Critic Reviews
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Dead to Me keeps its world small and coincidences high, but that’s also what helps us really get to know these characters on a level that makes their emotional beats land in the moment. If the show was released weekly, its cliffhanger endings might carry more weight and anticipation, but as it is the series remains a breezy binge watch with sometimes surprising emotional gut punches.
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Jen and Judy’s friendship is tested several times over the course of the season and watching their bond grow stronger is one of the best things about it. Season 2 is a ride.
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It careens through its twists and turns with a recklessness that is unnerving and exciting. But most thrilling of all is this emotionally volatile, hysterical, ace performance from Applegate, a woman flailing through life, shooting off sparks from the frayed wires at her wit’s end.
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The best parts of the show are its unending reveals and the ways the characters dodge disaster. Oh, and the dead bodies, too. ... Ultimately, the show is a comedy, after all. Cardellini is especially good this season, as we learn more about how Jen came about her extremely mellow demeanor. And Applegate is funny, as she was last season, as she curses, breaks down, and swigs wine with a vengeance, all while her world continues to fall apart.
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If some of the first season’s more patient character mapping—and its satiric depiction of wealthy SoCal malaise—is missed in this new run of episodes, that’s made up for by an onslaught of propulsive charm. It’s not hard to keep moving with Jen and Judy, because they keep the pace so well.
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Liz Feldman and her fellow writers crank up the soap-opera-style drama this season, but they manage to keep Dead to Me from sailing off into the atmosphere of stupid television, thanks to the show’s sharp sense of humor and the grounded emotional moments that make what’s happening feel almost real. A lot of credit for obeying the laws of TV gravity also goes to the two leads.
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OK, the script isn’t going to be up for an Emmy. But Jen and Judy are an adorable double-act sure to chase away any lockdown blues, and the programme is armed with enough twists and turns to send you reeling.
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The two [Applegate and Cardellini] are great together even when “Dead to Me” doesn’t give them the scenes they deserve. Because they’re so linked, the second season episodes should be binged. Alone, they lack context; together, they’re like a tray of appetizers – easy to slide down.
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Season 2 only elevates the vapid emptiness lurking in “Dead to Me” all along. The basic plot plays out like a bad “Trading Places” knock-off, where the only thing Jen and Judy swap are secrets and guilt.
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Other than the Orange County real-estate porn and Judy's endless parade of flowy designer dresses (that the character couldn't afford), the performances are the only real reason to tune in to this unnecessary sequel of a season.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 33 out of 41
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Mixed: 5 out of 41
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Negative: 3 out of 41
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May 8, 2020Great cast, good laughs, the background music is excellent and a factor that not every director/producer understands.
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Jun 5, 2023Follows the same plotlines in from season 1, but this time with a few more twists.
Despite a few flaws this is a breezy well paced comedy. -
Aug 19, 2022