No Good Deed centers on Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano), a married couple trying to sell their stunning Los Feliz home. There are plenty of buyers interested, but none of them have any idea what went down there three years ago. Not that it matters, though—each of the potential buyers has their own secrets to hide.
From creator Liz Feldman, most will be familiar with her previous Netflix show Dead to Me. There are very similar vibes here in No Good Deed, as the themes of murder and friendship weave their way through season 1.
Paul, a contractor, and Lydia, a pianist, are empty nesters, so downsizing makes sense. But when Mikey (Denis Leary), a shady figure from their past, shows up to blackmail them with old secrets, it’s clear they might have other reasons for wanting to move on.
Three families are all fighting for Lydia and Paul’s attention. First, there’s Leslie (Abbi Jacobson) and Sarah (Poppy Liu), a couple struggling with IVF. Then, we have Carla (Teyonah Parris), Dennis (O-T Fagbenle), and his mom Denise (Anna Maria Horsford)—newlyweds dealing with an overbearing mother-in-law, all tangled up in lies. Finally, there are neighbors JD (Luke Wilson) and Margo (Linda Cardellini), a soap star and his beautiful wife, who are way too curious about what happened in the house down the street.
No Good Deed mixes comedy with family drama. Wilson and Cardellini play the funny couple, JD and Margo—JD’s a struggling actor in denial, and Margo’s a schemer with a girlfriend on the side and a fridge full of vodka. Dennis, a secretive novelist, is basically a mama’s boy. His wife Carla is due to have their baby any day. Sarah’s hooked on crime apps which leads to her and Leslie digging into the house’s shady past, which is just waiting to come out.
Sure to be a bingeable holiday hit, No Good Deed is an enjoyable murder mystery sure to get you hooked by the end of episode 1.
No Good Dead is available now on Netflix.
