Why does every new show now have a huge central mystery, whether the show claims to be one or not? Sure, showrunners want their productions to have some overall intrigue, but have we reached a saturation point with television shows whose plots depend on flashbacks that piece together a fateful night and explain the intricate mysteries? How many more riffs on narrative devices can the audience tolerate?
that’s what to say No good deedsan ostensible comedy dead to me The more creator Liz Feldman works on its mysterious aspects, the more frustrating it becomes. Like The House Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul Morgan (Ray Romano) Are Selling, the show has good bones and wonderful panache, but its charm is tempered by something dark and brooding. of things overwhelmed. See, there was a crime in the family three years ago that Lydia and Paul want to forget, and their respective relationships with their families are complicated by the loss of their sons. Both are still in shock and mourning in different ways, but life and real estate go on.
Morgan’s gorgeous corner house is a hot commodity with interested buyers, and the series focuses on three couples with similar levels of dysfunction. Leslie (Abbey Jacobson) and Sarah (Bobby Liu) are a lawyer and a doctor respectively, who have also experienced difficulties in having children. They like the house, but Sarah can’t help but feel something isn’t right about the atmosphere, leaving Leslie to investigate. There’s also newlyweds Denis (OT Fagbenle) and Kara (Teyonah Parris), who are expecting a baby and receiving proceeds from Denis’s upcoming novel. Having known each other for less than a year, the two each have their own family secrets. Eventually, Lydia and Paul’s neighbors across the street also want to join the game; spoiled housewife Margot (Linda Cardellini) sees investment opportunities in more ways than one, while her unemployed actor husband J.D. (Luke Wilson) thinks it’s a smart move to downsize.
Oh, and best of all, Paul’s brother Mitch (Denis Leary) is out of jail and says he needs his $80,000 ASAP – or else.
There’s just too much content, sometimes too much, for the series. Things started out fast-paced, but No good deeds The slower the story moves, some subplots and supporting characters fall by the wayside. That one couple disappears in one episode illustrates the difficulty of managing so many moving parts and that not all conflicts are created equal. For example, Leslie and Sarah’s fertility journeys aren’t well-focused, as they instead become true crime conduits, obsessing over the Citizen App and solving Morgan’s dark central mystery. This back-and-forth makes dramatic moments feel disproportionately dark, while the rapid descent into heavy themes tends to suck the air out of the show.
This makes No good deeds It’s hard to judge. At its best, it’s a fun ride into a real estate fantasy with a dash of excitement. But at its worst, it’s downright gloomy. Thankfully, each episode is only 30 to 40 minutes long, so things move quickly relative to other shows, but the show struggles to balance its wit with its ultimately dark story. Romano gets to work in his comedy wheelhouse (the thought of Paul growing up in Los Angeles and staying there also adds to the comedy) That accent), Kudrow becomes more of a straight woman this time around. But the number of scenes they share is frustrating, leading to painful arguments. Their families are broken up, their marriages are in turmoil, and their homes can’t be saved. such a dark secret Unfortunately, their relationship verges on parody at times. There’s a cloud of sadness hanging over the show, but not enough is being done to dispel it.
You’ll probably laugh at least a few times per episode (Linda Lavin as a weirdly nosy neighbor is a treat), but the handful of well-written jokes and overall funnyness aren’t enough to keep you excited. No good deeds Come out of the shadows. It starts out cheery enough, with an energy of intrigue that gives the show momentum, but it’s too bogged down in its own dramatic conceit to be truly enjoyable.
No Good Deed is now streaming on Netflix.
