The most-watched series in the world right now

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Dominating Netflix‘s trending chart of the hottest TV shows this week is a new Ted Danson comedy, adapted from an acclaimed Spanish-language documentary, that mixes humor with a tender look at aging and the loneliness that accompanies it.

The series, A Man on the Inside, comes from Mike Schur — the TV writer and creator behind comedy classics like Parks and Recreation and The Good Place. The basic premise: Ted Danson’s character goes undercover inside an elder care facility to investigate a theft, and various hijinks quickly ensue. It’s a definite winner, one of the best new series that Netflix has released in quite a while, and we’ll take a closer look at it below. Along with, of course, the rest of what’s hot on Netflix this week.

Netflix Top 10 shows (Nov. 18-Nov. 24)

Here’s a look at this week’s complete list of the Top 10 English-language shows on Netflix.

  1. A Man on the Inside — 6.9 million views
  2. Arcane (Season 2) — 6.4 million views
  3. Cobra Kai (Season 6) — 5.7 million views
  4. Outer Banks (Season 4) — 2.7 million views
  5. Arcane (Season 1) — 2.2 million views
  6. Our Oceans (Season 1) — 2.1 million views
  7. The Diplomat (Season 2) — 2 million views
  8. The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish (Season 1) — 2 million views
  9. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson — 1.8 million views
  10. The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 3) — 1.7 million views

To learn more about some of this week’s other most-watched series, you can go deeper by checking out our previous coverage of several of the Netflix originals on this list — including new seasons of the YA drama Outer Banks as well as the political thriller The Diplomat. For now, though, let’s focus on the biggest Netflix TV release in the world at the moment.

A Man on the Inside — #1 on Netflix

Before streaming had finished wrapping its tentacles around the throat of the TV industry, there was a gone-too-soon era in the 2000s when quality half-hour comedies still dominated our TV screens. I’m talking shows like The Office, 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the aforementioned Parks and Recreation. Leave it to a creator involved with a few of those shows to bring the magic back to Netflix, which has in my opinion struggled a bit on this front.

Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Julie, Kerry O’Malley as Megan, and Ted Danson as Charles in “A Man on the Inside.” Image source: Netflix

Schur’s eight-episode A Man on the Inside was a Top 10 show in 64 countries this week, a testament to his ability to blend heart and humor in his work. Danson plays Charles, a retired professor who feels adrift after the death of his wife. He decides to keep busy by diving into a new project, which leads him to answering a want ad from a private detective — one that will involve him checking in to a retirement home and serving as the investigator’s eyes and ears in order to solve a theft.

Danson delivers a standout performance, with his typical mix of charm and sophistication, and he’s supported by a talented cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz as the head of the retirement home, Mary Elizabeth Ellis (who plays Charles’ daughter), and Lilah Richcreek Estrada (the investigator). The show avoids clichéd jokes about aging, keeping viewers entertained instead with gentle humor and poignant storylines that have clearly resonated with millions of Netflix subscribers.

And when you’re done watching A Man on the Inside, check out the documentary that inspired it — The Mole Agent, also on Netflix, which you can read more about here.

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