No Good Deed Review – Lisa Kudrow carries this twisted, addictive mystery | television and radio

YYou might call it the “Knives Out” effect, but ever since Rian Johnson’s film won audiences’ affection in 2019, television has been trying to recreate the witty and witty crime thriller with an all-star ensemble cast. With “No Good Deed,” Netflix has another Do It. This eight-part comedy-drama comes from the makers of the similarly soapy and heightened Dead to Me. It also has a touch of “The Afterparty,” only this time the story finds its crime thriller in the middle of the real estate market in expensive U.S. cities.

Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano) are selling their beautiful and large 1920s mansion in Los Feliz, a highly desirable neighborhood in Los Angeles. US real estate is an ecosystem all its own, and three families are vying to spend millions of dollars on the home. To do this, they have to impress the terminally depressed Lydia and Paul as well as their substance-loving real estate agent Greg (Matt Rogers). Lydia and Paul want to start a bidding war so they can buy a ranch and fill it with horses. The potential buyers are desperate enough to take the bait. Still, the idea of ​​being forced to negotiate with people to ask them to accept your stash of money is strange, but if I’ve learned anything from Kirsty and Phil, it’s that a hot market doesn’t always behave rationally.

This is where the location, location, location similarities end, or at least we hope they do. There are three families who want Lydia and Paul’s affection. There’s married couple Leslie (Abbi Jacobson) and Sarah (Poppy Liu), who are in the middle of an IVF journey. There’s Carla (Teyonah Parris), Dennis (OT Fagbenle) and his mother Denise (Anna Maria Horsford), newlyweds and pushy mother-in-law, all hiding behind a complex web of lies. As we all know, a lack of transparency is a good idea when it comes to dealing with an exhausting financial burden. And then there are neighbors JD (Luke Wilson) and Margo (Dead to Me alum Linda Cardellini), a soap star and his glamorous wife, who are curious about the house across the street.

No Good Deed is billed as a dark comedy, but that makes for a sometimes uncomfortable mix of outright slapstick and painful family tragedy. Wilson and Cardellini play it for fun, being the most straightforward comedic couple of the bunch. JD is a none-too-bright actor in denial about the decline of his career, while Margo is scheming and promiscuous with a fridge full of vodka but little else. Dennis is a novelist and a constant keeper of secrets, although in my experience these two qualities are rarely found in the same person. Some might call him a mama’s boy, which his mother is only too happy to encourage, much to Carla’s despair. Meanwhile, Sarah becomes obsessed with real-time crime reporting apps, a plot that also appears in the tonally similar Elsbeth – Murder, but do it faster! – and I wonder if such apps could replace the true crime podcast as a current plot device. Sarah’s obsession leads her and Leslie to confront the house’s dark past. Of course, that dark past is just lying there, waiting to come to light.

The storylines of all three couples dance with Paul and Lydia’s extensive domestic dramas, which feature Denis Leary, which is rarely a sign of a happy and healthy home. Every viewing, every offer, every doorbell ring reveals another layer of lies. Lydia is a formerly famous concert pianist who is no longer able to play the piano due to a deeply painful family tragedy. This means that she and Paul have more debt than they can handle. It is certainly a good choice to use this as a base for laying bricks from outrageous gags. Sometimes it’s fine, sometimes it’s a bit crass, and sometimes it’s frustrating, as if scenes could have been played either straight or silly depending on where the coin flip lands.

Inconsistencies aside, this is well worth a watch and is supported by some strong performances, not least from Romano and Kudrow, who are able to swim through some of the darkness. Cardellini and Wilson may have an easier task as more cartoonish characters, but they’re fun to watch. There are twists and turns and excitement in every part that beautifully showcase the rush. The episodes are short, fast-paced, and action-packed, making it all too easy to let go of the next one. It’s not exactly about the subtle approach, but rather about hammering the puzzle pieces together with a clumsy fist. It may sound so easy that I wonder if the idea or witty title came first, but it’s fun nonetheless.