In ABC’s new comedy Not Dead Yet, star doesn’t feel wasted in this role; it feels tailor-made for her. What once felt like a drab show already at a dead end suddenly has a clear path forward—that is, if anyone’s still watching by the end of Episode 5.
ABC has only provided the first five episodes of the series for review. By the end, certain mysteries of the early episodes make a lot more sense, most importantly the rift between Nell and Sam. Some of the writing choices still feel a little too convenient—like Nell instantly befriending one of her ghosts’ still-living spouses, who for some reason takes an immediate and exceedingly caring interest in her life. Still, it’s better than jokes about people microwaving salads—a thing I’m somehow not making up.
Not Dead Yet creators David Windsor and Casey Johnson, who signed a three-year overall deal last year with ABC, previously co-executive produced This Is Us for three years and co-created The Real O’Neals and Don’t Trust The B—— In Apartment 23. Given those resumes, it’s not too hard to imagine the show morphing into its best self, given a full season to find its footing. Even then, however, the show will face its hurdles.
It’s visually forgettable, with production design that feels more phoned in than anything else—especially compared to a series like its ABC neighbor Abbott Elementary, which makes such good, subtle use of its costumes. Still, if just one more window cracks and just a little more light shines in, it might just be worth seeing what happens if we run toward it.
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