A New Chapter for Dan Levy
Six years after Schitt’s Creek concluded its Emmy-winning run, Dan Levy is making a bold return to television. This time, he’s stepping into the world of organized crime with his new Netflix comedy, Big Mistakes. As both creator and star, Levy plays Nicky, one half of an inept brother-and-sister duo who accidentally stumble into the mob world after stealing for their dying grandmother.
Levy has openly admitted that this show requires “nerves of steel.” “Someone told me they needed a Xanax after watching,” he says with a grin. “And I thought: that’s about right!”
Exploring New Territory
For fans of Schitt’s Creek, this shift might come as a surprise. However, for Levy, it was a natural evolution. “I had six seasons of a warm, fuzzy, cuddly show, and my natural curiosity was to go in a completely different direction,” he explains. “I wanted to keep what I loved – the family dynamics and the flawed and funny characters – but explore something completely different.”
This “something” led him to ask himself an unusual question: how would he fare as a criminal? The answer, according to Levy, was clear. “Horrible,” he confesses. “Right off the bat!”
The show’s documentary-style approach – handheld, loose, and almost uncomfortably real – was a deliberate choice to maintain the credibility of the crime elements. “We threw a lot of the conventional elements of TV-making out the window,” he says. “The effect is exactly what I wanted. The show constantly feels real and alive.”
A Stellar Cast
One of the standout performances in Big Mistakes comes from Taylor Ortega, who plays Nicky’s sister, Morgan. However, Levy had only one person in mind for the role of Linda, the duo’s formidable grandmother – Laurie Metcalf. “I wrote her a letter, sent a script, said a little prayer, and hoped for the best,” he says. He adds that it was Metcalf’s earlier work on Roseanne that always inspired him. “When you send something to someone you revere so deeply, you really just have to let it go.”
The response came within 48 hours. “I screamed,” he tells us. “Out loud.”
Levy describes Big Mistakes as a show full of big swings, but it all feels “genuinely satisfying and never cheap.” It also serves as a welcome distraction for him during a difficult time. He is still grieving the January death of his Schitt’s Creek co-star, Catherine O’Hara, at age 71.
A Tribute to a Legend
O’Hara and Dan’s father, Eugene Levy, began their careers together in the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television. They later co-starred in four Christopher Guest films, including Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, before starring as John and Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek.
On Instagram, Dan paid tribute to O’Hara in characteristically eloquent terms: “What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years. Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it.”
Thoughts on a Possible Reboot
When asked about the possibility of a Schitt’s Creek reboot on CBS Sunday Morning, Levy said he had considered it but couldn’t move forward without O’Hara. “No, not now,” he said. “You can’t.”
For now, Levy is focused on Big Mistakes, which he compares to a theme park ride. “You get on the rollercoaster, buckle up, and just let gravity do its thing,” he declares. “Xanax is optional.”
