Dan Levy is back in the comedy game, and he's playing the long game. The Emmy-winning creator of Schitt's Creek has returned to television with Netflix's chaotic new series Big Mistakes, and in a revealing new interview, he pulls back the curtain on the show's most jaw-dropping moments and its ambitious future.
Speaking about the first season's finale, Levy confirmed the most shocking twists were not last-minute additions but part of a master plan he and co-creator Rachel Sennott (I Love LA) devised from the very beginning. The series, which follows wildly incompetent siblings Nicky and Morgan (played by Levy and Taylor Ortega) as a botched theft drags them into organized crime, is designed with a specific, multi-year arc in mind.
A Five-Season Blueprint
Perhaps the most surprising revelation is that Levy and Sennott pitched Netflix with a detailed five-season plan already in place. "This is the one," Levy said of the idea, explaining he had no other TV concepts in development after stepping away from the medium post-Schitt's Creek. The exhaustive creative effort behind his hit Canadian series left him needing a break, which he took by acting in other projects and directing his feature film Good Grief.
It was only after completing that personal film that Levy felt ready to return to television comedy. The concept for Big Mistakes struck him as the perfect vehicle, blending dark humor with escalating criminal misadventures. The cast, which includes Laurie Metcalf, Elizabeth Perkins, Abby Quinn, and Jack Innanen, brings the chaotic plot to life.
From Degrassi to Emmy Dominance
The conversation also touched on Levy's unique career path, including what he calls a Canadian "rite of passage": appearing on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He likened the iconic teen drama's status in Canada to that of Law & Order in the United States, noting "everyone's gone through it."
Reflecting on his historic 2020 Emmy sweep—where he won awards for writing, directing, producing, and acting for Schitt's Creek—Levy described the moment as a "surreal" celebration of his entire team's work. "It felt like this gigantic celebration of all the work that everyone had put into it," he said, viewing the accolades as a vote of confidence rather than a peak from which to retire.
For fans of dramatic finales, Levy's meticulous planning for Big Mistakes promises more carefully crafted twists to come. It's a different approach from shows that write their conclusions as they go, like some of television's most memorable endings. For instance, the record-shattering finale of M*A*S*H was a cultural event, while modern series like High Potential continue the tradition of leaving audiences desperate for the next season.
Now, with season one of Big Mistakes available for streaming, viewers can dive into the beginning of what Levy hopes is a long, twist-filled journey. His return to comedy is calculated, confident, and already full of surprises.
