Netflix just released A Man on the Insideseason 2, and it shockingly left out one obvious (and perfect) Easter egg for The Good Place. A Man on the Inside season 1 was incredibly popular, for myriad reasons. Not only was the cast of A Man on the Inside—especially Ted Danson—excellent, but also, the story was deeply touching.
Yet, one of the most delightful aspects of A Man on the Inside is that it feels nearly like a sequel to The Good Place, not only because Danson played Michael in that show, but also because A Man on the Inside is created by Michael Schur and, in terms of its themes and concepts, feels like a natural continuation.
This connection only makes it all the more confusing that A Man on the Inside season 2 opted not to include a major The Good Place Easter egg that would have been absolutely perfect, and I still can’t figure out why.
A Man On The Inside Is The Good Place’s Sister Show
It felt safe to assume, even before A Man on the Inside was first released, that this new show and The Good Place were going to have some touchpoints. After all, as mentioned, both shows share Michael Schur as a creator and Ted Danson as a leading character. However, the extent of the connections between the two shows proved surprising.
In addition to some other familiar faces from The Good Place appearing in the show, such as D’Arcy Carden and Marc Evan Jackson in season 1 and Jason Mantzoukas in season 2, A Man on the Inside has so many references, subtle and otherwise, to The Good Place.
In season 1, the references to The Good Place included the fact that the memory wing of the retirement community in which Charles goes undercover is called The Neighborhood and Charles’ room number at the retirement community is 322—the exact number of residents in the neighborhood in The Good Place.
The extent of these references and connections led some to wonder whether A Man on the Inside and The Good Place share a universe. Although that’s next to impossible based on various story details in both shows, it’s clear that they are effectively sister shows. So why on Earth was this brilliant season 2 opportunity not taken advantage of?
A Man On The Inside Season 2 Not Referencing Chidi Was A Missed Opportunity
In A Man on the Inside season 2, Charles is no longer undercover in a retirement community. Instead, he is an engineering professor, just as he actually was before he retired. Much of the season is therefore set within the college, which includes a scene in which head PI Julie goes to see a moral philosophy professor.
You might be thinking, especially given A Man on the Inside’s history of linking to The Good Place, that this means at the very least a reference to Chidi Anagonye or perhaps even a cameo from William Jackson Harper. Unfortunately, neither is true. This scene takes place without any connection to Chidi.
This is such a massive missed opportunity for A Man on the Inside, and it really just makes no sense. Why incorporate something that hits this close to Chidi/The Good Place and not at least offer a cheeky nod to the character for audiences? Forget disappointing; this was downright shocking to see.
It remains unclear why A Man on the Inside opted not to include a reference to The Good Place in this scene, and I can’t let go of how badly I wish we could have gotten a glimpse of Chidi one last time.
