No Good Deed, created by Liz Feldman, is a curious beast. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. It feels sloppy, but everything eventually makes sense, too. The show is sold as a dark comedy, though there aren't many scenes that could be seen as either "dark" or "comedy." Some are sad, while others merely give rise to a feeling of indifference. Towards the end, No Good Deed adopts the tone of a suspenseful crime thriller, but we don't exactly look at the screen with even a trace of excitement or nervousness. The pieces fit neatly into their places. Everything seems right, fairly satisfying even. However, you don't experience any joy or think that you have just finished something delicious. When No Good Deed ends, it leaves you with the feeling that you have just completed a mild, pleasant chore. It doesn't explode in the way a great comedy or drama does. It has a low, quiet, almost subdued tone. Every moment is muted, so you don't respond intensely to any scene or performance. There are also these uneasy, jerky rhythms that present the show as an ADHD patient. For instance, a minute or two after a character confronts a killer, we are hit with a poignant reminiscence. The bitterness generated through a husband-wife confrontation is quickly brushed aside with a bullet revelation. The timings feel off - these changes in mood don't make much sense. No Good Deed, however, continues to move forward with earnestness, which is why it - despite its flaws - doesn't really fall apart and remains watchable.
What can you say about the characters, except that they all mostly give petty issues too much importance? They think a house can change their lives - fill a void or whatever. It's hard to care about their desire. The property itself exists as a background for the action. The owners, Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano), secretly, through cameras, monitor the prospective buyers during the open house. They not only require money but also need to move on emotionally. Their introduction serves as an indication that No Good Deed is filled with eccentric couples. Leslie (Abbi Jacobson) and Sarah (Poppy Liu) are true-crime enthusiasts. Carla (Teyonah Parris) isn't a fan of Dennis' (O-T Fagbenle) devotion towards his mother (Anna Maria Horsford). Margo (Linda Cardellini) is cheating on her husband, JD Campbell (Luke Wilson). He was once a TV celebrity but has now fallen into ruin. Margo is the most interesting character here. I don't remember the last time I watched such a compulsive liar. Margo is sly, sexy, greedy. She only loves money, so much so that she inflicts pain on people too easily. But you are neither turned on by her manipulations nor do you hate her wholeheartedly. No Good Deed keeps you detached from the screen. The fine actors keep you invested in the show, but their characters don't have depth, so you simply admire their performance from a distance.
Lydia, a piano player, used to be a member of the Philharmonic. Did she ever sing Smelly Cat? The series doesn't say. It does, however, tell you that she stopped playing piano after her son's death - a detail that arrives so suddenly that it fills you with both shock and amusement. I chuckled when Lydia described Margo as an "AI-generated bitch," and when Dennis referred to himself as "creatively constipated." Don't worry, Dennis, we have all been there. There are nice moments in No Good Deed that can be seen as "comic misinterpretations," like when Lydia and Paul think that their car's tires have been slashed by those people who are after Mikey (Denis Leary), Paul's brother. No Good Deed, in the end, experiments with its tone, and its rhythms, but its visual style is far from bold or original. You don't come away feeling you have watched something too distinct from other cookie-cutter Netflix productions. No Good Deed, at least, tries to distinguish itself. You can give it an A for its efforts, though the results aren't too exhilarating, engaging, or fresh. It aims high but ends up at the bottom level. Still, I don't want to completely dismiss the series because of its ambition. Although No Good Deed doesn't fully succeed, it's worth a watch nonetheless.
Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times