People don’t often venture outside of their established bubbles, going through routines and interacting with those who may have similar interests, lifestyles, or lived experiences. Entering a new sphere can be jarring, especially if it wasn’t at all intentional. Big Mistakes is all about two people plucked from their seemingly safe and comfortable consequence-free existence into a world where their very lives are in danger at every moment, and even if they follow every instruction to the letter (which they’re really bad at doing), they still may not survive.
Nicky (Dan Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega) are siblings who don’t particularly have their lives together, much less so certainly than their sister Natalie (Abby Quinn), who’s working closely with their mother Linda (Laurie Metcalf) on her mayoral campaign. When their grandmother dies and they go to great lengths to bury her with a treasured necklace, they soon discover that they’ve crossed the wrong people and are drawn into a world of organized crime for which they are woefully unprepared and not at all suited.
Big Mistakes comes from the creative team of Levy and Rachel Sennott, whose previous behind-the-scenes TV work was Schitt’s Creek and I Love LA, respectively. Like the former, this show is about adult siblings who essentially act like children and a parent who has a very warped perception of how people see her and, like the latter, it follows people trying to project an image of success who are in actuality constantly flailing. But it’s also something very new in its criminal focus, but employing the same kind of heightened humor in a much more violent and deadly setting turns out to be just as effective and engaging, especially since humiliation and cancellation are far from their greatest worries if they truly do something wrong.
Casting himself as a priest keeping his male boyfriend a secret from his church is a smart move by Levy, who’s playing someone different from David Rose, slightly more measured but still prone to overreaction in nearly every situation. While it surely would have been fun to have Sennott in front of the camera too, Ortega, previously a series regular on Welcome to Flatch, is a formidable find. She plays Morgan as highly confrontational and prone to chaotically overplaying her hand, which makes for some fantastic comedy. Levy and Ortega are a phenomenal duo, significantly enhancing the already strong and funny writing with perfectly calibrated performances to find the right tone for this show.
Metcalf, who famously once received three separate Emmy acting nominations in a single year for a broad spectrum of work on Getting On, The Big Bang Theory, and Horace and Pete, is a welcome presence on any comedy and does not disappoint here. She nails the delusional commitment to her own ego that defines Linda, and she’s well-matched by a comparatively sedated Quinn. Jack Innanen and Jacob Gutierrez are entertaining romantic partners for the lead siblings, and Elizabeth Perkins makes the most of a small role as the mother of Innanen’s character.
From its first episode, this show pushes down on the gas pedal and doesn’t let up, following its continually worsening hijinks and expanding the hole that Nicky and Morgan have dug for themselves. It’s unapologetically brash and doesn’t leave much time for exposition, ensuring that something worthwhile is happening in every scene or that Nicky and/or Morgan are at least spiraling out about what might happen next. It tops off an entirely engaging eight-episode run with a fantastic finish that sets up an even more appealing potential second season. Behind the camera, Levy and Sennott are an excellent pair, matched only by Levy and Ortega bringing this show to life in front of it.
Season grade: 8/10
