This text comprises spoilers for Netflix’s “No Good Deed.”
It was an odd time, being sequestered at residence within the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dwellings of thousands and thousands of individuals needed to be reconfigured: Bedrooms turned satellite tv for pc work bureaus, kitchens functioned as Zoom assembly rooms and dwelling rooms doubled as digital lecture rooms. And TV writer-producer Liz Feldman, who was in manufacturing limbo on her Netflix collection “Useless to Me” on the time, was struck by the best way her residence — like so many others — all of the sudden took on an nearly supernatural significance as a protector from the fast-spreading virus.
The stress of all of it left Feldman partaking in what turned a quintessential pandemic exercise: Zillow scrolling.
“At night time, I’d go on Zillow and I’d discover myself doomscrolling or browsing as a result of it was only a approach to depart my home and go to another person’s home,” she says.
Her compulsion additionally finally turned analysis. Feldman and her spouse, feeling the tightness of their bungalow-style home, started trying to find an area that higher suited their wants.
“We noticed so many locations, and each time we walked into a brand new door, I may really feel that there was a narrative there and it wasn’t all the time a contented one, particularly throughout such a darkish time,” she says. “There are actually heavy the explanation why folks need to promote their home, and there’s the explanation why folks have to purchase and depart the home that they’re in. I simply noticed that there was a possibility to have the ability to inform lots of fascinating intersecting tales, if I revolved it across the shopping for and promoting of 1 home.”
The existential and superficial fixation on “residence” planted the seeds for her newest Netflix collection, “No Good Deed.”
The darkish comedy makes use of the aggressive housing market as a backdrop to a doable homicide thriller that’s truly — and unsurprisingly, if you already know Feldman’s work — a considerate exploration of grief.
The collection follows Lydia and Paul Morgan, performed by sitcom heavyweights Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, as a married couple seeking to promote their gorgeous Los Feliz residence following the demise of their teenage son. Potential patrons for the dream residence embrace three households: their neighbors, a washed-up actor and his philandering trophy spouse (Luke Wilson and Linda Cardellini, who labored with Feldman on “Useless to Me”); a lesbian couple (Abbi Jacobson and Poppy Liu) struggling to conceive; and newlyweds (Teyonah Parris and O-T Fagbenle) getting ready for the arrival of their first youngster. Denis Leary additionally stars as Paul’s brother.
In a current video name from her residence in Los Angeles, Feldman spoke about revisiting grief in her storytelling, the finale’s twist, and discovering the best residence to hold a collection on. The next dialog has been condensed and edited for readability.
Lisa Kudrow as Lydia and Ray Romano as Paul in “No Good Deed.”
(Saeed Adyani / Netflix)
“No Good Deed” offers with grief, parenthood and infertility — themes you’ve tackled earlier than on “Useless to Me.” Was there unfinished enterprise?
I didn’t got down to write one other present about grief or parenthood or infertility. I actually needed to inform a narrative about how far folks would go to guard and supply for his or her family members. In doing that, I used to be in a position to faucet again into a few of these themes that I assume are following me as I proceed to reside and work. I used to be searching for a possibility to indicate that same-sex {couples} have the identical hopes and aspirations and troubles and grief and disappointment as everybody, and so it simply felt like there was a purpose to do this right here. I’ve touched upon my miscarriage and being pregnant loss prior to now, however I felt like what I hadn’t ever seen was the same-sex couple speaking about going by means of infertility collectively. As we’re all dwelling and paying consideration and studying headlines on this world about IVF, the best to decide on, physique autonomy — it’s extraordinarily related and necessary.
I used to be additionally on this fundamental couple, performed by Ray and Lisa, and the way one in every of them actually needed to promote and one in every of them didn’t as a result of we [my wife and I] got here throughout that quite a bit. I needed to give you essentially the most type of dynamic, deep approach to specific that distinction. Lydia being so tied emotionally to this residence as a result of it’s actually the place she feels her son, and for Paul to need to promote for the very same purpose, felt compelling to me. I didn’t ever got down to be like the author that treads in grief, however right here I’m.
Even for a darkish comedy, dad and mom dealing with the demise of their son and making an attempt to promote their home the place it occurred doesn’t appear to be a straightforward promote. What was your pitch like?
Once I was doing “Useless to Me,” the fixed query was, “What’s the tone?” Understandably, as a result of it was my very own bizarre voice that was popping out and I hadn’t ever actually had an opportunity to specific it earlier than on this means. Actually, there have been questions time and time once more [on “No Good Deed”] of like, “What are we doing right here?” I simply knew how I heard it in my head. I’m not afraid of darkness, however I additionally am all the time searching for the sunshine that peeks by means of. I’m coming off of writing multi-cam sitcoms for 10 years, which was a complete pleasure, and one thing I actually love doing. It’s an actual problem and it’s actually satisfying to have the ability to let go of these constraints, of claiming, “Effectively, this must be hilarious. This has to have three jokes per web page.” As an alternative, I’ve tried to interchange that with, “This must really feel actual.”
Because the collection unfolds, the viewers is led to imagine Lydia and Paul’s daughter by accident shot her brother; the couple lined it as much as shield her. However the twist is it was truly Linda Cardellini’s character, Margo, who shot him.
We selected to do this loopy twist as a result of we needed to make that household entire once more in a means that we didn’t really feel like we may if all the things had been their fault. We launched within the pilot that [their son] Jacob Morgan didn’t truly die the best way we thought he did, and that there was, if you’ll, type of just like the grassy knoll, a second shooter. And as kooky as that sounds, it’s then our duty because the writers to return and make that as justifiable as doable, and to place the little Easter eggs in to indicate you that it was there all alongside, which we did with out hanging an excessive amount of of a lantern on it. It shouldn’t be stunning to you that the particular person finally accountable is the particular person finally accountable. I really like the quote from Maya Angelou by way of Oprah, and Oprah says it quite a bit: Folks inform you who they’re from the very starting, and it is best to hear.
Linda Cardellini as Margo in “No Good Deed.”
(Netflix)
When did Linda know she was the perpetrator?
She knew actually early on; I believe she knew earlier than she signed up. I pitched her the complete season. Everybody else didn’t know that early on. However as soon as we received into the filming, Ray and Lisa — the factor is, they didn’t must know as a result of their characters didn’t know. There’s something to that. I like to present the characters the knowledge that their characters have, however at a sure level, after we have been just a few episodes into taking pictures, I did inform Ray and Lisa all the things that occurred.
Discuss to me about discovering the home. That is the home of my desires.
After we employed Stephenson Crossley, who’s our location producer, I stated, “I would like to seek out an plain home. A home that, once you see it, you instantly really feel an emotional response to it.” We noticed so many f— homes, however after we discovered the hero home that turned the Morgan home, the best way it’s constructed, it has this type of reaching-out feeling. It’s on a nook and it has these two wings which might be nearly beckoning you. And it has this lovely arch above the doorway with like an ivy or creeping fig — we referred to as it “the eyebrow home” as a result of it appeared like a phenomenal eyebrow across the door. I felt one thing, like, viscerally in my physique, and I assumed, “It is a home you possibly can body a present like this on, as a result of who wouldn’t need that home? And if it isn’t your model, you’ll no less than perceive why it’s another person’s.”
We’ve the outside, however then the inside was fully invented by our manufacturing designer, Nina Ruscio, and our artwork division. It’s a complete home that was constructed on two phases. And it’s a full working home. Each room leads into the opposite; the plumbing works; there’s a primary flooring and a second flooring. The home was all the time meant to be one of many stars of the present. Within the unique pilot script, I even type of described her as “an previous Hollywood starlet.” It actually felt like this anthropomorphic factor that got here alive.
“No Good Deed” creator and showrunner Liz Feldman
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Instances)
The collection ends in a means the place sufficient is tied up that it could possibly cease there, however there are nonetheless some unfastened threads that may doubtlessly be explored. Did you conceive of this as a restricted collection or one with room for extra?
I believe that there’s a fairly cool alternative to maintain the present going. I’ve a fairly clear thought of the place I need to take Season 2 and I believe it’s fairly enjoyable and surprising. I can’t wait to share it with Netflix.
The collection started manufacturing not lengthy after the Hollywood strikes ended. Did something change from the unique arc of the collection because of that? And the way was it to be on a set after such an existential second for the inventive group?
The strike hit about perhaps a month earlier than our [writers’] room was set to be over. So, we have been fairly properly into the [writing of the] season and, when the strike was referred to as, none of us knew how lengthy it was going to be. We had forged a number of of the actors — not all however most. To be completely trustworthy, it was extraordinarily troublesome and admittedly miserable as a result of I felt I used to be on the precipice of attending to create this new present with these folks whom I really like, a roomful of writers that I completely adore being with, this bevy of actors who I’d die to work with. After which it was all type of taken away in a flash — for good purpose, for an comprehensible trigger. It’s onerous to maintain your pleasure up for 5 months and to maintain the freshness up and the imaginative and prescient clear for that lengthy.
I’ve to say due to Netflix as a result of they gave us additional time again within the room in order that we may recalibrate after we received there. It gave me readability in inform the story higher as a result of it’s a really massive ensemble. And I spotted throughout that break that it might be OK to take away characters from sure episodes in order that I’d have extra time to give attention to the characters that remained and that not each character wanted to be in each episode for it to be an excellent and compelling story. So in some ways, the strike was useful only for perspective. Huge beats did change, however I can’t say it was due to the strike.
Linda Cardellini, left, and Christina Applegate in Netflix’s “Useless to Me.”
(Saeed Adyani / Netflix)
It occurred to me whereas watching “No Good Deed” that you just, as a boss, have encountered the expertise of expertise confronting and processing devastating life moments within the midst of manufacturing. Christina Applegate acquired her MS prognosis and managed to finish the ultimate season of “Useless to Me.” Previous to filming “No Good Deed,” Lisa Kudrow was dealing with Matthew Perry’s passing. How did you consider navigating these real-life moments, to ensure your stars are OK?
I really feel actually honored that I’ve been the one that was chosen, in some bizarre means by the universe, to be the showrunner for these actors in these troublesome moments, as a result of as a lot as I need to make an ideal present, I’m a human being first and I see actors as human beings first. With Christina, we had been working collectively for years at that time. And I knew her just a few years even earlier than that. For me, an important factor was all the time, “Is she OK? Is that this OK for her?” I advised her, nearly each day, “We don’t have to do that. I’ll stroll away.” She actually needed to maintain going. We did take a hiatus; we type of met within the center at a sure level. But it surely was extra necessary to me to assist her by means of that as a human being going by means of essentially the most troublesome second in her life than it was to get the best shot. We modified quite a bit to accommodate her wants on that present. She very, very hardly ever walked. It was a troublesome and really heartbreaking expertise. It was additionally extremely rewarding to assist her see that by means of. I do know she’s actually pleased with it, as she ought to be, and I’m actually pleased with her for pushing by means of.
And with Lisa, I didn’t know her as properly, so I wasn’t coming at it from as shut of a private relationship. However I’m eager about being an excellent particular person to folks. I simply tried to make myself out there to her. She’s an excessive skilled and carried herself inside the warmest grace, and it’s all evident on the display.
It’s an fascinating time, creatively. The primary time that Trump was elected, there was lots of questions on how his time period would form the type of storytelling networks or studios have been eager about greenlighting or the kinds of tales writers would need to inform. How are you feeling this time round? Do you’re feeling a way of urgency to inform specific kinds of tales as a response to this second?
It’s a little bit onerous to foretell as a result of it’s completely different this time. It’s tinged with so many different emotions, like disappointment and shock and heartbreak. I believe there are themes that really feel very current round this problem that I’ve written about and can proceed to put in writing about. I don’t really feel notably pushed to put in writing one thing that’s overtly political, however I’m all the time eager about writing what’s subversively political. I’ll proceed to symbolize characters that I really feel are underrepresented. Our pens are our swords, and it simply compels me to need to maintain writing so that individuals can maintain sharing in an expertise and be challenged to suppose in another way.
