LOS ANGELES −Ted Danson's wannabe private eye Charles Nieuwendyk breaks a professional golden rule in Season 2 of Netflix's"A Man on the Inside"(streaming Nov. 20) by dating the main suspect in his new case.
But it's hard to blame Charles for the criminal misstep, because Wheeler College professor Mona Margadoff − who just might be the blackmailer at the heart of the academia mystery − is played byMary Steenburgen,Danson's wife of 30 years. Two-time Emmy winner Danson, 77, didn't have to dig deep for the love vibes.
"Charles is smitten, and I was too," Danson tells USA TODAY. "It's so much fun to play falling in love with someone you're madly in love with. You just sink into each other, which is lovely."
The universally adored pair have spent decades at the intersection of love and work, first meeting when Danson auditioned unsuccessfully to play Steenburgen's husband in the 1983 film romance "Cross Creek." They became a real-life couple after playing one in 1994's "Pontiac Moon" and married in 1995. They even endured split rumors after playing versions of themselves who got divorced in 2024's Season 10 of Larry David's"Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"Thanks to Larry, wewerehappily married," says Danson, laughing about the show's status change. (The couple have frequently appeared on the show since its debut in 2000.) "That actually pissed me off when I came to work and found I had divorced Mary. We had people who knew us, who had dinner with us a month before, call and ask, 'Oh my God, is it true?' And Mary said, 'Yes, it's true, and we decided to announce it on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' "
Casting Steenburgen, 72, in the "Man on the Inside" love interest/suspect role was executive producer Mike Schur's idea, Danson insists. Schur created the celebrated afterlife comedy series "A Good Place," starring Danson and Kristen Bell, which featured Steenburgen in a cameo as a guitar teacher in 2020.
Danson and wife Steenburgen 'dog-talk' to their beloved pooch
"We try to stay out of each other's business," Danson says. "But I was thrilled when Mike asked me about Mary, as shown by my big, huge grin. Working together on this is a dream come true."
The couple live just outside Los Angeles, where they set aside time each morning for coffee and playing the same word games on their phones: Spelling Bee, Connection and Wordle. It's such a set routine that even their leadoff five-letter Wordle word doesn't vary. (Psst, it's the strategically sound word "aisle").
"We're quick because at our age we've discovered that two brains are better than one," Danson says. "We team up. There's no competing. That would be weird."
The term "nauseatingly in love" applies to the couple's constant love-upped-ness, Danson confesses, especially when they are "dog-talking" to their beloved mini-Australian shepherd.
"If you talk dog-talk as a couple, you're immediately nauseating," he says. "But we're also madly in love with our dog." (The twosome have four human kids, too: a blended family of four grown children from previous marriages.)
Steenburgen rocks the accordion, Danson cracks his iPhone
Steenburgen,who miraculously woke from minor surgery in 2007with a newfound musical obsession, adds an element of realism to the offbeat music professor character. The Oscar-winning actress occasionally rocks an accordion around the house.
"I'm a fan," Danson says of the oft-maligned instrument. "But I'm a fan of anything Mary does."
With his earnestness and confessed real-life bumbling, Danson suits his role as the overeager private investigator perfectly.
"I'd be a terrible spy," he says. "I feel bad if the person I'm talking to is not on the same page as me. I don't even like watching prank shows."
His senior character's cluelessness about any tech, including his Meta spy glasses, is straight from Danson, who doesn't even know which version of cracked iPhone he carries.
"I don't know what you mean by 'version,' but this is my fourth phone," Danson says, deadpan. "I tried to be like the kids and not put a cover on it. And it's now this spider web of glass."
Hollywood isn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split this year.Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban split after nearly two decades marriage.
People and TMZ – which was first to share the news – reported on Sept. 29 that Urban, 57, and Kidman, 58, are separated. The couple first met 20 years ago in Los Angeles and married just over a year later near Sydney, Australia, on June 25, 2006.
Urban and Kidman are parents to daughters, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
"A Thousand Years" singer Christina Perri is ending her marriage after nearly eight years. The 39-year-old singer/songwriter on Nov. 3 filed a petition to divorce her husband, Paul Costabile, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to filings obtained by USA TODAY.The "Jar of Hearts" songstress said the two have been separated as of the filing day of Nov. 3 and described the reason for the split as irreconcilable differences.
She also asked the court to award joint physical and legal custody for their daughters, Carmella, 7, and Pixie, 3.
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"Emily In Paris" costars Paul Forman and Ashley Park reportedly broke up after nearly two years together, People and TMZ reported on Oct. 1, 2025. According to People, the pair were spotted holding hands at a dinner event in Los Angeles restaurant in October 2023 but did not confirm their relationship until January 2024.
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Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers are going their separate ways after six years of marriage.Phypers filed for divorce at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 7, according to People magazine and E! News. Richards' estranged spouse cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the couple's split." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
After weeks of tabloid speculation over the status of their nine-year relationship, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's representatives released a joint statement on July 3 confirming the end of the couple's six-year engagement."Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting," read the statement obtained by USA TODAY. "They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is — and always will be — raising their daughter with love, stability, and mutual respect."
Perry, 40, and Bloom, 48, share a 4-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Internet personality Gigi Gorgeous, right, and husband Nats Getty are divorcing after six years of marriage. Getty filed for divorce on July 2, a representative for the couple confirmed to USA TODAY, adding that the split was "amicably decided.""While they have decided to end their marriage, they remain friends and have the upmost love and respect for each other," the spokesperson said." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
After nearly a decade and a half of marriage, Dermot Mulroney is calling it quits with wife Prima Apollinaare. The "My Best Friend's Wedding" star, 61, filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 23, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. Mulroney, who married singer-actress Apollinaare in December 2010, cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split. The former couple's date of separation was not disclosed in the filing." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
After two decades of marriage, Scott Wolf and his wife are going their separate ways.Kelley Wolf, who wed the "Party of Five" alum in May 2004, announced the couple's separation in a June 10 post on Instagram. "It is with a heavy heart that Scott and I are moving forward with the dissolution of our marriage," Kelley, 48, wrote.
In a statement the same day to USA TODAY, Scott Wolf said he'd filed for divorce from Kelley, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life." "Our children have always been, and continue to be, the loves of our lives and our every priority," Wolf added. "So, I kindly ask for privacy at this time as we help guide them through this new chapter."
A "Love is Blind" relationship has come to a bittersweet end. On June 11, Lydia Velez Gonzalez announced on Instagram — and in an accompanying What's the Reality?podcast interview with fellow alumna AD Smith — that she is she is divorcing Milton Johnson after three years of marriage. In her lengthy post, Velez Gonzalez indicated her estranged husband had been the one to change his mind as she wrote, "I wish I knew the answer to what happened?"
"No one will ever know the amount of pain as I write this, or all the sleepless nights," she added, going on to thank Johnson for "choosing me as I was." Nonetheless, "For me Love will always be blind," she wrote.
In a Sunday Times interview published May 31, "Anyone But You" star Sydney Sweeney confirmed she's single and no longer planning a wedding with her partner of nearly seven years, fiancé Jonathan Davino.Sweeney's comments came out more than three months after rumors started swirling around a possibly rocky relationship and a postponed wedding. By the end of March, outlets including People, TMZ and US Weekly were reporting the two had split." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Deborra-Lee Furness filed for an uncontested divorce from Hugh Jackman in New York on May 23, more than a year and a half after the former couple announced their separation in September 2023. The actors, who met filming the 1995 Australian show "Correlli," married in 1996 and share two adult children, Oscar and Ava." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sia and husband Daniel Bernard have called it quits, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press and People. The "Chandelier" singer filed to divorce her second husband after two years of marriage on March 19. The filing also reveals the couple privately had a baby in March 2024: They share 11-month-old Somersault Wonder Bernard, her third child. The Australian singer-songwriter, born Sia Furler, cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Hollywood isn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split this year."Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" star Emily Osment filed for divorce from Jack Anthony in March after five months of marriage. The couple tied the knot on Oct. 12, 2024, and separated on Dec. 7, 2024, according to the filing. "I think with any big decision in your life, whether it's relationships or work or whatever it may be, you have to firmly plant both feet in that decision," Osment said in a statement. "Ultimately, it didn't work out."
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Tyler Francis and Ashley Adionser, who were married on "Love is Blind" Season 7, are headed toward divorce, Adionser announced in a Jan. 21 statement. "While I had hoped for mutual understanding and transparency in our relationship, it has become clear that our paths are no longer aligned, making it impossible for me to continue in this marriage," her statement read, in part. During their time on the show, Francis had social media speculating about his claim that he was a "sperm donor" to three biological children and not involved in their lives. The couple most recently showed a united front during a reunion special that released in October." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
called it quits on their romance, one month after the "Vanderpump Rules" star was arrested on domestic violence charges. Lewber confirmed the couple's breakup on her Jan. 22 Instagram story after it was announced that Kennedy will not face criminal charges for the December 2024 incident." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
confirmed the couple is separating. "Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage," Simpson said. "Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them." The couple has been married since 2014 and shares three children." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
ended their 16-year marriage. "I'm proud of how we've grown as a couple and in our marriage over the last 20 years and it's now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals," Alba wrote in a Jan. 16 Instagram post." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Instagram post, he and Rachael Kirkconnell, left, are going their separate ways four years after the two ended "The Bachelor" Season 25 together. "Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding," he captioned a photo of the two meeting in the show's premiere. "Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Celebrity breakups of 2025: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Hollywood isn't filled with just fairytale endings. Read on for the celebrity couples who split this year.Nicole KidmanandKeith Urbansplit after nearly two decades marriage.PeopleandTMZ– which was first to share the news – reported on Sept. 29 that Urban, 57, and Kidman, 58, are separated. The couple first met 20 years ago in Los Angeles and married just over a year later near Sydney, Australia, on June 25, 2006.Urban and Kidman are parents to daughters, 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret.
Whether his investigative ineptitude carries over, or he's a genius comic actor (he humbly claims it's both), Danson is addictively watchable on the case − sending secretive, rambling voice memos to his eye-rolling agency-owning boss Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada).
The retired professor, like great bumbling heroes before him, from Maxwell Smart to Inspector Clouseau, somehow succeeds. The silver charmer Charles cracked the Season 1 mystery of the missing jewelry in the retirement home and, despite getting hot for his suspect, stumbles onto the trail for Season 2.
The "Cheers" alum is still mourning the loss of TV family memberGeorge Wendt in May."We're down a man or two," he says solemnly of perpetual questions about a revival series. However, the positive message of starting fresh at any age percolates through real life on "Man on the Inside." "We're being real about aging but also celebrating it. It's like: 'Come on, keep going. There's plenty to do in life.' There's that theme: Do you get second chances at my age? And the answer is yes!' "
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ted Danson fell for 'Man on the Inside' star, wife Mary Steenburgen
