Dan Levy is back on TV for the first time since Schitt’s Creek ended in 2020, and Big Mistakes is already proving the six-year wait was worth it.
The new Netflix crime comedy debuted on April 9, 2026, and shot straight to #2 in the US within its first two days, landing a near-perfect 95% on Rotten Tomatoes in the process.
Levy plays Nicky, an uptight gay pastor who gets blackmailed into organized crime alongside his chaotic sister Morgan, played by Taylor Ortega. But the scene-stealer everyone is talking about is Laurie Metcalf as their unhinged matriarch Linda, with critics already calling her performance the best thing on Netflix right now.
All 8 episodes are streaming now.
After the global phenomenon of Schitt’s Creek—the heartfelt, Emmy-sweeping sitcom he co-created and starred in with his father Eugene Levy—Dan Levy stepped away from weekly television. He explored film with the 2024 dramedy Good Grief, hosted projects, made guest appearances, and focused on producing through his company Not a Real Production Company. Fans waited patiently for his return to the small screen in a leading role. In April 2026, that wait ended with Big Mistakes, an eight-episode crime comedy series that blends sharp family dysfunction, fish-out-of-water chaos, and high-stakes criminal misadventures. Co-created by Levy and Rachel Sennott (Bottoms, I Love LA), the show marks Levy’s first major scripted series since Schitt’s Creek and his debut as showrunner under a Netflix overall deal.
From the moment it dropped on April 9, Big Mistakes became an instant conversation starter. It climbed Netflix’s US Top 10 charts to #2 in record time and earned rave early reviews. While the Tomatometer has settled around 79-95% depending on the exact count of reviews (with audience scores hovering in the mid-70s), the critical consensus praises its witty writing, breakneck pacing, and stellar ensemble. Many viewers binged all eight roughly 30-minute episodes in a single sitting, calling it “wall-to-wall entertainment” that is smart, caustic, and genuinely funny.
A Family You Can’t Help but Root For (Even When They’re Committing Felonies)
At the center of Big Mistakes is the Dardano family, a perfectly imperfect unit whose ordinary problems spiral into extraordinary criminal territory.
Dan Levy as Nicky Dardano
Levy stars as Nicky, a buttoned-up, anxious gay pastor living a carefully compartmentalized life. He keeps his sexuality hidden from much of his conservative congregation and maintains emotional distance from his loud, demanding family. Nicky is the straight-laced sibling—the one who follows rules, apologizes excessively, and tries to do the right thing. When a seemingly innocent favor for their ailing nonna (involving a diamond necklace that turns out to be stolen) goes sideways, Nicky finds himself blackmailed into working for dangerous criminals. Levy brings his signature blend of deadpan delivery, physical comedy, and underlying vulnerability to the role. Fans of David Rose from Schitt’s Creek will recognize the neurotic charm, but Nicky feels like a fresh evolution: more repressed, more morally conflicted, and hilariously out of his depth in the underworld.
Taylor Ortega as Morgan Dardano
Morgan, Nicky’s younger sister, is the chaotic spark that ignites the entire plot. A bored middle-school teacher with a flair for gothic-bohemian style and zero impulse control, Morgan is the one who steals the necklace in the first place, convinced it’s a cheap knockoff. Ortega delivers a breakout performance—hilarious, unpredictable, and oddly endearing. Her chemistry with Levy crackles; the sibling banter feels lived-in and authentic, full of eye-rolls, rapid-fire arguments, and reluctant teamwork. Critics have highlighted Ortega as a major discovery, predicting she’ll become a household name.
Laurie Metcalf as Linda Dardano
If there’s one performance dominating the buzz, it’s Laurie Metcalf as the siblings’ mother, Linda. Metcalf, the Emmy-winning legend from Roseanne, Lady Bird, and Hacks, turns Linda into a force of nature: overbearing, guilt-tripping, emotionally incontinent, and strangely magnetic. Linda is running for local office while micromanaging her adult children’s lives. She swings between steely authority and fragile vulnerability, delivering lines that are equal parts heartbreaking and side-splitting. Many reviewers have already declared her work the standout of the series—and quite possibly the best thing currently streaming on Netflix. Metcalf’s ability to make Linda both monstrous and deeply human elevates every scene she’s in.
The supporting cast rounds out the dysfunctional portrait beautifully. Abby Quinn plays the youngest sister Natalie, a professional people-pleaser who orbits her mother’s orbit. Additional players include Boran Kuzum, Jack Innanen, and Mark Ivanir as various figures from the criminal world who are alternately terrifying and comically frustrated by the Dardanos’ incompetence.
Plot Without Spoilers: When Good People Make Very Bad Decisions
The premise is deceptively simple. A well-meaning but ill-advised attempt to fulfill a dying grandmother’s wish leads Nicky and Morgan into the crosshairs of a criminal organization. Blackmailed and ill-equipped, the deeply incapable siblings are forced to navigate the world of organized crime. What follows is a escalating series of mistakes, narrow escapes, moral dilemmas, and family revelations.
The show smartly mixes genres: it has the heart of a family dramedy, the tension of a thriller, and the cringe-comedy timing of a Coen brothers film filtered through modern sensibilities. Episodes move quickly, balancing laugh-out-loud set pieces (botched heists, awkward stakeouts, disastrous family dinners) with quieter moments that explore themes of identity, secrecy, forgiveness, and what it means to truly show up for the people you love—even when they drive you crazy.
Levy and Sennott’s writing shines in its specificity. The dialogue crackles with observational humor about religion, family expectations, queer identity, and the absurdity of trying to maintain normalcy while dodging gangsters. Unlike purely broad farces, Big Mistakes grounds its chaos in emotional truth. Nicky’s internal struggle—balancing his faith, his hidden personal life, and his growing entanglement in crime—adds layers that prevent the show from feeling gimmicky.
Why It Works So Well
Several elements make Big Mistakes stand out in the crowded Netflix comedy landscape:

Pacing and Structure: Eight tight episodes mean no filler. Every installment advances the plot while delivering at least two or three memorable comedic set pieces.
Tone Balance: It walks the line between dark and light without tipping into cynicism. The criminal elements provide stakes, but the heart remains with the family dynamics.
Performances: Levy anchors the show with warmth and precision. Ortega brings explosive energy. Metcalf steals every scene she’s in without overpowering the ensemble.
Visual Style: The show looks sharp and cinematic, with stylish costumes (Nicky’s polished pastor chic versus Morgan’s eclectic look) and dynamic camerawork during action sequences.
Thematic Depth: Beneath the laughs, it touches on closeted life, parental expectations, sibling rivalry, and redemption. It never preaches, but it has something thoughtful to say.

Early audience reactions on platforms like Reddit echo the critics: many finished the season in one or two days and immediately started clamoring for Season 2. The ending sets up compelling new directions while providing satisfying closure to the first arc.
A Welcome Return for Dan Levy
For Levy, Big Mistakes represents more than a comeback—it’s a statement of creative growth. After the warm, optimistic world of Schitt’s Creek, he dives into edgier, more morally ambiguous territory while retaining his gift for character-driven humor. As showrunner, he proves he can helm a project with higher stakes and darker undertones without losing the humanity that made his earlier work so beloved.
In interviews, Levy has expressed excitement about working with Metcalf (calling it a “life’s mission” to have her play his mother) and about building something new with Sennott. The collaboration clearly paid off: the show feels fresh yet familiar, ambitious yet accessible.
Six years after Schitt’s Creek wrapped its perfect finale, Dan Levy returns not by repeating the past but by evolving. Big Mistakes is funnier, riskier, and more unpredictable than many expected. It delivers binge-worthy entertainment while showcasing Levy’s continued maturation as a writer, actor, and producer.
If you haven’t started yet, clear your schedule. All eight episodes of Big Mistakes are streaming now on Netflix. Whether you come for Dan Levy’s long-awaited return, Laurie Metcalf’s tour-de-force performance, or the sheer chaotic joy of watching two hopeless siblings stumble through the criminal underworld, you’ll likely find yourself laughing, cringing, and rooting for this gloriously messy family every step of the way.
The six-year wait is over—and Big Mistakes was absolutely worth it.