Dan Levy’s Big Mistakes: A Family Comedy Forced Into a Crime Drama

Netflix premiered the crime comedy series Big Mistakes on April 9, 2026. Created by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, the series marks a departure for Levy, who serves as both the showrunner and the lead actor.

The narrative centers on two directionless siblings who find themselves blackmailed into the world of organized crime. The plot follows the pair as they stumble into the middle of a high-stakes cartel war, blending family dysfunction with criminal chaos.

Cast and Character Dynamics

Dan Levy stars as Nicky, one of the two incapable siblings at the center of the conflict. He is joined by Taylor Ortega, who portrays his sibling, Morgan.

The main ensemble includes Laurie Metcalf as Linda, alongside Jack Innanen as Max, Boran Kuzum as Yusuf, and Abby Quinn as Natalie.

A recurring cast provides additional support to the narrative, featuring Elizabeth Perkins as Annette, Jacob Gutierrez as Tareq, Joe Barbara as Mike, Josh Fadem as Ashley, and Mark Ivanir as Ivan.

Critical Reception

Critical response to the series has been divided, with reviewers disagreeing on whether the show’s tonal shifts work in its favor. The Guardian praised the project, stating that Levy excels in new cringe comedy.

Conversely, other critics have found the execution inconsistent. A review from TIME characterized the series as uneven.

Dan Levy’s Big Mistakes Is a Warm Family Comedy, Contorted to Fit TV’s Crime Obsession

TIME

The Hollywood Reporter offered a similar critique, noting that while the series provides plenty of mayhem, it ultimately delivers too little logic or heart.

Production and Episode Structure

The first season of Big Mistakes consists of eight episodes, all of which were released on April 9, 2026. The production was handled by Treacly Productions and Not a Real Production Company.

The executive production team includes Dan Levy, Rachel Sennott, Ann-Marie McGintee, Dean Holland, Etan Frankel, and Timothy Greenberg.

The writing and direction for the season are distributed as follows:

• Episode 1, Get Your Nonna A Necklace: Directed by Dean Holland and written by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott.
• Episode 2, I Will Do Anything To Survive: Directed by Dean Holland, with a story by Dan Levy and a teleplay by Jacqui Rivera.
• Episode 3, Show Me The Money: Written by Etan Frankel.
• Episode 4, Weakness Always Exposes Itself: Written by Erin Levy.
• Episode 5, James 4:17: Written by Timothy Greenberg.
• Episode 6, You F-ck With My Family, You F-ck With Me: Written by Dan Levy.
• Episode 7, I’ve Really Enjoyed My Time With You: Story and teleplay by Jacqui Rivera and Erin Levy.
• Episode 8, Rock, Paper, Scissors: Story by Dan Levy, with a teleplay by Etan Frankel and Timothy Greenberg.

The series was picked up by Netflix in May 2025 as part of a broader creative output from Levy.