attempting to figure out who is blackmailing the president of Wheeler College, and he’ll go undercover as a professor to try and answer questions like:
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?
At this point, I know Gary Cole best for his work on NCIS since he took over for Mark Harmon. However, I also know him from films like Dodgeball and other TV shows like The Good Wife. Personally, I can't wait to see him play an “iconoclastic billionaire,” and I think he’ll be really funny in the role too. Honestly, the image below kind of proves that to me, and makes me very excited to see his take on this rich fella:
While that’s exciting, I think I’m even more thrilled that Danson’s wife of nearly three decades will be playing his love interest. According to the synopsis, the Book Club actress will portray a teacher who makes Charles feel “feelings he thought he’d buried after the passing of his wife.” That certainly sounds like the sparks of romance to me, especially when you read the full excerpt:
Charles finds no shortage of possible suspects, but his attention gets diverted by free-spirited music teacher Mona (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?
Of course, Steenburgen and Danson have worked together before. In fact, they met when he auditioned for the play Cross Creek, and their relationship began while they filmed the movie Pontiac Moon. They also played versions of themselves on Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred opposite each other in Gulliver’s Travels and It Must Be Love. So, they’re no stranger to sharing the screen; however, it’s always a dream to see them together.
Along with these two new additions, Max Greenfield, Michaela Conlin, Jason Mantzoukas, and more are joining the cast, too, meaning we’re in for one funny and lovely time when the series returns on the 2025 TV schedule. So, make sure your Netflix subscription is ready, so you can see this new mystery that features a new cast of characters unfold this fall.
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Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.
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