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t was a peculiar time, being confined at home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dwellings of millions were reconfigured: bedrooms became makeshift offices, kitchens functioned as Zoom meeting rooms, and living rooms doubled as virtual classrooms. For TV writer-producer Liz Feldman, who was in production limbo on her Netflix series "Dead to Me" at the time, this period sparked an idea for a new show. As she scrolled through Zillow, she noticed how homes took on a supernatural significance as protectors from the spreading virus.
Feldman's compulsion to browse real estate listings eventually turned into research. She and her wife began searching for a space that better suited their needs, but every house they visited seemed to have a story behind it – often a heavy one. This experience planted the seeds for Feldman's latest Netflix series, "No Good Deed," which explores the competitive housing market as a backdrop for a possible murder mystery.
The dark comedy follows Lydia and Paul Morgan, played by Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, as they try to sell their stunning Los Feliz home after the death of their teenage son. Prospective buyers include three families: their neighbors, a washed-up actor and his philandering trophy wife; a lesbian couple struggling to conceive; and newlyweds preparing for the arrival of their first child.
Feldman spoke about revisiting grief in her storytelling, the finale's twist, and finding the right home to hang a series on. "No Good Deed" deals with themes she's tackled before, but Feldman didn't set out to write another show about grief or parenthood. Instead, she wanted to tell a story about how far people would go to protect and provide for their loved ones.
The series' twist reveals that Linda Cardellini's character, Margo, was the one who shot Lydia and Paul's son, not their daughter as initially believed. Feldman chose this direction because it allowed her to make the family whole again in a way she couldn't if everything had been their fault. The show ends with enough tied up for it to stop there, but some loose threads remain that could be explored in future seasons.
Feldman has navigated real-life moments on set, including Christina Applegate's MS diagnosis and Lisa Kudrow coping with Matthew Perry's passing. She prioritizes her actors' well-being over the show, saying, "I'm a human being first, and I see actors as human beings first." Feldman feels honored to have been chosen to support these actors during difficult times.
As for the current creative landscape, Feldman doesn't feel driven to write overtly political stories but is interested in subversively political themes. She'll continue to represent underrepresented characters and use her writing as a way to challenge people's perspectives.
