Sadly this show about a teenager - whose life was abruptly ended courtesy of a toilet seat falling from a deorbiting space station, but who was picked to be a 'Grim Reaper' - didn't make it beyond the second series before network dolts decided to pull the plug.

This is was a real shame: Ellen Muth's turn as the edgy, disenchanted, disoriented teenage heroine (who is in no respect happy about her own death and new obligations and duties as a reaper) is a tour de force... but, as this second season helps to establish, the show isn't only about Muth's central performance.

'Dead Like Me' was an ensemble cast effort - and although the story centred around the recently deceased Georgia ('George') Lass, her surviving family, her new 'family' in death of reapers, and her day-job co-workers, there were plenty of subplot story lines in this series dealing with George's co-workers and their struggles and helping with the development of their characters. These additional plotlines really started to take shape in season 2.

Happily, despite its premature cancellation, there is a new 'Dead Like Me' production in progress - featuring an almost completely reunited cast (sans Mandy Patinkin).

I felt genuinely disappointed when I reached the last episode of this brilliant series - I cant believe it was cancelled it seems that the writers could've got much more mileage from the show if they'd been given the chance. I bought series one from amazon on a whim one day and i'm so glad that I did otherwise this wonderful show would've passed me by. The series has such an original concept and is fresh and funny - a great alternative to the dramatic crime-based shows that I usually watch. The cast are spot on presenting real characters with genuine flaws such as loveable drunk Mason and badass cop Roxy. My only criticism of this brilliant show is the level of swearing. I'm used to hearing bad language in tv shows and films and it doesnt really bother me when its used within context, but I found the fact that the characters' everyday conversation is constantly peppered with swear words unnecessary and a bit distracting.
Should'nt put you off buying it though, just be prepared!

Yay!! The second (and sadly last) season of DLM finds its way onto DVD.
Again, we see both this life, and the afterlife though central character George.
On the dead side: George is a reaper, collecting souls of people about to die (this prevents them feeling pain and stops them getting left behind in this world). George's team also includes Mason, Daisy, and Roxy and is lead by Rube.
This season we also explore the other characters in more detail; especially Rube's mortal life, and surprisingly vulnerable Mason, with the effects on him caused by his'job'.
My favourite character Daisy also gives hints on her living life, especially towards the end of the series. I enjoyed having the 'Bimbo Blonde' surface scratched away from this character, revealing someone we could all know.

On the living side: George works for a temp agency, Happy Time, 'living' under the guise of 'Millie'. Some of the best comedic moments of the series take place in Happy Time. 'Millie's manager Delores is just too funny, and all viewers will see a little bit of their own managers in the character.
George has now adjusted to the fact that her old life is over, and decides to make the most of this one. This will include boyfriends, and mingling with her co workers at Happy Time.
Also, we once again follow George's surviving family. Her parent's are divorcing, and her younger sister Reggie is entering that frightful period known as puberty. George's grandmother also appears this series.

Well, is there anything negative about this fantastic series that ended far too soon?
While the final episode 'Haunted' is satisfying, and ties up the series nicely, there are still a few loose ends that niggled me. In 'Haunted', Crystal (the receptionist at Happy Time) is searching for 'Georgia Lass' on the computer. Has she learnt George/Millie's secret? Reggie knows George is still around, but has she also grasped the reaper angle. I'm quite sure she has, but it would have been nice to have this voiced. Finally, flashbacks to Rube's mortal life leave more burning questions, which I won't mention here as I don't want to spoil anything.



The Ledger
Ghost Story
The Shallow End
Hurry
In Escrow
Rites Of Passage
The Escape Artist
Be Still My Heart
Death Defying
Ashes To Ashes
Forget Me Not
Last Call
Always
Haunted

Bonus material

Dead Like Me Again: Featurette
Putting Life Into Death: Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Photo Gallery

It was quite a surprise to find out the reason Showtime hadn't resumed showing a new season of DLM. It is quite disheartening to see such an intelligent funny dark comedy cancelled and replaced by more of the usual "rubbish" that the networks grind out.
The second season of "Dead Like Me" wasn't as strong as the first, but it was pretty close, still very engaging and better than most other television shows on cable and the networks. The main problem with season 2 is that it sets up many interesting questions that were meant to be answered in future seasons, but we'll never get those answers because someone at Showtime decided to kill its best show. In this season we really saw the character of "George" grow up into adult, something she couldn't do while alive. The entire cast was excellent, and the interaction of the "reapers" among themselves and with their "victims" was hysterically funny. There were so many unanswered questions woven into the plots about the reapers that we will never know the answers to. The development of this mismatched group of characters was so interesting, plus the subplot of George's family gave such a deep dimension to the overall story. What will happen to Joy and Reggie? How did Rube die? What was his history? I'm sure the writers would have given us a wonderful ride, if only Showtime stuck with it.
All of the extras are located on the fourth DVD. "Dead Like Me...Again" is an 11-minute featurette about the show. The cast talk about their characters and gush about working on the show. Sadly, the irony is that everyone talks as if another season is in the works when we know that the show has been cancelled.

"Putting Life Into Death" takes a look at how the special effects technicians bring the CGI Gravelings to life and how they pulled off five other effects, such as souls passing through live beings and how the death ripple, when a reaper touches someone before they die, is achieved.

Also included are nine deleted scenes totaling 11 minutes that are not put into context, so, at times, it's difficult to figure out which episode they come from.

Finally, there is a photo gallery featuring some stills from the show. At least we will have two seasons of DVD's to keep the "Dead" alive.

this was the best TV series on TV for some time.
Ellen Muth is a friend of mine and she has stated that they are to make a "Dead Like me" Film...so watch this space!