The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more
TV Show: “A Man on the Inside” by Michael Schur (2024)
Michael Schur’s latest sitcom follows retired Professor Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) as he begins a second job as an amateur private detective. In its debut season, Charles must infiltrate a senior living community to investigate the theft of a valuable necklace. In the show’s second season, released November 2025, he embeds himself in a small college to investigate a missing laptop. While by no means a masterpiece of contemporary humor, “A Man on the Inside” is a digestible and thoroughly enjoyable watch, perfect for a long weekend or as entertaining background noise. Danson brings solid comedic chops, and I always enjoy depictions of older adults thriving in their golden years, ideally in unexpected or crazy situations — for instance, “Grace and Frankie” (2015–2022) or “Book Club” (2018).
Schur’s previous works include “Parks and Recreation” (2009–2015) and “The Good Place” (2016–2020), the latter of which also features Ted Danson as a main player. “A Man on the Inside” carries over the trademark comedic stylings that made those sitcoms critical darlings, as well as Schur’s propensity to create sentimental, heartfelt moments. Though simpler in scale and concept to those works, Schur’s latest expands on the great tradition of popular culture works following older adults navigating the modern world in unique ways.
Song: “Lone Star State of Mind” by Nanci Griffith (1987)
Nanci Griffith, to me, is an underappreciated figure in American singer-songwriting. Her style was never concrete — she described it as “folkabilly” — but she’s usually classified under the country and folk genres. “Lone Star State of Mind” features many of the hallmarks of Griffith’s discography which made her a cross-genre traveler. Her distinctive twang, focus on acoustics and earnest lyrics combine to make this an engaging tribute to a far-off Texas love. Like other great folk artists, Griffith’s take on yearning and devotion is at an arms’ distance and with solemnity; but the song’s clear vocals, lyrical imagery and her upper tempo (if not upbeat tone) make this one of my favorite musical examples of homesickness and heartache.
Film: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” dir. Jacques Demy (1964)
There are few films more visually stunning than Jacques Demy’s technicolor masterpiece “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” This pinnacle of French New Wave cinema follows young lovers Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) in the port city of Cherbourg, and depicts their honeymoon love tempered by reality. Guy, a mechanic, is drafted to fight in the Algerian War, while Geneviève faces pressures from her overbearing mother and family financial troubles. Heartbreak and troubled love ensues.
What separates this seemingly standard romantic drama plot from the rest is its style. Every word is sung and even if you aren’t a fan of musicals, the recitative dialogue proves disarming. You find yourself lost in each shot and taken by the beauty brought out in every person on screen (namely Deneuve’s Geneviève). “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is a movie I find myself returning to endlessly, never growing tired of the imagery or the plot. Its influence can be seen in the young perennial favorite “La La Land” (2016), though I’d argue Demy’s work is more raw and even greater in its realistic melancholy and somberness.
Book: “Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory” (2019) by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
I’ve, somewhat ashamedly, never watched “BoJack Horseman” (2014–2020), but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this collection of short stories on love from that show’s creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg. This collection follows love in all forms — romantic, platonic, familial — and while the stories all share clever writing and style, the plots vary wildly. One takes the perspective of a dog, another explores parallel universes and, in a third, a presidential Frankenstein’s monster. The book is never dull.
Some passages hit like a truck; others seem better placed in a television series. But, as is the benefit with the format, there will surely be at least one message and story that will meet nearly every reader where they are.
Written By: Vince Basada — arts@theaggie.org
