Dan Levy’s ‘Big Mistakes’ Is the Messy, Mean, Organized-Crime Comedy Netflix Needed
Dan Levy’s new Netflix series Big Mistakes arrives like the answer to a very specific cultural craving: a comedy that actually lets its characters be awful, but still finds a way to care about them. Co-created with Rachel Sennott, the show throws an anxious pastor, his volatile sister, and a gallery of small‑town oddballs into the orbit of organized crime—and then dares them to stay likable.
Built on the DNA of Schitt’s Creek and the anxious millennial comedy of Sennott’s Bottoms and Shiva Baby, Big Mistakes aims for a sweet‑and‑sour blend: gentle character growth wrapped in barbed one‑liners and genuinely bad decisions. It doesn’t always nail the tonal high‑wire act, but when it works, it’s one of Netflix’s more distinct half‑hour comedies in years.
A Pastor, His Sister, and a Very Bad Idea: The Premise of Big Mistakes
The series opens with a mission statement: Laurie Metcalf, in full scorch‑earth mode, yelling at a dying old woman. It’s an immediate cue that Big Mistakes isn’t going to hide its meanness behind a soft sitcom glow. From there, the show follows:
- Dan Levy as an uptight, well‑meaning pastor whose moral compass is shakier than his sermons.
- Taylor Ortega as his sister, a live‑wire screw‑up whose life philosophy is basically “impulse first, apology never.”
- A chain of “what if we just…” choices that gradually entangle the siblings with low‑level organized crime.
Where Schitt’s Creek built its comedy from a fish‑out‑of‑water rich family humbled in a small town, Big Mistakes inverts that arc: these characters are already small‑time, and crime becomes their weird, ill‑advised shot at changing their lives.
“We wanted to see what happens when people who think of themselves as ‘good’ slowly talk themselves into really bad decisions.”
That tension—between self‑image and actual behavior—is where the show lives.
From Schitt’s Creek to Sharp Elbows: Tone, Humor, and Dark Edges
Levy’s signature style has always mixed vulnerability with precise, slightly theatrical comedy. In Big Mistakes, that sensibility is pushed into darker territory. The jokes are:
- Caustic: Characters weaponize their trauma and insecurities for punchlines.
- Specific: There’s a strong ear for millennial and Gen Z anxieties—money, faith, purpose.
- Uncomfortable: The show often lingers in the awkward aftermath of especially cruel remarks.
What keeps it from tipping into pure cynicism is the clear affection the writers have for these people. Even the worst behaviors feel rooted in fear, pride, or desperation rather than cartoon villainy. Still, the show is willing to let its jokes land without a moral safety net—an increasingly rare choice in the streaming landscape.
Compared to other Netflix comedies, it sits somewhere between the bleak absurdity of Russian Doll and the heartfelt awkwardness of Sex Education, without fully copying either playbook.
Casting That Bites: Performances and Character Dynamics
The show’s biggest asset is its cast. Levy smartly surrounds himself with performers who can lean into nastiness without losing their human core.
- Dan Levy as the pastor: He plays tightly wound panic like it’s a second language, selling both the earnest desire to do good and the creeping willingness to cut corners.
- Taylor Ortega as the sister: Ortega is the show’s secret weapon—her timing is razor sharp, and she gives the character a lived‑in sense of self‑sabotage that never feels like a stock “messy sister” trope.
- Laurie Metcalf in full character‑actor mode: Every scene she’s in carries the energy of a stage veteran who knows exactly when to go big and when to go ice‑cold.
“Laurie Metcalf can make a casual insult feel like a life event. Big Mistakes lets her swing for the fences.” — TV critic commentary
The sibling dynamic between Levy and Ortega does a lot of heavy lifting. Their arguments feel like people who have been fighting the same fights since childhood; the crime angle is just the latest excuse.
Organized Crime, but Make It Relatable: Plot and Pacing
The organized‑crime angle is less The Sopranos, more “what if your worst decision snowballed for eight episodes.” Big Mistakes borrows from the “ordinary people in over their heads” tradition that powered shows like Breaking Bad and Barry, but scales it to the half‑hour dramedy format.
- Strength: The criminal stakes give the show a forward momentum that many hangout comedies lack.
- Weakness: At times, the heavier plot beats can feel at odds with the looser, punchline‑driven writing.
Some episodes glide by on the strength of their dialogue; others work harder to convince you that these sweet‑and‑salty weirdos would plausibly keep digging themselves deeper into danger. When the balance hits—usually in the mid‑season stretch—the show feels genuinely fresh.
The season’s arc is more cohesive than many Netflix comedies that feel like loose sketch packets, but viewers expecting a tightly plotted crime thriller will likely find the show more emotionally messy than narratively intricate.
Where Big Mistakes Fits in the Streaming Comedy Landscape
In a post‑Schitt’s Creek world, Levy could have easily played the hits: another cozy, low‑stakes ensemble comedy about kindness in quirky places. Instead, Big Mistakes leans into the current appetite for messier protagonists and morally gray situations.
It lands alongside a crop of comedies that treat humor as a way of interrogating:
- Religious doubt and the pressure to be “good” in public.
- Millennial burnout and the lure of shortcuts.
- Family loyalty when relatives become liabilities.
That blend of cultural observation and character‑first storytelling is very much in step with recent hits, but Levy and Sennott’s particular mix of theatrical wit and anxious energy gives the show its own flavor.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Is Big Mistakes Worth Your Time?
What works:
- Sharp, character‑driven writing that isn’t afraid to be mean.
- Strong ensemble performances, especially from Ortega and Metcalf.
- A distinct tone that sets it apart from more generic comfort comedies.
What stumbles:
- Occasional tonal whiplash between crime‑drama stakes and sitcom beats.
- Some subplots feel underdeveloped compared to the central sibling story.
- Viewers attached to the pure warmth of Schitt’s Creek may find this too abrasive.
For audiences who appreciate uncomfortable laughs, flawed protagonists, and a little ethical queasiness with their binge‑watching, Big Mistakes is an easy recommendation. If you’re looking for purely cozy vibes, this might feel like a spiritual hangover.
Final Verdict: A Bold, Flawed Step Forward for Dan Levy
Big Mistakes isn’t aiming to replace Schitt’s Creek in the culture; it’s more interested in seeing what happens when Dan Levy leans into sharper, stranger instincts. The result is a series that can be uneven but rarely feels anonymous—a small victory in the crowded Netflix comedy lineup.
As streaming platforms increasingly favor safe, algorithm‑friendly sitcoms, a show this prickly, specific, and willing to risk alienating part of its audience feels almost radical. If Levy and Sennott get a second season to refine the balance between crime plot and character study, Big Mistakes could evolve from an intriguing experiment into a standout.
4/5 — Smart, spiky, and occasionally uneven, but one of Netflix’s more distinctive recent comedies.
