The new Netflix series ‘No Good Deed’ from creator Liz Feldman has a promising start but struggles with tonal shifts and a depressing story, despite having a talented ensemble cast.
This House Has Good Bones—But a Big Crack in the Facade
The new Netflix series from ‘Dead to Me’ creator Liz Feldman has frequent funny moments, but the dramatic mystery at its core means wonky tonal shifts and a surprisingly depressing story.
Why It Feels Like Every New Show Boasts a Big Central Mystery
It feels like every new show these days boasts a big central mystery, whether or not the series bills itself as one. Sure, a showrunner wants some overarching intrigue for their work, but haven’t we reached a saturation point of TV shows whose plots hinge upon flashbacks that piece together fateful nights and explain convoluted mysteries?
No Good Deed’s Central Mystery
The ostensible comedy from ‘Dead to Me’ creator Liz Feldman becomes incredibly frustrating the more it commits to its mystery aspect. Like the house that Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul Morgan (Ray Romano) are in the process of selling, the series has good bones and wonderful flourishes, but its charm gets weighed down by something dark and heavy.
The Story
A crime took place in the house three years ago, one that Lydia and Paul would like to forget, and their respective relationships to their home have been further complicated by the loss of their son. Both are still reeling, mourning in different ways, but life—and real estate—goes on.
The Morgan’s gorgeous house on the corner is a hot commodity for interested buyers, and the series focuses on three couples with similar levels of dysfunction. There’s Leslie (Abbi Jacobson) and Sarah (Poppy Liu), a lawyer and a doctor, respectively, who’ve had their own struggles with having kids. They love the house, but Sarah can’t help but feel that the vibes are off, leaving Leslie to investigate.
There’s newlyweds Dennis (O-T Fagbenle) and Carla (Teyonah Parris’), who are expecting a baby and the proceeds from Dennis’ upcoming novel. Having met less than a year ago, these two each have family secrets of their own. Lastly, Lydia and Paul’s neighbors across the street want to throw their hats in the ring; spoiled housewife Margo (Linda Cardellini) sees an investment opportunity in more ways than one, while her out-of-work actor husband JD (Luke Wilson) thinks it would be a smart way to downsize.
Oh, and to top things off, Paul’s brother Mikey (Denis Leary) is out of prison and saying that he needs 80K ASAP—or else. It’s a lot, sometimes too much for the series to juggle. Things start at a brisk pace, but No Good Deed slows down the further it goes, leaving some of its subplots and supporting characters out to dry.
The Verdict
At its best, No Good Deed is a fun flight of real estate fancy with a little caper on the side. But at its worst, it’s downright dour. Thankfully, the episodes only run 30 to 40 minutes, so things move fast relative to other series, but the show has difficulty balancing its quick wit with its ultimately gloomy story.
Romano gets to work in his comedic wheelhouse (and there’s added comedy in thinking that Paul would have grown up in LA and retained that accent), and Kudrow gets to be more of a straight woman for once. But a depressing number of their shared scenes result in anguished arguments. Their family is broken, their marriage is in shambles, and their house holds such a dark secret that their relationship unfortunately sometimes verges on parody.
A cloud of grief hangs heavy over this show, and not enough is done to dispel it. You’re likely to chuckle at least a couple times per episode (Linda Lavin’s appearance as a bizarrely nosy neighbor is a treat), but a smattering of well-written jokes and a funny ensemble aren’t enough to lift No Good Deed out of the shadows.
It starts off snappy enough, and that energy of intrigue gives the show momentum, but it gets too bogged down in its own dramatic conceit to really be enjoyable. ‘No Good Deed’ is streaming on Netflix now.
