Dead Like Me: The Complete First Season

 

 

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This series was such a joy to discover! Living in Vancouver, BC, the city in which the show is shot, I'm only now receiving it on Canadian television thanks to the SHOWCASE station.

On a personal side note - it's wonderful to watch a show that, although shot in a Canadian city under the guise of being an American city (Seattle, I believe), doesn't hide the street names, the weather, or the skyline and scenery of Vancouver, BC! This is not a series typical of the usual American sitcom fare, thank god! It ain't a tiresome reality show, or a poorly disguised soap opera for the masses.

I would say that it would appeal to all of those who dig the movie "Donnie Darko", enjoy "Six Feet Under" and those who are willing to look at the humor in the blandest of everyday activities, as well as the inevitability of death with a dash of hilarity.

This is an original concept of a show that takes us through the "lives" of the undead few who have been chosen at the point of their deaths to have the responsibility of being "reapers" of souls in there not-quite afterlife.

The great thing is, even those these chosen undead ones, these "Bail bondsmen for the disembodied", are given the power of being reapers of souls, they have no special powers (except appearing not as themselves to those who knew them in life) and must maintain jobs (or commit petty larceny as the character of Mason does) in order to pay the rent, bills, and all of the other unpleasant factors of a real life. This particular gaggle of reapers is run by "Rube" played by Mandy Patinkin, meet at "Der Waffle Haus" each day to receive their post it notes on which are written the first initial, last name, place or address, and E.T.D. (estimated time of death) of their "reaps" for the day, and must find the time to do so despite their interferences of everyday "lives" and jobs.

The main character of Georgia Lass, or "George", the wry-witted, sarcastic and irreverent 18 year old struck down in her prime and chosen to be a reaper is beautifully portrayed by husky-voiced young actress Ellen Muth.

As the series progresses, the audience is taken through often hilarious, sometimes heartwarming lessons of life with a wicked sense of humor. Teaching that life is short, that we all die, that the little moments in life are what count and so on could've made for a very clichéd show, but this series takes such an original and dry approach to its characters and humor that it touches all who can appreciate a good laugh wrapped around a positive message. The majority of the lessons taught throughout this darkly humorous, often irreverent, always entertaining series seems to be "You don't know what you've got till it's gone", a message that cannot be delivered enough times to enough people in this crazy day and age! Having watched the entire series (seasons 1 & 2) on DVD, I was pleased to see the evolution of the show's characters into a solid ensemble piece of fascinating people rather than a single centralized character driven piece with caricatures surrounding her, which I must admit, was a risk that the series could've suffered had it not grown up very quickly from its initial 2 or three episodes.

Yet again I'm saddened by the cancellation of one of the few intelligent and truly funny shows on television these days - "DEAD LIKE ME". Why this happened to a show that is so well written, acted, directed and cast is beyond me, but I've given up on reasoning what is obviously a network decision based on money, ratings and the whathaveyous that control such things.

If you haven't seen the series yet, watch it, or better yet, get the DVDs and watch the whole thing straight on through - you won't be disappointed!

~T.Paul

"Dead Like Me" proves that cynicism, humor, depth, and even compassion can not only co-exist on a single television series, they can actually flourish together. With sharp and witty writing and directing, "Dead Like Me" explores the bizarre world of our working-class grim reapers, the good folks charged with escorting human souls to the afterlife. As the second-lowest level group of bureaucrats in the afterlife system (best not to ask about the lowest), grim reapers must trudge along "popping" the souls of the soon-to-be-departed before they meet their grisly (and, dare I say, often hilarious) ends. And they must also survive, and pay rent, in the living world. The chief protagonist on the series is George (a.k.a. Georgia), a recently deceased, uber-cynical, 18 year old who just can't seem to resist rebelling against the whole "death" system. Her fellow reapers include an apologetically opportunistic drug-smuggler, a meter-maid who does a lot more than write parking tickets, a happy-go-lucky pragmatist who has developed a truly macabre taste in photography, and an actress whose resume is surprisingly out of date. And then, of course, there is Rube.

Rube is the would-be foreman of this somewhat strange assemblage of reapers. He is also, arguably, the most sympathetic, complex, and mysterious character on the show-thanks in no small part to the superb acting of Mandy Patinkin. As with the other characters on the show, no amount of space here can really hint at the depth alloted to Rube by the writers and directors of "Dead Like Me" or the skill with which Patinkin explores that depth. Suffice it to say that Rube plays a lot more like a real person (or real undead person) than any mere television contrivance. Rube is more alive as a dead man than any television character from the living world.

The very essence of "Dead Like Me" is, in fact, its willingness to explore not only the bizarre world of the reapers, but also the lives and personalities of the reapers themselves. Undead life has had (and continues to have) some pretty strange effects on these formerly-living reapers, and watching their individual responses to the problems of their bizarre occupation provides much of the humor of the show.

And, not to leave out the living world, the creative minds behind "Dead Like Me," also frequently turn their attention to living characters on the show, from the "soon to be referred to the past tense" reaper clients to the families they leave behind (most notably George's grieving family). Just about any character is subject to being fleshed-out on this show (even dogs and frogs). A minor character named Angus Cook makes a more memorable impression in one episode of "Dead Like Me" (appropriately titled "A. Cook") than most TV series regulars will make in an entire season.

In the best traditions of Cult television, DLM uses a fantasy storyline to explore relationships and the way people live their lives. In the case of the reapers, the way that they live their undead lives.

George, the disaffected teenager begins to understand and appreciate things in ways that she never did in her life before becoming a reaper. Although she is the anchor-woman to the storyline, the strength of the programme is in the character development of ALL the cast. In just 14 episodes you feel an emotional attachment to the characters that you'd never get by watching a year of your favourite soap.

Buffy fans should love this series. It has darker humour than Buffy with some wonderfully adult language and one-liners but has that same mix of humour and deep intensity within the space of a couple of seconds.

Slapstick reaping scenes add to the entertainment but it's real strength is in the deeply moving interraction between the characters as they get through their lives- some living, some undead. Superbly written you are hanging on every word.

Very rarely do I buy a DVD and even rarer to buy a DVD from across the Atlantic that probably won't play too well in my machine. But this is one that I'm not going to miss.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Discovered season 2 on cable, came here and bought both seasons...half way through season 1 and it is fabulous.
An excellent value $/hr. One warning... Read more

Published on Mar 11 2006 by deb47100

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
Funny and wity... dark comedy ..excellent addition to any DVD collection ...worth the price to own

Published on Nov 6 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Short Lived Series
Okay, lets not waste time. Looking for a 'dark' comedy that teaches you more then you might think possible from a TV series? Read more

Published on Oct 15 2005 by Patrick Michaud

2.0 out of 5 stars Extremely boring series. Very large let down.
The pilot episode was decent, and it certainly had great special effects. But I'm afraid that the plot line seemed to limp. The character Roxy was flacid. Read more

Published on May 31 2005 by Conrad Mohammed

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Show, Too Bad Its Been Canceled
This show is a masterpiece. Funny in every aspect. I liked it having mothers that relate to mine or have a pathological fear of balloons. Read more

Published on May 6 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars The second season is coming!
MGM has just announced that the second (and final) season of Dead Like Me will be released on July 19th, 2005.

Published on Mar 29 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars possibly the only show worth watching
this show is the best possible mix of the fantastic and the real. watching it was as if life and the meaning of it just shifted slightly to the right. Read more

Published on Jan 28 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Is Walking
If you loved DEAD LIKE ME on TV like i did, its great in your personal DVD Collection! all the first seasons episodes on 4 dvds. Read more

Published on Nov 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars What an addictive, funny, clever show !
I rarely follow tv series. Much of what is shown on tv nowadays doesn't really connect with me. "Dead Like Me" is an exception. Read more

Published on Aug 17 2004 by Nick

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and entertaining
Originally I tuned into DLM because it was summer and there was nothing else on, and in the beginning it was just that: a pretty decent show for the summer. Read more

Published on July 16 2004 by Aileen Chen

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