Streaming audiences have been all over the place with their holiday viewing this year. Instead of non-stop Christmas classics, we’ve seen Megan Fox sci-fi thrillers dominating Netflix’s charts, and Gerard Butler-led crime thrillers taking over the Max rankings. That said, viewers have still managed to squeeze in some traditional holiday fare amid all the crime and sci-fi stuff, with Prime Video audiences propelling Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1996 Christmas comedy “Jingle All the Way” to the top of that streamer’s charts. But even as the festive classics surface for the season, our collective appetite for darker offerings appears to be insatiable, as a new Netflix comedy drama series has managed to stand out amid the holiday stream-fest.
Back in 2022, “Dead to Me” creator Liz Feldman signed on to helm new Netflix series “No Good Deed,” and now the show has finally arrived. It seems it was worth the wait, too, as the eight-episode dark comedy is faring well on Netflix’s most-watched charts. “No Good Deed” stars Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano alongside an ensemble cast that includes Luke Wilson, Linda Cardellini, and Denis Leary. The show follows several couples who are all looking to buy the same house, which in and of itself doesn’t sound all that thrilling. However, not only are the series’ critics scores good quite good, but also the streaming crowds seemingly can’t get enough of it.
No Good Deed is dominating Netflix worldwide
“No Good Deed” sees Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow play married couple Paul and Lydia, who are selling their Los Angeles home but must hide some of the property’s dark secrets from potential buyers. Such a premise is, apparently, a recipe for success. The series hit Netflix on December 12, 2024, and, according to streaming viewership tracker FlixPatrol, has been doing quite well ever since.
In the United States, “No Good Deed” has been hovering around the number two and three spots on the most-watched TV charts ever since its debut. The show was in the second position right up until December 20, when it dropped to the third spot. But it has shown remarkable staying power thus far and appears to be holding its position for the time being.
Meanwhile, the series has proven to be a global success, charting in 53 countries as of December 23. Earlier in the month, “No Good Deed” actually managed to chart in an impressive 72 countries, making it an undeniable global hit. Interestingly enough, in the past week “No Good Deed” has only managed to peak at number 2 in all countries, just missing out on the top spot worldwide. But with the show already proving its staying power, we might just see it hit number one in the days to come. The question is, does it have what it takes to beat the competition over the Christmas week?
Can No Good Deed take number one?
What are people streaming for Christmas? “Home Alone?” “The Grinch,” perhaps? Well, if you take a look at the Netflix most-watched TV charts, apparently everyone is streaming drama, crime, and action. At the time of writing, if “No Good Deed” wants to take the top spot stateside it will have to contend with the might of that streaming series everyone is watching but nobody is talking about, “Virgin River,” which currently occupies the top spot stateside. Right below that is disaster drama series “La Palma” and chasing “No Good Deed” for the third spot is documentary “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma.”
The rest of the chart is populated by such festive fare as “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” and Keira Knightley’s spy thriller “Black Doves,” which took over the Netflix charts in early December. Other than that you have Queen Latifah’s “The Equalizer” series, which emerged at roughly the same time Latifah’s forgotten Christmas movie “Last Holiday” saw a brief renaissance on the Prime Video charts.
In all then, the charts don’t exactly scream Christmas cheer at the moment, which means dark comedy “No Good Deed” is in with as good a chance as anything else of becoming the most-watched TV series in the U.S. during Christmas week. That 79% Rotten Tomatoes score can’t hurt, either, with critics praising the show’s twists, writing, and blending of comedy with a darker tone. So, it might actually be worth streaming this one, but maybe consider breaking up the grim comedy with, like, “Elf” or something.
