A Man on the Inside may be set in San Francisco, but the cameos have us believing it’s actually The Good Place.
Fans who tuned in for the wholesome and hilarious new Netflix comedy from creator Mike Schur and star Ted Danson were greeted repeatedly by familiar faces from Schur projects of the past, i.e. The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This time around, the comedy producer assembled an all-star cast to tell the tale of Charles (Danson), a retired professor and widower who takes an undercover private investigating gig inside a nursing home to fill his abundance of free time. To tell an equally heartbreaking and heartwarming story, the showrunner enlisted Schur-iverse (can we coin this term?) veterans like Marc Evan Jackson, Stephanie Beatriz, and Jama Williamson, as well as newcomers Lilah Richcreek Estrada and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Mary Elizabeth Ellis.
The series also included a Season 1 finale surprise cameo from The Good Place‘s Janet herself, a.k.a. D’Arcy Carden. She had one line, sure, but it was the sentiment of the reunion between the beloved characters that hit Good Place lovers right in the feels. But before Carden could appear on screen, there was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from another TGP star.
When A Man on the Inside first hit Netflix in late November, some eagle-eyed fans pointed out a notable shot of a woman in Charles’ lecture wearing a familiar piece of clothing. The wide shot sees the woman — who sports medium-length blonde hair — standing up to put her rainbow sweater and jeans on display before turning to exit the auditorium. It was a clear nod to Schur’s ethical dilemma of an NBC show and the character of Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell. What we didn’t know at the time? That woman was actually Bell.
Holy. Forking. Shirtballs.
The shot is a callback to one of the final and most important moments in The Good Place, showing Eleanor facing the door to the beyond. Just like in the NBC series, the woman in the classroom pauses briefly while looking ahead, echoing Eleanor’s hesitation to leave the afterlife and dissolve into specks of energy to go back out into the universe.
It was evident from the moment the show hit the streaming platform that the unnamed character bore a resemblance to the Veronica Mars actress, or at least her Good Place character. It wasn’t until Janet Carden confirmed it, however, that Bell’s cameo was revealed.
In an Instagram post, Carden shared a photo with Danson, Bell, Jackson, Schur, and producer Morgan Sackett, identifying Bell — who is busy with her own Netflix show, Nobody Wants This — as the sweater-clad student in Charles’ class.
“another mystery solved,” Carden captioned her social media post.
“Jeremy Bearimy, baby,” replied Jackson, the actor behind the roles of Mr. Cubbler in A Man on the Inside and Shawn in The Good Place.
Even better, Bell reposted the photo to her own page, adding the acronym “IYKYK” which stands for “if you know, you know” to the caption.
Be still our beating hearts! This only makes us wonder, who could they bring in for A Man on the Inside Season 2? And even though Carden has already appeared in Nobody Wants This, does this mean Danson will cameo in the show’s recently announced second season? Let’s hope so.
Season 1 of A Man on the Inside is now streaming on Netflix. You can also watch all four seasons of The Good Place on Netflix.