Dan Levy’s Netflix Crime Comedy ‘Big Mistakes’ Wastes a Perfect Cast on a Lacking Plot: TV Review

Created by “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy-winner Dan Levy and “I Love L.A.” creator Rachel Sennott, Netflix’s “Big Mistakes” is an absolutely unhinged crime comedy about two siblings who get embroiled in a world of fuckery. More than a high-stakes thriller (though there are plenty of those elements here), the show is a highly chaotic depiction of family, ambition and the courage to step outside the norm. Despite its stellar cast, the cumbersome plot dulls the comedic beats that would otherwise be razor-sharp.
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“Big Mistakes” opens somewhere in central New Jersey. Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega) sit in the corner of a stress-filled hospital room as their mother, Linda (an exceptional Laurie Metcalf), and self-righteous youngest sister, Natalie (Abby Quinn), fuss over their ailing grandmother. Loud and rambunctious, Linda, who is planning a massive birthday party for her obviously dying mother, in conjunction with a campaign to become the town’s mayor, demands that her eldest children purchase their grandmother a nice necklace for her birthday.
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As a pastor at the local church, Nicky is not rolling in dough, nor is Morgan, a school teacher. However, when the pair spot a necklace in the glass case at the local stop-and-shop, they offer to buy it. Unfortunately, the store manager, Yusuf (Boran Kuzum), rudely declines the siblings’ request, saying the necklace isn’t for sale. Undeterred, Morgan shoplifts the piece of jewelry, setting off a chain of events so outlandish that this first season feels much longer than eight half-hour-long episodes.
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Because of Morgan’s pilfering, the previously distant siblings find themselves beholden to a Russian gangster named Ivan (Mark Ivanir), who decides to use the pair as his personal minions. Morgan is initially intrigued by a life of crime. But Ivan and Yusuf’s requests begin to strain her increasingly rocky relationship with her needy boyfriend, Max (Jack Innanen). For Nicky, the stakes are even higher. He’s already hiding his secret beau, Tareq (Jacob Gutierrez). (Apparently, the church has no qualms about his sexuality as long as it’s not on display.) Lawlessness, in addition to managing Morgan and Linda, is just too much for him to bear. The stress of it all begins to wear on him.
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The “Big Mistakes” cast is impeccable, but the narrative is so deranged it nearly devours everything around it.  In Episode 7, “I’ve Really Enjoyed My Time With You,” Nicky and Morgan end up in Miami at the request of Ivan and his goons, yet the story itself requires a complete suspension of disbelief. What the siblings uncover and experience on their trip is so absurd that it strips the show of the realism carefully cultivated beforehand. Instead of being an anchoring penultimate episode, the entire display felt useless and confusing, as if the audience was suddenly watching an entirely different television program.
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Though the narrative is nonsensical, “Big Mistakes” certainly has joyous elements. Metclaf has never been better — a high bar indeed — as a manic mother and business owner, desperate to be heard and seen not just by her children but also in the small town she’s called home for her entire life. Moreover, Levy and Ortega have the perfect obnoxious sibling bond. Polar opposites in temperament, ambition and everything in between, they are constantly rubbing each other the wrong way. Despite the complicated history behind them and the circumstances they end up in, it’s clear this duo will do anything for one another. All of the characters are beautifully zany, which keeps this series from imploding.
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Overall, “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.

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“Big Mistakes” is now streaming on Netflix.