Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she is an Associate Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter.
She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven.
David Tennant has played plenty of complicated characters throughout his career, but few have found themselves in quite as much trouble as Harry Watling. In Steven Moffat‘s four-part thriller Inside Man, the former Doctor Who star trades the TARDIS for a church in a picturesque English village, where one terrible decision sends his otherwise ordinary life spiraling into a nightmare. It’s the sort of predicament that makes you wonder just how much damage one person can do when they’re desperately trying to put things right.
Originally released on BBC One in September 2022 before arriving on Netflix in the United States the following month, Inside Man brings together an unusually compelling ensemble. Alongside Tennant is Stanley Tucci, who plays an American death row inmate with an extraordinary talent for solving crimes. Their characters occupy seemingly unrelated worlds, but Moffat has other plans. Over four episodes and roughly four hours of viewing, the series delivers a twisted mystery that gets harder to look away from.
What Is David Tennant’s Netflix Thriller ‘Inside Man’ About?
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Inside Man centers on four people whose lives become entangled through a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances. Harry Watling (Tennant) is a village vicar who appears to have everything figured out. He’s well-liked by his parishioners, has a loving wife named Mary (Lyndsey Marshal), and is raising his teenage son, Ben (Louis Oliver). His life isn’t particularly extraordinary, which makes what happens next all the more horrifying.
Harry’s troubles begin when he agrees to hold a USB drive for Edgar (Mark Quartley), a troubled young man who works at his church. When the drive eventually falls into the hands of Janice Fife (Dolly Wells), a mathematics tutor, its contents trigger a misunderstanding with potentially devastating consequences. Convinced that Harry’s son is responsible for what’s on the device, Janice threatens to involve the authorities. Harry, desperate to protect his family, makes a decision that changes everything: He locks her in his basement.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in an Arizona prison, Jefferson Grieff (Tucci) is awaiting execution for murdering his wife. A former criminology professor, Grieff has developed an unusual side hustle behind bars. He uses his formidable intellect to help people solve criminal mysteries, provided their cases meet his personal criteria for moral worth. His assistant is Dillon Kempton (Atkins Estimond), a serial killer with a photographic memory who serves as Grieff’s rather unconventional sounding board.
The fourth piece of this increasingly complicated puzzle is Beth Davenport (Lydia West), an investigative journalist who meets Janice before traveling to America to interview Grieff. When Janice suddenly disappears, Beth turns to the incarcerated criminologist for help. What follows is a race to uncover the truth, with two seemingly disconnected storylines slowly converging.
David Tennant and Stanley Tucci Make This Twisted Thriller Worth Watching
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The premise alone warrants a closer look, but Inside Man benefits greatly from its leading performances. Tennant has a particularly interesting challenge in Harry, a man whose intentions initially seem understandable but whose actions become harder to defend with every passing episode. Tennant plays Harry as someone who genuinely believes he’s doing the right thing, even when his increasingly desperate attempts to protect his family make matters considerably worse. The actor also brings an unexpected sense of humor to the character, which becomes increasingly uncomfortable as the situation spirals out of control.
Tucci, meanwhile, is having a different kind of fun. Grieff is an intriguing mix of brilliant detective and convicted murderer, and Tucci gives him measured confidence, as if he knows he’s the smartest person in the room. Comparisons to Hannibal Lecter and Sherlock Holmes are hard to avoid, particularly given Moffat’s history with the latter, but Tucci brings enough personality to make Grieff an entertaining presence in his own right.
Wells is another standout as Janice, whose apparent vulnerability conceals a considerably more complicated personality. West also gives Beth an interesting moral dimension, particularly as her professional ambitions begin to clash with her growing concern for Janice. And then there’s Estimond, whose performance as Dillon provides some of the show’s most unexpected laughs.
Steven Moffat’s ‘Inside Man’ Is a Twisted Exploration of Human Nature
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If you’ve watched Sherlock or Moffat’s era of Doctor Who, you’ll recognize the writer’s appetite for elaborate mysteries and characters who are rarely as straightforward as they initially appear. Inside Man leans into those instincts, though its central question is far darker: How far would an otherwise decent person go if pushed into the wrong circumstances?
The series explores this through Grieff’s unusual approach to criminal psychology. His belief that almost anyone could become a murderer under the right circumstances becomes increasingly relevant as Harry’s predicament deteriorates. Moffat has described the series as a sitcom that goes terribly wrong, and that description makes considerably more sense once the story gets moving. The chain of misunderstandings and increasingly desperate cover-ups has an almost absurd quality, even as the consequences become genuinely disturbing. The humor doesn’t always land, and some of the plot’s more elaborate turns require a generous suspension of disbelief, but the tonal unpredictability is part of what makes the series unusual.
Inside Man received a somewhat divided critical response. Its performances drew considerable praise, particularly from Tennant and Tucci, while some critics questioned whether its increasingly convoluted plot could support the weight of its central premise. It’s not a thriller that will necessarily work for everyone, but viewers who enjoy mysteries with a distinctly unconventional approach may find plenty to appreciate.
One of Inside Man’s biggest advantages is that it doesn’t require a lengthy commitment: the entire story unfolds across four episodes, making it an easy weekend watch for anyone looking for something with a little more bite than the usual crime drama. At roughly four hours in total, you can get through the complete series in an afternoon without sacrificing an entire day to your next television obsession.
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