Dead To Me is one of the suggestions that popped up right after I saw this series on Netflix. I don't know what exactly I expected but I never expected all of the quirkiness and dark humor on this show. I also didn't know about it or heard anyone talk about it before. Even while watching and sharing some bits of it on my social media, I never got a response. Apparently, it isn't quite popular with my crowd.
It is a 2019 dark humor comedy series with two seasons already and a third and final season in the works. It stars Christina Applegate as Jen Harding, Linda Cardellini as Judy Hale, and James Marsden as Ben Wood/Steve Wood. I'll now give you a quick rundown of this underrated show and why I think it's amazing.
Jen Harding lost her husband in a hit-and-run accident and she was devasted to the extent that she had to join a support group for widows and widowers. There, she meets Judy Hale who claims to have lost her partner also.
It turns out Judy's partner didn't really die as she insinuated. In actuality, he broke up with Judy and according to her, the loss, coupled with the miscarriages she had in the past was worth grieving for. These two women are very different, Jen grieves in anger and lashes out while Judy is a bundle of positivity.
The unlikely duo becomes close friends and Judy moves in with Jen and her kids when she reveals she had no place to stay since her breakup. Several secrets are revealed as these two get to know each other and the biggest one is that Judy is the hit-and-run driver.
The funniest part of it all is Judy helping Jen to find her husband's killer with so much passion and at the same time feeling deep guilt for being the reason for Jen's pain. She tries to confess to Jen but is always too chicken to do so and she does everything in her capacity to make Jen happy in order to rid herself of the guilt.
Both characters are hilarious and the dark humor can't be missed in every episode. The jokes and conversations had a Will Ferrell vibe to them, so it was no surprise to find out that he is one of the executive producers on the show.
I loved how the two main characters are opposites of each other in terms of how they handle situations but they still make a great team. Judy especially is my favourite because she is quirky and funny. She always wants to be sure everyone is at peace with her and she finishes all her sentences with sorry.
I have never met anyone as apologetic as Judy and it is always funny to see her do questionable things in the heat of the moment. She's always involved in every mess because she puts herself in it but somehow, she comes out of it together with Jen. She is usually the voice of reason, and at the same time, the sporadic one. How can you not love a conflicted queen?
Jen on the other hand is such a meanie and she's got the darkest jokes. It's so easy to empathize with her for the situation she's in and excuse her mean nature but she can also be sweet. She's not sporadic like Judy but at a point, it seems like Judy rubbed off on her.
I think my favourite thing about the show is how these women who ordinarily wouldn't have been friends came to love and depend on each other. They both tried to understand themselves and they built a genuine friendship in the midst of so much chaos.
There are so many surprises on Dead To Me, one moment, you think the biggest problem is Judy being the killer of Jen's husband, and then you find out there's more and it all keeps unraveling. Jen and Judy keep acting on impulse and the storyline keeps getting messier.
I could go on and on about it but I don't want to spoil it for you more than I already have. You should watch how these two go on a chase for the hit-and-run driver and enjoy all the drama in between.
I think it's a popular show in other regions but it's not so rated where I'm at because not many are into dark humor and they would find it boring because the jokes don't sit right with them. It's a great show anyway and I would recommend again and again for the stellar acting and the dark humor.
Have you seen Dead To Me? Do you think it's underrated or overrated?
This is my entry for CineTV's contest for the week for 'My Favourite Underrated TV Series'. Do check it out!
Thanks for reading!
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