Not Dead Yet

An inspired rom-com twist to the formula in the fourth and fifth episodes (airing February 22 and March 1) convinced me that Not Dead Yet deserves a long life. [13 - 26 Feb 2023, p.6]

“Not Dead Yet” is not striving for realism, but rather thoughtful escapism. We are talking about a friendly ghost show here after all. Thankfully, the lesson-of-the-week format doesn’t venture into after-school-special because the show takes its characters’ problems seriously, never condescending but rather approaching each person with empathy.

If jaded viewers are willing to suspend their disbelief, they will find a sweet but not too saccharine sitcom that largely succeeds in blending an acerbic wit with life-affirming lessons.

Even though the series takes a bit of warming up and a good while before we understand the rhythm of the show and its characters, Not Dead Yet is promising thanks to strong writing, performances, and a diverse cast that brings incredible joy to every scene they are in.

A perfectly pleasant, somewhat nonsensical, attractively peopled supernatural sitcom.

Rodriguez makes an irresistible lead, backed by sharp performances from Glassman, Hannah Simone as Nell’s work wife, and Lauren Ash as the paper’s nepo-baby editor. It’s not a fantastic show, but it’s punchy enough to hold your attention.

“Not Dead Yet” is only mildly amusing, not laugh-out-loud funny.

Not Yet Dead does have a heartbeat, but for the first few episodes it’s nearly impossible to find. The proceedings, based on Alexandra Potter’s Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up, feel tonally confused at best and ridiculous at worst. ... Near the end of Episode 4, however, the series veers into new, far more appealing territory. A surprise turn of events suddenly cracks open a window, allowing some light and sincerity to shine in.

A solid idea that would benefit from a narrower focus in the early going.

If “Not Dead Yet” dares to get more personal with Nell — and it takes a major step in Episode 5 — the series could improve, especially if the cast chemistry starts to feel more organic than forced, as it often does early in a series. “Not Dead Yet” is not dead yet, but as of now it doesn’t have much of a pulse.

A new sitcom with a wildly promising cast is doing something interesting, something with actual potential … but that in order to get to that potential, you have to sit through at least three or four episodes I’d (generously) call unamusingly generic and unsteady of tone.

Finding a way toward helping us know Nell as more than just the charmingly portrayed object of ghostly interest might begin to kick-start this vaguely promising but poorly executed sitcom.

The show’s repetitive structure (new obit, new ghost) overwhelms any forward momentum of the living characters’ relationships, and the thinness of some of the supporting characters doesn’t help.