Michael Schur was an Executive Producer on The Good Place (2016), and knew Ted Danson would love the role of Charles. Schur was quoted in the LA Times as saying, "I knew what kind of parts he likes. After I watched 'The Mole Agent,' I just saw the whole thing."
Michael Schur was inspired to create "A Man On the Inside" after watching Chilean documentary The Mole Agent (2020). He says: "The Mole Agent" documentary is powerful because it makes people feel something remarkably similar across any age, ethnicity or gender, and I'd describe that feeling in a very reductive way as, "I've got to call my mom." In our show, we tried to do a similar thing with the tone: Basically, does our show contribute to that feeling of making us want to call our moms.
Many characters have silly or unusual names that appear to be Easter eggs (or just the writers having fun), including Louise Ammay-Ahlkott (Louisa May Alcott, author of little women) and Lee Viezfivowon (Levi's 501 (jeans)).
The gazebo for the Pacific View Retirement Home is actually located on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot in the "London Square" location. You can see it on The Studio Tour (when the set is available for viewing, dependent on production schedules), where they also drive through Little Europe, the primary filming location for The Good Place (2016) also starring Ted Danson and created by Michael Schur.
The missing necklace that the plot centers around is identical to the one featured in Vértigo (1958). Additionally, both stories are mysteries set in San Francisco. Exteriors for the main location, Pacific View Retirement Community, are filmed at 1201 California Street, only a few blocks from where the exteriors for the Elsters' apartment building in Vertigo, 999 California Street.