It can be quite tricky finding a tv show that all the family can enjoy together. There's a happy medium between suitability and engaging enough so that you don't want to lose your mind! No Good Nick on Netflix fits the bill perfectly. With 10 episodes, the sitcom is perfectly balanced. It's light-hearted but with a bit of drama, is funny but also very engaging. Actually, far more engaging than I thought it would be.
Melissa Joan Hart and Sean Astin play Liz and Ed Thompson, parents to teenagers Molly and Jeremy. They are a relatively well off family who live in a nice home and then one day Nick Patterson turns up at their door. The 13-year-old claims to be a long distance relative of Ed. Allegedly her parents have been killed in an accident and social services have tracked the Thompsons down as her only living relatives. And she wants to live with them.
So far so good. The reaction from the family is expected. Liz is having none of it, Ed is wavering, Molly is delighted and Jeremy doesn't believe a word coming out of Nick's mouth. But, after they speak to Child Protective Services, they agree to let her stay for a short while until something more suitable gets sorted.
But of course, it's all a scam. Nick is no relation to the family. She already lives with foster parents. And between them, they are out to rob the family.
The story has more to it than that. And that's where No Good Nick gets interesting. There is a subplot that involves Nick's not-so-dead father but that isn't resolved in Part 1 of the show. It does however get resolved very early on in Part 2 which is also available on Netflix.
However, the first 10 episodes are very, very good. This isn't the usual bubbly canned laughter sitcom. There really is a little edge to it. And in the end, you can't help but sympathise with Nick, played by Siena Agudong. For all her street smarts, she comes under increasing pressure to step up into the adult world and carry on the charade. For the benefit of everybody else, it would seem.
No Good Nick really is good solid family show from Netflix. Similar to The Expanding Universe Of Ashley Garcia, it's excellent to watch with slightly older kids, but also a guilty pleasure if you are on your own!
