This text incorporates spoilers for Netflix’s “No Good Deed.”
It was a wierd time, being sequestered at dwelling within the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dwellings of thousands and thousands of individuals needed to be reconfigured: Bedrooms grew to become satellite tv for pc work bureaus, kitchens functioned as Zoom assembly rooms, and residing rooms doubled as digital lecture rooms. And TV author and producer Liz Feldman, who was in manufacturing limbo on her Netflix sequence “Lifeless to Me” on the time, was struck by the best way her dwelling — like so many others — all of the sudden took on an virtually supernatural significance as a protector from the fast-spreading virus.
The stress of all of it left Feldman partaking in what grew to become a quintessential pandemic exercise: Zillow scrolling.
“At evening, I’d go on Zillow and I’d discover myself doomscrolling or browsing as a result of it was only a option to go away my home and go to another person’s home,” she says.
Her compulsion additionally finally grew to become analysis. Feldman and her spouse, feeling the tightness of their bungalow-style home, started looking for an area to raised swimsuit 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 cheerful one, particularly throughout such a darkish time,” she says. “There are actually heavy the explanation why folks must promote their home, and there’s the explanation why folks have to purchase and go away the home that they’re in. I simply noticed that there was a chance to have the ability to inform plenty of attention-grabbing intersecting tales, if I revolved it across the shopping for and promoting of 1 home.”
The existential and superficial fixation on “dwelling” planted the seeds for her newest Netflix sequence, “No Good Deed.”
The darkish comedy makes use of the aggressive housing market as a backdrop to a potential homicide thriller that’s really — and unsurprisingly, if Feldman’s work — a considerate exploration of grief.
The sequence follows Lydia and Paul Morgan, performed by sitcom heavyweights Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, as a married couple seeking to promote their beautiful Los Feliz dwelling following the dying of their teenage son. Potential consumers for the dream dwelling embody three households: their neighbors, a washed-up actor and his philandering trophy spouse (Luke Wilson and Linda Cardellini, who labored with Feldman on “Lifeless 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 baby. Denis Leary additionally stars as Paul’s brother.
In a current video name from her dwelling in Los Angeles, Feldman spoke about revisiting grief in her storytelling, the finale’s twist, and discovering the suitable dwelling to hold a sequence 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 “Lifeless to Me.” Was there unfinished enterprise?
I didn’t got down to write one other present about grief or parenthood or infertility. I actually wished 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 stay and work. I used to be in search of a chance to point out that same-sex {couples} have the identical hopes and aspirations and troubles and grief and unhappiness as everybody, and so it simply felt like there was a motive to try this right here. I’ve touched upon my miscarriage and being pregnant loss previously, however I felt like what I hadn’t ever seen was the same-sex couple speaking about going by infertility collectively. As we’re all residing and paying consideration and studying headlines on this world about IVF, the suitable 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 certainly one of them actually wished to promote and certainly one of them didn’t as a result of we [my wife and I] got here throughout that lots. I wished to give you essentially the most type of dynamic, deep option to specific that distinction. Lydia being so tied emotionally to this dwelling as a result of it’s actually the place she feels her son, and for Paul to need to promote for the very same motive, 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 dying of their son and attempting 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 “Lifeless 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 precise it earlier than on this method. Definitely, 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 in search of the sunshine that peeks by. 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, “Nicely, this must be hilarious. This has to have three jokes per web page.” As a substitute, I’ve tried to switch that with, “this must really feel actual.”
Because the sequence unfolds, the viewers is led to imagine Lydia and Paul’s daughter unintentionally shot her brother; the couple coated it as much as shield her. However the twist is it was really Linda Cardellini’s character, Margo, who shot him.
We selected to try this loopy twist as a result of we wished to make that household complete once more in a method that we didn’t really feel like we may if every part had been their fault. We launched within the pilot, that [their son] Jacob Morgan didn’t really die the best way we thought he did, and that there was, if you’ll, form 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 potential, and to place the little Easter eggs in to point out 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 surprising to you that the individual in the end accountable is the individual in the end accountable. I really like the quote from Maya Angelou by way of Oprah, and Oprah says it lots that: Individuals let you know who they’re from the very starting, and you need to pay attention.
Linda Cardellini as Margo in “No Good Deed.”
(Netflix)
When did Linda know she was the offender?
She knew actually early on; I feel she knew earlier than she signed up. I pitched her the whole season. Everybody else didn’t know that early on. However as soon as we obtained into the filming, Ray and Lisa — the factor is, they didn’t have to 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, once we had been a couple of episodes into capturing, I did inform Ray and Lisa every part that occurred.
Speak to me about discovering the home. That is the home of my goals.
After we employed Stephenson Crossley, who’s our location producer, I stated, “I would like to search out an simple home. A home that, once you see it, you instantly really feel an emotional response to it.” We noticed so many f— homes, however once we discovered the hero home that grew to become 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 virtually beckoning you. And it has this stunning arch above the doorway with like an ivy or creeping fig — we known 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 believed, “This can be a home you would 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 at the least perceive why it’s another person’s.”
We have now the outside, however then the inside was fully invented by our manufacturing designer, Nina Ruscio, and our artwork division. It’s a whole home that was constructed on two levels. 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 this anthropomorphic factor that got here alive.
“No Good Deed” creator and showrunner Liz Feldman
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Instances)
The sequence ends in a method the place sufficient is tied up that it will probably cease there, however there are nonetheless some unfastened threads that may doubtlessly be explored. Did you conceive of this as a restricted sequence or one with room for extra?
I feel that there’s a fairly cool alternative to maintain the present going. I’ve a fairly clear concept of the place I need to take Season 2 and I feel it’s fairly enjoyable and sudden. I can’t wait to share it with Netflix.
The sequence started manufacturing not lengthy after the Hollywood strikes ended. Did something change from the unique arc of the sequence because of that? And the way was it to be on a set after such an existential second for the inventive neighborhood?
The strike hit about possibly a month earlier than our [writers] room was set to be over. So, we had been fairly nicely into the [writing of the] season and, when the strike was known as, none of us knew how lengthy it was going to be. We had solid a number of of the actors — not all, however most. To be completely sincere, it was extraordinarily tough and albeit 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 motive, for an comprehensible trigger. It’s laborious 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 once we obtained there. It gave me readability in easy methods to inform the story higher as a result of it’s a really giant ensemble. And I noticed throughout that break that it will be OK to take away characters from sure episodes in order that I’d have extra time to concentrate on the characters that remained and that not each character wanted to be in each episode for it to be and compelling story. So in some ways, the strike was useful only for perspective. Massive beats did change, however I can’t say it was due to the strike.
Linda Cardellini, left, and Christina Applegate in Netflix’s “Lifeless to Me.”
(Saeed Adyani / Netflix)
It occurred to me whereas watching “No Good Deed” that you simply, as a boss, have encountered the expertise of expertise confronting and processing devastating life moments within the midst of manufacturing. Christina Applegate obtained her MS prognosis and managed to finish the ultimate season of “Lifeless 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 verify your stars are OK?
I really feel actually honored that I’ve been the one who was chosen, in some bizarre method by the universe, to be the showrunner for these actors in these tough moments, as a result of as a lot as I need to make an important 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 a couple of years even earlier than that. For me, an important factor was all the time, “Is she OK? Is that this OK for her?” I instructed her, virtually every day, “We don’t have to do that. I’ll stroll away.” She actually wished to maintain going. We did take a hiatus; we form of met within the center at a sure level. Nevertheless it was extra necessary to me to assist her by that as a human being going by essentially the most tough second in her life than it was to get the suitable shot. We modified lots to accommodate her wants on that present. She very, very hardly ever walked. It was as tough and really heartbreaking of an expertise. It was additionally extremely rewarding to assist her see that by. I do know she’s actually happy with it, as she needs to be, and I’m actually happy with her for pushing by.
And with Lisa, I didn’t know her as nicely, so I wasn’t coming at it from as shut of a private relationship. However I’m excited by being individual to folks. I simply tried to make myself out there to her. She’s an excessive skilled and carried herself throughout the warmest grace and it’s all evident on the display.
It’s an attention-grabbing time, creatively. The primary time that Trump was elected, there was plenty of questions on how his time period would form the form of storytelling networks or studios had been excited by greenlighting or the forms of tales writers would need to inform. How are you feeling this time round? Do you are feeling a way of urgency to inform explicit forms of tales as a response to this second?
It’s slightly laborious 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 feel there are themes that really feel very current round this subject that I’ve written about and can proceed to write down about. I don’t really feel significantly pushed to write down one thing that’s overtly political, however I’m all the time excited by writing what’s subversively political. I’ll proceed to signify 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 assume otherwise.
