Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Dead Like Me

All fans of Mandy Patinkin, Piers Anthony and the morbid: now there you have a show that you will enjoy!
George (Ellen Muth) is killed by a toilet seat from space (not an alien toilet seat, nitwit) that detached itself from the crashing Mir. She finds herself looking at her own dead self (or what's left of it) and has to come to terms with the fact that she's a ghost. But not for long. Rube (Mandy Patinkin) and Bettie, the friendly neighborhood grim reapers, come to her rescue and explain to her that she is to join the ranks of the reapers. Her job is simple: she gets a post-it from Rube at Der Waffle House which gives her the name, the place and the E.T. (estimated time) of someone death. Often these people are headed for really nasty accidents, so George has to extract their souls by touching them before they die. So, George goes tumblin' into the world of freak accidents and stupid universal rules, that tend to make her pissed at the the world, the cosmos and Rube. In time we learn more about her fellow reapers Rube, Roxy, Mason and Bettie (who will be replaced by Daisy Adaire) and about what reaping entails. At the same time the family she left behind has to deal with all sorts of troubles, like Reggie's (George's sister) new obsession with toilet seats and Clancy's (George's father) cold ways...

Brilliant characters, a perfect balance between the fantastic and the grey everyday life of a dead girl and interesting ideas. No doubt that over time you will become very fond of George and her manhandling, illegal substance abusive, gourmet friends as well as of her family. One problem you might have is the constant rumbling of your belly, because everytime they are at Der Waffle House, they eat the most delicious things. Which reminds me: I hadn't had breakfast yet.

1 comment:

Sabina said...

I'm SO sad Dead Like Me got cancelled. It had so much potential. Sadly, it's the series with the most potential that gets hacked off the air too early. I once considered writing a virtual third season...