- Network: Netflix
- Series Premiere Date: Apr 9, 2026
Critic Reviews
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Big Mistakes can be perceptive and funny when it focuses on the chaotic family unit, especially when Metcalf is present. .... That these elements are crowded out by the gangster plot might constitute another instance of the monolithic crime genre’s incursion into TV projects where it detracts from the psychology of fascinating characters (see also: DTF St. Louis) or works against the natural talents of the showrunner (Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee’s How to Get to Heaven From Belfast).
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Overall, “Big Mistakes” is a wild ride. Sharper rewrites and edits to plot points would have offered a more succinct narrative, allowing the comedic tone to shine through. Despite its muddled storylines, the tone, wit and characters give viewers several glimpses into Levy and Sennott’s quirky world.
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The domestic cringe comedy at its heart means Big Mistakes is far from a major error, but it isn’t quite a triumph either. Perhaps that’s inevitable. They may seem like a safer bet for a risk-averse TV industry, but shows made by stars can rarely compete with the ones that make them.
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Completists will stick with Big Mistakes even through episodes where the mistakes get bigger, just less funny. But for viewers with less time on their hands, here’s a tip. Watch the first two and laugh, and the third to get a whiff of how it slacks off, and move on.
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Big Mistakes is agreeably energetic, and its first season goes by at a bingeable clip. But its frantic back-and-forth amounts to little in the end, a meal that goes down so fast it’s hard to remember what you just ate. It’s fun to watch these characters bounce off one another, but I’d be fine if I never saw them again.
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Big Mistakes has a very good cast, often clever dialogue and (if only because nothing really makes sense) frequent surprises, so it all comes down to how much you’re willing to suspend your disbelief while watching a generally unsubstantial comedy.
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Scaling back would solve a lot of issues. After all, there’s no law saying modern comedies have to be six different shows at once. But they do have to be funny and they do have to make sense, and this genre-bending original may simply be too broken to salvage.
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Netflix can be forgiven for ordering up Dan Levy’s next project, despite the fact there’s no “there” there.