Welcome to the Morgan house, owned by Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano). Their abode has everything a buyer could want: the original fireplace, vision board–worthy arches, a prime location in Los Angeles’ sunny Los Feliz neighborhood, and … secrets around every corner. You’ll come to learn the hidden truths lurking within the walls of the home when No Good Deed — a dark comedy from Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman — debuts on Dec. 12. For now, you can savor the above clip, which reveals the first five minutes of the Season 1 premiere.
“I knew I wanted to start from a place of mystery, and I knew that I wanted there to be something to solve,” Feldman tells Tudum. What could that mystery be? Well, Feldman recommends looking toward Los Feliz’s twisty history, which Sarah (Poppy Liu) seems to pick up on in the sneak peek video. As Sarah says, the Morgan house has a “dark” vibe.
Feldman agrees, explaining, “When you say, ‘You know the Los Feliz murder house?’ most people go, ‘Which one?’ ” The showrunner and executive producer mixed the enigmatic atmosphere of the neighborhood, LA real estate lore, and the results of her personal hunt for a new home to create the “pretty delicious dish” that is No Good Deed (which also reteams Feldman with Dead to Me star Linda Cardellini). During her real estate journey, Feldman stumbled upon surprise backyard speakeasies, labyrinthine annexes, and even a door that led to rows of nude mannequins.
“I realized every time my wife and I walked into a new door, that there was a whole set of lives that had happened there,” Feldman says. “Tragedies and wonderful life highlights — I realized there were endless stories to be told in terms of people’s homes.”
In the clip, we find No Good Deed’s main cast coming to the same realization at the Morgans’ open house. Characters including spouses Sarah and Leslie (Abbi Jacobson), competing couple Carla (Teyonah Parris) and Dennis (O-T Fagbenle), and soap actor JD Campbell (Luke Wilson) peruse the Spanish-style manse — all while under the furtive eye of homeowners Lydia and Paul, who are hiding upstairs. Could the Morgans get caught trying to pull off such a real estate taboo?
“To be technical, you’re not really supposed to be at your own open house,” Feldman says. Yet Lydia can’t help but remain overly protective about her residence. “The home is a family member,” Feldman continues. “Just like you wouldn’t just go leave your child with a bunch of strangers, that feels the same for Lydia. She doesn’t want to just leave her home for all these people to traipse about, open drawers, and whatever.”
Lydia and her husband also might be hiding something from prospective buyers. “Paul is desperate to sell for a variety of reasons, both emotional and practical. Financial and otherwise,” Feldman teases. Both sides of the couple agree their home is filled with memories — they simply disagree on whether that’s a good thing or a terrible one.
“We meet them at a little bit of a crossroads — it’s a really interesting time in their lives,” Feldman says. “We know they’re about to go through some major changes. They know they’re about to go through some major changes in their [lives]. But they have no idea how major.”
To find out what’s next for the Morgans — and the rest of Los Feliz’s scheming citizens — tune into No Good Deed when it premieres Dec. 12.
See Inside the House with the Cast of No Good Deed
