Ted Danson’s new Netflix show, A man insideincludes several Easter eggs and references to another incredibly popular Ted Danson show, The good place. The good place premiered in 2016 and quickly became a smash hit, not only because of the show’s brilliant cast, starring Kristen Bell as main character Eleanor Shellstrop, but also because of The Good Place shocking plot twist. Danson’s character in A man insideCharles in many ways perfectly compensates for his character in The good placeMichael.
While Michael and Charles are a clear link between the two shows, there are many connections The good place in A man inside. In addition to a series of special appearances by some of the The Good Place main characters, A man inside incorporates callbacks for The good place down to the smallest details. Here are 8 Easter eggs and references to The good place in A man inside.
D’Arcy Carden has a cameo
Carden played fan-favorite character Janet In The Good Place
In The good placeD’Arcy Carden plays Janet, who serves as Michael’s assistant throughout the show. Carden’s dry performance and incredible sense of humor made this character really shine, which is partly why The good place is considered one of D’Arcy Carden’s best films and TV shows. It was therefore exciting to see Carden make a cameo at the end of A man inside as Professor Della Denunzio.
In A man insideCharles is a retired engineering professor, and in the final episode, he becomes a guest speaker in Professor Denunzio’s class. While a cameo by D’Arcy Carden in A man inside would have felt connected to The good place anyway, because of Janet’s importance on that show, seeing Danson and Carden side by side again was very reminiscent of The good place. In fact, even down to the clothes, this scene in A man inside It looked like it was taken from The good place.
“Tinker Tailor Older Spy” is a direct callback to “Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy”
Although both episodes allude to a novel (and film), their connection is clear
The first episode of A man inside“Tinker Tailor Older Spy”, is a play on the famous novel and subsequent film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Within the show, this connection makes sense. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the story of an elderly spy who comes out of retirement to discover how British secrets are being handed over to Russia. Although Charles was not originally a spy, he also came out of retirement and took on a spy mission at the age of 75.
In addition to alluding to this classic story, however, the title of this episode in A man inside ties into a very similarly titled episode of The good place“Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy.” The similarity between these two titles is particularly funny because they each reflect Ted Danson’s character on the respective shows. To The good placethis is specifically a reference to Michael’s shocking role as a demon in the series – which only becomes clear later The Good Place incredible plot twist.
Pacific View’s memory care ward is called “The Neighborhood”
The name of the memory care unit references the neighborhood of Michael’s Good Place
One of the most subtle connections between A man inside and The good place is the name of the memory care wing at Pacific View, the retirement community where Charles goes undercover. This ward is called “The Neighborhood,” which is intended to make the ward seem less foreboding, especially to community residents who fear they will need to move to the Neighborhood one day. However, this is also a reference to Michael’s ‘Neighborhood’ in The good place.
In The good placeMichael creates Neighborhood 12358W, modeled after the neighborhoods in the real Good Place, for his experiment. Hilariously, Michael’s neighborhood intentionally makes things a little worse than they would be in the real Good Place, for example by only having frozen yogurt shops (instead of ice cream shops). Although it’s just a subtle nod to The good placethis name in A man inside It couldn’t have been a coincidence.
Marc Evan Jackson has several cameos
Jackson played Evan Cubbler in A Man Inside and Shawn in a Good Place
Like D’Arcy Carden, Marc Evan Jackson has a significant role in both The good place and A man inside. In The good placeJackson plays Shawn, who is essentially Michael’s direct superior in Bad Place. While Michael is a charismatic and charming demon, Shawn maintains a neutral tone and a distant attitude towards the series’ protagonists. Even so, he, like Michael (and the other main characters), has a rewarding ending in the series.
In A man insideJackson’s character, Evan Cubbler, has a very similar personality. In fact, he was the one who requested the investigation of the retirement community, believing that employees had stolen his mother’s jewelry. Like Shawn, Evan is humorless and minimally expressive throughout his appearances on the show, even after the case is solved. Notably, this is a character type that Jackson has also played in other shows and films, but having Jackson and Danson work so closely again, particularly in yet another Michael Schur production, ties the two shows together.
Charles’ room number is the exact number of residents in the good place
This incredible detail is small, but it can’t be a coincidence
An even more subtle detail connecting A man inside and The good place is Charles’ room number at the retirement community. Charles’ room, number 322, represents the exact number of residents in Neighborhood 12358W. In fact, in The good place pilot, Michael suggests that all Good Place neighborhoods have 322 residents, although the reason for this exact number is unknown.
Of course, Michael’s neighborhood is not a true Good Place neighborhood, which means that only four of the “residents” of neighborhood 12358W are actually human: Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason. The rest are demons playing a role in Michael’s torturous experiment. Despite this mistake, Charles’ room number in A man inside is almost certainly a direct reference to The Good Place residents, especially given how specific the number is and the fact that it is Charles’ room in particular.
Eugene Cordero is an important character
The ‘Pillboi’ Actor Looks Quite a Different Man Inside
Another actor who appears in both The good place and A man inside It’s Eugène Cordero. However, unlike D’Arcy Carden and Marc Evan Jackson’s characters, Eugene Cordero’s characters in A man inside and The good place are very different. In The good placeCordero played Jason’s friend, whom he called ‘Pillboi’. Pillboi was directly involved in Jason’s death, as he and Jason attempted to rob a restaurant by having Jason hide inside a safe, where he eventually suffocated.
Just like Jason, Pillboi was a character known for being a little quirky and not that smart in general. The good placewhich is very different from Cordero’s character in A man inside. In this show, Cordero plays Joel Piñero, Charles’ son-in-law. Throughout the show, Joel proves himself to be witty, funny, and caring, struggling to deal with fatherhood of three reckless children. Of all the actors who appear in both series, Cordero is the hardest to recognize simply because the two characters couldn’t be more different.
Ted Danson gives Michael’s iconic Good Place laugh
Michael’s laugh at the end of Season 1 is a staple of the show
Perhaps Michael’s most iconic moment in The good place is the evil laugh he lets out in the final episode of Season 1, when Eleanor Shellstrop reveals that she knows she and the other characters are really in the bad place. In fact, although Eleanor’s line “THIS is the bad place” became one of the show’s most quoted lines, if not the most quoted, it wasn’t until the previously sweet Michael let out a vile laugh that it truly became clear to the audience that Eleanor was right. They were not in the Good Place.
Although it may not be exactly on the same level as that would be out of place, in A man insideCharles is sitting at a table surrounded by his new friends from the retirement community and lets out an almost identical laugh. Yes, in part because Ted Danson is the actor of both characters, of course. Notably, though, Michael and Charles laugh numerous times throughout both shows, but only in this moment in time. A man inside in particular, it looks like a direct callback to The good place.
Eleanor Shellstrop has a shocking cameo
Eleanor’s iconic sweater is shown in the final episode of A Man Inside
Although Ted Danson’s Michael was one of the stars of The good placethe show’s protagonist was certainly Eleanor Shellstrop. After waking up in the supposed Good Place knowing she didn’t deserve to be there, Eleanor, as mentioned, was the one who discovered Michael’s nefarious plot. Eleanor’s incredible redemption arc takes place in The good place It’s also arguably one of the series’ greatest strengths, once again contributing to it being a fan favorite. It was, therefore, absolutely thrilling to see Eleanor – or at least someone the show suggests is Eleanor – in A man inside.
At the end of the show, during Charles’ talk, a blonde woman stands up and appears from behind wearing the same sweater that Eleanor Shellstrop wore in the series finale. The good place. While it may have been a delightful Easter egg rather than Eleanor herself, this was obviously an homage to the beloved character. Of all the Easter eggs and references to The good place in A man insidethis brief cameo by Eleanor Shellstrop was easily one of the most moving.