Although Toronto’s Dan Levy has had a number of projects over the past couple of years, none has hit quite like the phenom that was Schitt’s Creek. The show he created and starred in alongside his father Eugene Levy and the last, great Catherine O’Hara. But that might change with his new show Big Mistakes, premiering today on Netflix.
The new series takes Levy’s signature comedic sensibility into new territory: a comedy-thriller about two siblings who stumble into the world of organized crime.
It’s been six years since Schitt’s Creek ended.
“That’s how long it took, really, to get an idea that I felt as strongly about as I did when we started Schitt’s Creek,” said Levy for the Netflix blog Tudom. “When I finished Schitt’s, I really thought, like, I don’t know how I can do anything after this.”
Big Mistakes sees Nicky (Levy), a tightly wound church pastor, and his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), a school teacher, whose attempt to steal a necklace as a gift for their dying grandmother spirals into blackmail and criminal escapades. Their mother, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), who is running for mayor in their New Jersey town, adds another layer of familial chaos.
“They’re both explorations of family, just in very different ways. And I like to describe this show as kind of like a different book on the same shelf,” Levy said.
Playing Nicky gave Levy a chance to explore a character different from David Rose.
“Nicky is so concerned about what people think and how he shows up in a room. He’s making some really bad decisions, but they’re all rooted in well-intentioned action,” he explained. “David was someone who wore all of his emotions on his sleeve, and Nicky is someone who is so insecure and tightly wound.”
The cast also includes fellow Toronto actor Jack Innanen and Boran Kuzum, a star from Turkey, alongside Abby Quinn and others.
With its premiere today, Big Mistakes looks to be a fresh and fun mix of family chaos, criminal escapes, and that Levy trademark humour with very human characters that fans have come to expect from the talented writer and actor.
