It’s been a while since Netflix pulled the rug out from under us by canceling No Good Nick. Honestly, the sting is still there for a lot of fans. You remember that weird, uncomfortable, yet strangely addictive mix of a multi-cam sitcom and a dark serialized grift drama? It shouldn't have worked. A teenage con artist infiltrating a suburban family sounds like the plot of a Lifetime movie, not a show with a laugh track. But it did work, and mostly because the cast of No Good Nick had this chemistry that felt way too real for a streaming show that only lasted twenty episodes.
When you look back at the roster, it’s actually kind of insane how much talent they packed into one living room. You had 90s royalty, Broadway vets, and some of the most capable child actors working at the time.
The Heavy Hitters: Sean Astin and Melissa Joan Hart
Let’s talk about the parents first. Casting Ed and Liz Thompson was a stroke of nostalgic genius. You have Sean Astin, who is basically the human embodiment of a "hug." Whether you know him as Rudy, Samwise Gamgee, or Bob Newby from Stranger Things, the man radiates "earnest dad energy." In No Good Nick, he played Ed, a guy so pathologically trusting that it almost made you want to scream at the TV.
Then you’ve got Melissa Joan Hart. She’s the GOAT of teen sitcoms thanks to Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Seeing her play Liz, a high-strung, career-driven chef, was a cool pivot. She brought a certain skepticism to the role that balanced out Ed’s blind optimism. Watching these two interact felt like watching a masterclass in sitcom timing. They weren't just playing "TV parents"; they felt like a couple that had actually been arguing about organic kale and mortgage payments for fifteen years.
The Heart of the Grift: Siena Agudong
Everything hinged on Nick. If the lead was annoying or too "villainous," the show would have collapsed in the first ten minutes. Siena Agudong had a massive weight on her shoulders. She had to play Nicole "Nick" Franzelli as someone who was actively stealing from these people while also making the audience want her to stay. That’s a tough needle to thread.
Agudong brought this incredible nuance to the role. One minute she’s cold, calculating, and working a long con for her incarcerated father; the next, her eyes well up because she’s actually starting to love the people she’s ruining. Before this, Agudong was doing projects like Star Falls and Alex & Me, but this was her "oh, she’s a serious actor" moment. She made Nick’s internal conflict the actual engine of the show.
The Thompson Kids: Lauren Lindsey Donzis and Kalama Epstein
You can't talk about the cast of No Good Nick without diving into the kids who lived in that house. Lauren Lindsey Donzis played Molly, the youngest, who was essentially a social justice warrior in training. Molly was high-energy, slightly neurotic, and suspicious of Nick from day one. Donzis, who many recognized from Liv and Maddie, had this incredible ability to be both the comedic relief and the person who forces the audience to look at the ethics of what’s happening.
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And then there’s Kalama Epstein as Jeremy.
Jeremy was the skeptical older brother. He wasn’t just "the suspicious one"; he was a character dealing with his own identity and his place in a family that felt a bit too perfect. Epstein’s performance was subtle. He played Jeremy with a guarded nature that slowly melted away as he bonded with Nick. The dynamic between Jeremy and Nick was arguably the most interesting relationship in the series because they were the two "smartest" people in the room, constantly trying to outmaneuver each other.
The Supporting Players You Forgot Were There
The world-building in this show went beyond the Thompson house. We had Anthony Turpel as Will, Nick’s boyfriend/accomplice. Turpel, who has since gone on to have a massive run on Love, Victor, brought a grounded, slightly more desperate edge to the "grifter" side of the story.
We also can’t ignore Eddie McClintock as Tony Franzelli, Nick’s dad. He was the "villain," but the show did a great job of making you understand why Nick felt such a fierce loyalty to him. McClintock played Tony with a manipulative charm that made it easy to see where Nick learned her trade.
Why the Chemistry Was Different
Most sitcoms have a "getting to know you" phase where the actors feel like they’re just reading lines. No Good Nick felt lived-in from the pilot.
Maybe it was the format. The show was shot in front of a live studio audience, which is rare for Netflix. That "live" energy often forces a cast to bond quickly. You could see it in the bloopers and the behind-the-scenes footage—they were genuinely tight. Melissa Joan Hart has spoken in interviews about how much she loved the "found family" aspect of the production.
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The scripts were also much denser than your average Disney Channel or Nickelodeon show. The cast had to handle heavy topics like fraud, incarceration, and betrayal, all while hitting the beats of a multi-cam comedy. It required a specific type of versatility that not every actor has.
The Career Trajectories After the Grift
So, where is the cast of No Good Nick now?
- Siena Agudong has stayed busy, notably appearing in the Resident Evil series on Netflix and the Monster High movies.
- Kalama Epstein moved on to The Foster's spin-off Good Trouble, continuing his streak of playing complex, relatable characters.
- Lauren Lindsey Donzis landed a role on the Punky Brewster revival.
- Sean Astin continues to be one of the most prolific voice and character actors in Hollywood.
It’s actually a testament to the casting director that almost every single person in the main cast has continued to work steadily in high-profile projects. They weren't just "child stars"; they were talented actors who used this weird, experimental show as a springboard.
The Show's Legacy and the "Grifter" Trend
Looking back, No Good Nick was ahead of its time. Shortly after it aired, we saw a massive explosion in "grifter" content—Inventing Anna, The Dropout, Tinder Swindler. People became obsessed with the mechanics of the con.
This show did that for a younger audience. It asked: Is it okay to do bad things for people you love? Can you ever really trust someone once they’ve lied to you? The cast of No Good Nick had to sell those heavy questions while also making jokes about high school drama.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Show
A lot of critics dismissed the show early on because of the laugh track. They thought it was "just another sitcom." But if you actually sit through the first ten episodes (Part 1), you realize it’s actually a serialized thriller wearing a sitcom’s skin.
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The "laughing" felt eerie when you knew Nick was upstairs stealing a credit card. That contrast was the point. If you only watched the trailer, you missed the actual soul of the series. The cast knew exactly what kind of show they were making, even if the marketing department didn't always know how to sell it.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you’re a fan of the show or someone looking to break into the industry, there are a few things we can learn from how this cast operated:
- Versatility is King: If you want to stay relevant, look at Kalama Epstein and Siena Agudong. They can do "light and bubbly" but also "dark and brooding." Don't let yourself be pigeonholed.
- Chemistry Can't Be Faked: If you’re a creator, spend the extra time in chemistry reads. The Thompson family worked because the actors actually liked each other. You can't write that into a script; it has to be there in the room.
- Genre-Blurring is the Future: Don't be afraid of "weird" concepts. A sitcom-thriller sounds like a disaster on paper, but it created a cult following that is still active years after the show ended.
- Watch the "Part 2" Arcs: If you haven't finished the series, go back and watch the second half. The performances from the younger cast members as the lies start to unravel are genuinely impressive.
The reality is that No Good Nick was a bit of a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. It was a bridge between the old-school TV world and the new "prestige" streaming era. While we likely won't get a Part 3 or a revival anytime soon, the work this cast put in remains a weirdly perfect snapshot of 2019 television.
If you're looking for something with a similar "found family" vibe but with more of a mystery edge, you might want to check out The Society or even On My Block. But honestly, nothing quite hits that specific "sitcom grifter" itch like Nick and the Thompsons.
Keep an eye on the social media of the younger stars; they often post "throwback" photos together, proving that even if the show is gone, the bond stayed. That’s probably the best ending we could have asked for, considering how the show actually left us on a cliffhanger.
Check the individual filmographies of the cast members on IMDb to see their most recent work, as many have pivoted into executive producing or directing since the show wrapped.