Funny Friends Get Serious

FOR YEARS THE SITCOM ICONS LONGED TO WORK TOGETHER. NOW THEY'RE GETTING THE CHANCE IN NETFLIX'S TWISTY NO GOOD DEED

- JOELLE GOLDSTEIN

Long before Lisa Kudrow was approached to join Netflix’s dark comedy No Good Deed, the actress had been admiring Ray Romano’s work from afar. “I’d see Ray and say, ‘God, he’s a really good actor. I’d love to work with him,’” recalls Kudrow, 61. The stars aligned when Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman came to her with the idea for the dark comedy, which follows three families competing to buy the Morgans’ (Kudrow and Romano) L.A. home while they’re confronting family secrets of their own. With a stacked cast including Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson and Denis Leary, Kudrow says, “there was no way to say no.”

Romano, 67, was equally as excited about the project, which premieres on Dec. 12, though he admits to feeling “insecure” at first. It wasn’t long before the two eased into a natural rhythm and connected over their “shared history” as sitcom icons.

Kudrow and Romano say No Good Deed's ending kept them on their toes. "I didn't see that coming," says Kudrow.

What drew you to this project? Did you know the other was involved before signing on?