No Good Deed

If No Good Deed had a motto, it might be “great cast, mediocre script.” With its star-studded lineup, this series promised big things, but instead, it delivers a lukewarm casserole of half-baked characters, clunky dialogue, and a plot that feels like it’s trying to win a game of genre bingo.
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The show’s biggest problem? Nobody gets their time to shine. With too many characters crammed into the narrative, none are fully developed, leaving viewers feeling like they’ve RSVP’d to a party where they don’t really know anyone. Lisa Kudrow, ever the reliable talent, flexes her dramatic range and manages to be the highlight of the show—but even she can’t work miracles with dialogue that sounds like it was written during a coffee break.

The pacing doesn’t help either. The first couple of episodes might not exactly scream “binge me,” but the whodunit premise does enough to string you along, even if it’s more out of curiosity than genuine excitement. However, the lack of suspense and disjointed editing turn the show into a frustrating guessing game of “Wait, what genre are we in now?” One minute, it’s sentimental drama, the next, an action-packed showdown, and then—surprise!—a musical number. The tonal shifts are so jarring you’d be forgiven for thinking your streaming service accidentally shuffled two shows together.
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And let’s talk about that “comedy.” The jokes? Few and far between. The comedic timing? Awkward at best. The result? A show that’s not funny enough to make you laugh, not suspenseful enough to keep you on edge, and not heartfelt enough to tug at your emotions. It’s like a buffet where nothing tastes bad, but nothing tastes good enough to remember.

By the time the storylines converge (which feels like waiting for a train that’s perpetually delayed), the undercooked scripts and shallow character arcs have already taken their toll. Even the editing feels off, cutting between interactions in a way that’s more “random PowerPoint transitions” than “seamless storytelling.”
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Still, No Good Deed isn’t terrible. It’s a decent watch, the kind of show you throw on when you want to feel vaguely entertained but don’t want to think too hard. But in a world saturated with inventive and gripping television, “decent” just doesn’t cut it anymore.