Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen on Playing Love Interests in ‘A Man on the Inside’ (Exclusive)

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are showing off their love on screen!

The two actors costar as love interests in the second season of Netflix’s A Man on the Inside. At the show’s premiere event at PaleyFest 2025 in New York City, they told PEOPLE about their excitement over sharing the screen.

“We’re both actors,” Danson says. “We were trained the same way. We had some really good material to work with. We’d get up every morning giggling about what we get to do.”

The Emmy winner, 77, also gave props to Michael Schur, whom he previously collaborated with on The Good Place. “Mike Schur is one of those amazing writers who knows who you are and writes to who you are. So it fits like a glove. It’s just wonderful,” he adds. 

Steenburgen, 72, who is new to the cast, recalls being excited when she nabbed her role because she had been wanting to work with her husband.

“When they told me, there was a lot of screaming and jumping up and down,” she says. “We were both dying because we were so excited to work together. It was great.”

Danson and Steenburgen have been married since October 1995. They previously costarred in one episode of Mr. Mayor. 

A Man on the Inside season 2 follows Danson’s Charles Nieuwendyk as he is assigned to help Wheeler College president Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield) crack a case and must go undercover as a college professor, per a synopsis from Netflix.

Steenburgen plays music teacher Mona and Charles’ new love interest.

The cast also includes Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Lilah Richcreek Estrada, Gary Cole, Stephanie Beatriz, Michaela Conlin, Lisa Gilroy, Madison Hu, Sam Huntington, Jason Mantzoukas, Constance Marie, Linda Park, David Strathairn and Jill Talley.

The premiere event, also attended by Schur, Ellis and Estrada, included a screening of the first two episodes of season 2 and a panel discussion. 

During the panel, Steenburgen said she didn’t fully believe Schur when he mentioned that he’d like to cast her on the comedy show.  

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“We approached Mary about doing this, I think it was even before season 1 ended, wasn’t it?” Schur said, before asking Steenburgen, “Weren’t you on set for the.. We were shooting the finale. I think I said like, ‘Hey…’ ”

The actress chimed in, stating that Schur had mentioned the role but she was skeptical because “I’ve been in this business a long time.”

“It probably will never happen that you’ll be in a Mike Schur-Morgan Sackett amazing comedy,” Steenburgen continued. “So I heard it, and then in our house we tried not to talk about it.”

Overall, the actress had a great experience on the show. Recalling the early days of production, she said, “The energy in the room — the sweetness of it. It was funny and it was moving, and I just sat there going, ‘I cannot believe how lucky I am and I’m really trying not to screw this up.’ ”

A Man on the Inside season 2 premieres Nov. 20 on Netflix.