Annette is the crime boss

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from Season 1 of ‘Big Mistakes,’ now streaming on Netflix.

Dan Levy knows exactly what keeps him awake at night, as the possibility of being blackmailed into committing crimes has haunted him for years. So of course he made a TV show about it.

Six years after “Schitt’s Creek” wrapped, Levy returns to television with “Big Mistakes,” a darkly comedic crime thriller co-created with Rachel Sennott. The show follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan Dardano (Taylor Ortega), a brother-sister duo of pastor and teacher from New Jersey, who become involved in organized crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a postal store to bury with their dying grandmother. What follows is a season-long descent into grave robbing, drug trafficking, and enough accessory to murder charges to keep the Dardano family attorney very busy. The deeper they sink, the better they become. “The worse they were, the better they became at their jobs,” says Levy Variety. “And the more they were needed.”

The chaos is matched only by the cast assembled to deliver it. Laurie Metcalf plays Linda, the siblings’ mother and accidental mayoral candidate, whose parallel bid for local office is as high-stakes as the organized crime subplot. Abby Quinn rounds out the family as Natalie, the well-behaved sister who has the good genes—and Elizabeth Perkins delivers a late-season shocker as Annette, whose revelation as the crime boss orchestrating everything is the kind of twist that immediately sends viewers back to Episode 1 to find out what they missed.

Levy has spoken Variety about building its sequel to “Schitt’s Creek,” the very pre-planned criminal path ahead and what a possible second season could look like for two siblings who are now definitely in too deep of trouble.

You’ve talked about taking a real break after “Schitt’s Creek” before developing this. What was the creative core that got you moving?

You really have to ask yourself what fascinates you. We were lucky enough to get 80 episodes of ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ and I knew how much I loved working on it — I wanted that same love for everything I did next. I never go into anything thinking it will only be one season, so I had to find an idea that would excite me enough to keep telling the story. I kept thinking about being blackmailed into crime. It scares the hell out of me; I wouldn’t do well if I ever found myself in that situation. And at its core, a random person being blackmailed into crime is just endlessly entertaining. I wanted a buddy comedy, a brother-sister dynamic, a whole new family story – and I knew I wanted a female perspective on Morgan. I called Rachel Sennott, who I didn’t think would end well in the face of organized crime either. She said yes, we spent six, eight months figuring out the show, put it on Netflix and they loved it. And that was it.

You’re clearly a fan of Rachel Sennott. Any chance we’ll ever see you on her show ‘I Love LA’?

I don’t even know what I would play on that show.

Everything – everything would be believable.

If she ever wants to write to me, just say so. I will do it.

Why was the family dynamic so important to carry over from “Schitt’s Creek”?

I just think the family dynamic is the funniest. Families in times of crazy crisis – those can be the funniest times. I often laugh in times of crazy crisis, so I’m endlessly fascinated by it. I think it’s also just an excellent way to reveal character. So I knew I wanted to make another family show. And that’s also why I wanted to bring Rachel in, because I love her comedy, I admire her comedy, but it’s a little bit different than mine. Our voices overlap, but are also very different. So I really wanted to explore the possibility of what the tone of this show could be. The two of us found this really fun place full of chaos, comedy and excitement. I really think there has to be a comedic thread in the way I write. I just like dialogue.

The show balances the world of crime with something as mundane as a local mayor’s race – and somehow both feel equally high stakes. How did you connect that?

This is a family that inherited their mother’s fear from their mother. You see Nona die in the first episode – that’s where it all came from. She was crazy, and it all trickled down the family tree. A big part of this show is an exploration of what we inherit from our family, from our parents, from their parents. We are a byproduct of our family tree. So fear is rampant in this family. Failure to deal with stress is a widespread phenomenon in this family. Linda wants to become mayor and Natalie helps her – that’s the most important thing for them. There is nothing more important, and the stakes are high. And I noticed there was a lot of comedy in that too. The more seriously people take things, the funnier it is.

Nicky and Morgan continue to fail upward – the worse they are, the more indispensable they become. Was that dynamic intentional?

As much as they wanted out, it’s like an undercurrent. The more you swim towards shore, the more you are drawn back. The worse they were, the better they became at their jobs, and the more they were needed. And then finally they’re completely into it.

You said you already know how the whole series ends. How mapped is this world?

There is a very pre-planned criminal path that has already been laid out. We just need the opportunity to get there.

You’ve talked about the circumstances that shape character: how does the crime world change Nicky and Morgan specifically?

I like the idea that circumstances make people better. On “Schitt’s Creek,” moving to a small town made that family a better family. Likewise, I hope that parts of this world will make Morgan and Nicky more fully realized versions of themselves. For Morgan, she has always been a rebellious person. She’s always wanted to be in the spotlight, always wanted attention – and I think she gets that in this world. There’s a part of her that really enjoys it and gets a thrill out of it. He is not there yet for Nicky. But I hope that at some point it will force him out of his shell a little more, give him more confidence, make him feel a little more capable.

The reveal at the end of the season – Annette as the crime boss – is a big twist. When did you and Rachel decide this was the story?

Rachel and I knew it from the beginning of this season’s development.

I didn’t see that coming. Were there any signs I missed?

I think if you go back and see how it ends, there are signs. Annette is a very smart businesswoman, and being in organized crime involves dipping your fingers in a lot of political pots. As soon as the tide turned in the election, she knew exactly who was going to be at the forefront of that race, and then things changed and she came on board. I always hope that if someone chose to watch again, there would be a lot for them – we’ve thrown in a lot of little hints. But I mean, your in-laws are a huge crime boss.

So what will season 2 look like for Morgan and Nicky?

A season 2 would just be: there’s no way out now.

That negates my point that Nicky and Morgan continued to succeed because of their own charisma. In reality, they survive because Annette says so, and because of Morgan’s relationship with her son. Does Max know anything about this?

She has to keep him happy. Morgan and their dynamic, their relationship, is a great way to keep her son happy. She can’t mess that up. And also – Nicky and Morgan know too much now. So even if they wanted to leave, they have a lot to answer for.

So Max has no idea.

[Levy shrugs]

This interview has been edited and condensed.