Not Dead Yet is an American television sitcom created by David Windsor and Casey Johnson for ABC. It is based on Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter. The series premiered on February 8, 2023.[1][2] In May 2023, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on February 7, 2024.[3][4]
Premise
The show focuses on Nell Serrano, an accident-prone American newspaper reporter who left her last job five years ago to move to the United Kingdom with a lover. She returns to the US when the relationship ends and tries to resume her journalism career as a newly single woman. Serrano is assigned to write obituaries by her new employer, and begins to encounter ghosts of the people whose obituaries she is writing, whom only she can see and hear. The ghosts begin to have conversations with Serrano, and offer her advice on how to rebuild her life while also helping her write their obituaries by telling her their stories. The ghosts then disappear after their obituaries are published.
Cast and characters
Main
Gina Rodriguez as Nell Serrano, a journalist whose wedding plans fell apart resulting in her moving back to Los Angeles from London. It is later revealed her first name is Penelope and "Nell" is her nickname.
Hannah Simone as Sam Holkar, Nell's best friend who is the style editor at the SoCal Independent
Lauren Ash as Lexi Rhodes, Nell's boss and the editor-in-chief at the SoCal Independent
Rick Glassman as Edward, Nell's particular roommate with autism
Joshua Banday as Dennis, Nell's co-worker and an associate editor at the SoCal Independent. He assigns obituaries for Nell to write.
Angela E. Gibbs as Cricket, a widowed owner of a bar that specializes in wine
Brad Garrett as Duncan Rhodes (season 2),[5] the publisher of the SoCal Independent and Lexi's father
Recurring
Maile Flanagan as Tina, a gruff, somewhat antisocial co-worker at the SoCal Independent
Jimmy Bellinger as Mason, an intern at the SoCal Independent
Notable guest stars
Martin Mull as Monty, the first ghost Nell encounters and Cricket's late husband
On February 14, 2022, Not Dead Yet was given a pilot order by ABC.[23] On May 13, 2022, Not Dead Yet was picked up to series by ABC. The series is created by David Windsor and Casey Johnson who are expected to executive produce alongside Rodriguez, McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh. 20th Television and Wonderland Sound and Vision serve as production companies for the series. Dean Holland directed the pilot.[1] On May 16, 2023, ABC renewed the series for a second season.[3]
Not Dead Yet premiered on February 8, 2023 on ABC.[2] The second season premiered on February 7, 2024.[4]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 47% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 15 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While an always engaging Gina Rodriguez is enough to ensure that this supernatural comedy isn't dead on arrival, it'll need more spark to survive viewer disinterest."[31]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 58 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32]
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