Cast: Lisa Kudrow, Abbi Jacobson, Denis Leary, Luke Wilson, Linda Cardellini

Director: Sam Miller

Platform: Out on Netflix since 12 December

****/*****

When I sat down to watch No Good Deed after a long day, I certainly didn’t expect it to be darker than the coffee in my hand. But as the plot began to unfold, I found myself gripping my mug tighter, caught up in a twisting narrative that unravelled like a long carpet through a very…. complicated labyrinth. Each episode sucked me in further, making it impossible to stop walking down that path, as the need for answers grew stronger with every turn.

The show kicks off with a compelling premise: Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano) are attempting to sell their lavish 1920s villa in the desirable Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. Three families are competing for the house, each vying to drop millions. However, winning Lydia and Paul’s favour proves tricky. Both are grieving the death of their son who died in that very house under mysterious circumstances, and their realtor, Greg (Matt Rogers), is a flamboyant wildcard. The couple hopes to instigate a bidding war and the potential buyers, desperate to secure the house, fall for it without hesitation.

The three families competing for the villa couldn’t be more different. First, there’s Leslie (Abbi Jacobson) and Sarah (Poppy Liu), a couple navigating the complexities of IVF. Then there’s Carla (Teyonah Parris), Dennis (O-T Fagbenle), and his overbearing mother, Denise (Anna Maria Horsford), who are all hiding a tangle of lies. And finally, there are the neighbours, JD (Luke Wilson) and Margo (Linda Cardellini), a soap actor and his glamorous wife, who are drawn to the house across the street for reasons of their own.

No Good Deed is a neat example of a fine dark comedy done right.  Sure, the blend of slapstick and heavy family tragedy can feel a bit unsettling, but that’s exactly why it works. The creators managed to craft that perfectly sturdy seesaw effect with constant ups and downs.

Wilson and Cardellini, who play the most overtly comedic of the couples, bring levity to the show. JD is a washed-up actor in denial about his career’s decline, while Margo is a scheming, promiscuous woman whose vodka-fuelled lifestyle says it all. Dennis, on the other hand, is a novelist with a penchant for secrecy. His mother seems to encourage his dependency on her, much to Carla’s frustration. Meanwhile, Sarah becomes obsessed with real-time crime-report apps. This obsession drives Sarah and Leslie to unearth the dark history of the house, which is more than eager to resurface.

Lisa Kudrow as Lydia in Netflix’s No Good Deed. Image: Netflix

The dynamics between the couples intertwine with Paul and Lydia’s own complex domestic issues. Their story is steeped in tragedy, with Denis Leary’s presence adding to the overall sense of tension. Each scene—whether it’s a new offer or a knock at the door—reveals another layer of deception. Lydia, once a renowned concert pianist, can no longer play due to guilt fuelled by grief, which has plunged her and Paul into debt. It’s a dark premise upon which the show layers an assortment of outrageous gags. However, sometimes it feels a bit forced, leaving you wondering if the scenes would have been more effective played straight than silly.

Despite its occasional tonal inconsistencies, No Good Deed remains highly engaging, thanks to strong performances, particularly from Kudrow and Romano, who navigate the show’s murky waters with skill. Wilson and Cardellini, playing a rather cartoonish characters, have a lighter task but still shine in their roles. Each episode is packed with twists and teases and endless amounts of foreshadowing, leaving you eager to continue the binge. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the show pulls the rug out from under you. The episodes are quick, pacy, and plot-heavy, making it all too easy to keep hitting ‘next episode’.

In the end, No Good Deed stands out as one of the year’s finest offerings in a list of the whodunnit genre.