Some of you have probably seen this series starring Christina Applegate (Married with Children) as Jen Harding and Linda Cardellini (ER) as Judy Hale. For those of you who haven’t, Dead to Me is uneven at times, but the compelling and endearing lead women make it all worthwhile. They’re confounding and irresistible. James Mardsen (Robot & Frank) also stars as Judy’s ex-fiancé and Jen’s love interest as his twin brother. Dead to Me ran three seasons of 10 episodes each with season three premiering on November 17, 2022.
Jen’s husband was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Her outlet for grief is anger and resentment. At a support group, she meets Judy who claims she is mourning the loss of her fiancé who died of a heart attack. In reality, she was the hit-and-run driver, and her fiancé broke up with her. Jen becomes more unhinged as she unravels the mystery of her husband’s death and Judy’s secrets. The women make increasingly bad decisions, keep more secrets, and tell more lies. There’s a lot going on, probably too much: FBI and local Police investigations, Jen’s kids rebelling and missing their dad, Judy’s relationship with Michelle (Natalie Morales), and the most jarring tangent, stolen paintings and Greek mafia involvement. The twists and turns compound to the point of self-delusion and absurdity.
No matter their latest predicament, however, the bond between the women is immutable, engaging, and heartwarming. They share an affinity for wine and The Facts of Life. Tipsy, grief-stricken forty-somethings attempting to outfox the FBI is hilarious and dumbfounding. Put the two women together – whether in the kitchen with full wine glasses, at the neighbor’s front door, or explaining their whereabouts to the cops – and it’s perfectly-timed poker-faced comedy.
The bond between the two women takes on a new dimension of togetherness when you realize what was going on behind the scenes. After a delay due to COVID-19, the series was about halfway through filming the final season in the summer of 2021 when Christina Applegate was diagnosed with MS. They had filmed out of sequence meaning some of the final scenes of the series had already been shot. As Applegate said, “They were gonna pull the plug, you know? But I was like, no, no, no, no, no. We have to finish this story. It’s too important to our hearts; too important to our souls.”* She went to treatment, gained weight, used a wheelchair and cane to get around while filming, and literally leaned on Cardellini off set and on. Season three is emotional and bittersweet. The show began with grief, and it ends in grief. But it’s the healing kind that they control and not the out-of-control circus they were stuck in earlier.
* Insider 11/14/22
D² Rating ◼◼◼½☐
Trivia: Christina Applegate co-starred with Will Ferrell and Steve Carell in which 2004 film and its sequel in 2013?
Answer: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Trivia #2: Linda Cardellini’s career was jump-started when she starred in which highly acclaimed but short-lived NBC sitcom?
Answer: Freaks and Geeks