Dan Levy’s Netflix Show Big Mistakes Draws Mixed Reviews

On Thursday, April 9, Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy’s new show Big Mistakes was released on Netflix.

The multi-award-winning actor and writer, who also released comedy-drama film Good Grief with the streamer in 2023, worked with I Love LA’s Rachel Sennot to create the show.

“Blackmailed into working for some very dangerous people, two deeply incapable siblings become the most disorganised duo in organised crime,” its description reads.

Levy appears as a pastor in the eight-episode chaos-fest, which promises to combine his signature comedic flair with high-octane crime drama. The cast also includes Taylor Ortega, Laurie Metcalfe, and Jack Innanen.

Here’s what the critics have to say so far:

″…This is less a great premise than a passable excuse for Levy to create another bickering, boundary-decimating on-screen family. As Schitt’s Creek proved, it’s where he excels, and the dynamic between the repressed and dutiful Nicky and the thrill-seeking, acid-tongued Morgan is a joy to witness…

“The domestic cringe comedy at its heart means Big Mistakes is far from a major error, but it isn’t quite a triumph either. Perhaps that’s inevitable. They may seem like a safer bet for a risk-averse TV industry, but shows made by stars can rarely compete with the ones that make them.”

“Big Mistakes is a wild ride. Sharper rewrites and edits to plot points would have offered a more succinct narrative, allowing the comedic tone to shine through. Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.

“If nothing else, the show captures the thrills and horrors of siblinghood and why, so often, the people you can truly rely on are those who have experienced the best and worst parts of you.”

“Dan Levy’s glorious Schitt’s Creek follow-up is worth the wait… It’s a cracking crime caper that takes the family comedy of Schitt’s Creek and whips it into a wicked, pitch-black thriller…

“There’s barely a character you don’t want to see more of in the Morelli family, with matriarch Linda, played by Laurie Metcalf (Hacks) particularly strong…

“Put it all together and it’s like David Sedaris has teamed up with David Simon. The only mistake in Big Mistakes, therefore, has been to make us all wait so long.”

“The family bickering is funny, as is some of the slapstick, and there are flashes of Schitt’s Creek in the siblings’ fractious but affectionate dynamic. In its search for a darker side, however, it flounders…

“Big Mistakes is stylish and watchable, yet the mood is inconsistent, and for a show that is so predicated on tension, it is oddly laid back.”

“There’s nothing under the surface, but it’s an entertaining surface.

“If you embrace the catty and cute dialogue, rather than being annoyed by it, it’s easy to get caught up and entertained courtesy of the tight direction (starting with Dean Holland on the first two installments), editing that leaves no room for breath (or for fully realized characterization) and a score from Peaches and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum that shifts into a Run Lola Run gear of pulse-pounding intensity when it wants you to be distracted by the implausibility of the circumstances. You might be annoyed by Big Mistakes, but you won’t be bored, and that’s something.”

“Big Mistakes can be perceptive and funny when it focuses on the chaotic family unit, especially when Metcalf is present…

“The season finale leaves us with reason to believe that a second season will do a better job integrating the crime stuff with the family stuff. I’d still rather see the version of Big Mistakes that didn’t have to.”

“Levy and Sennott have crafted a story that feels real and relatable, even as the circumstances spiral into situations most people can only imagine themselves in…

“With a dry wit and a balance of drama and comedy that is oftentimes reminiscent of Succession – if the Roys were a middle-class family from New Jersey – Big Mistakes is certainly worth a weekend binge.”

″[A] crime of a comedy…

“The Morelli sibs’ involvement gets more and more fruitlessly complicated, though Messrs. Ivanir and Kuzum get to stretch beyond what at first seem clichéd roles. And Abby Quinn is excellent as Natalie, the mom’s campaign manager and toadying child. But the consistent tone of “Big Mistakes” is rancor. Unrelieved.”

All episodes of Big Mistakes are available on Netflix now.