Dead to Me review: The dark comedy that deserves a second season

Dead to Me, a new series from Netflix, makes its mark as one of the most binge-able shows on Netflix. One big question remains: When do we get more episodes?

Dead to Me, the new dark comedy from Netflix and creator Liz Feldman, is one of the better binge watches available on Netflix right now. Headlined by Christina Applegate (Jen) and Linda Cardellini’s (Judy) spectacular on screen chemistry, it’s easy to fall in love with watching their friendship through all of the ups and downs of one friend accidentally murdering the other’s husband.

Aside from those two, the best part of Dead to Me was Feldman’s ability to balance serious topics with legitimate comedy.

Even when the entire show is based on the premise that Judy is literally responsible for the murder of Jen’s husband, there’s still a ton of humor. (A lot of that comes from the dry wit and sarcasm of Applegate’s Jen and the borderline naiveté of Cardellini’s Judy.)

Still, just because Dead to Me embraces comedy doesn’t mean the show shied away from the serious topics it brought up. The weight of Jen’s husband’s death isn’t made lighter for the sake of Jen being able make a sarcastic quip to another character. This is especially felt throughout the series as Jen gets closer and further away from finding out what happened to Ted.

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It’s easy to root for her and every time she has a day that goes from bad to worse to “why would you do this to someone,” you feel that pain. As Jen gets frustrated with the police, you get frustrated with the police.

Anger, resentment and pain meld with comedy, humor and love to make this show special.

Really, the only thing holding this show back is the so-so final episode.

Here’s the thing, the entire season felt like it was building to Judy confessing everything that happened the night Ted died to Jen. Which, to be fair, the show sort of did. But then the show felt like it tried to put a second climax in with Jen’s realization that Steve was there too and it’s actually his fault Judy didn’t go back.

It’s a necessary point that ultimately brings the two women back together as friends, but it just didn’t feel like it carried the same amount of weight and tension as the realization that Judy was behind the wheel.

Jen knew Steve was the worst. It wouldn’t be surprising if Ted wasn’t the only dead body left in Steve’s awful, criminal wake.

On top of that, the show ending on a partial cliffhanger felt off.

It’s like the show wants a second season where we, probably, watch Jen and Judy try not to go to jail while getting more information about Steve’s shady business dealings. (Plus, hopefully more Nick, please.)

But, the biggest tension that pulled the first season along was how these two women could be friends with this massive secret hanging over them. Without that, it will be interesting to see if a second season is as sustainable as the first.

Considering how enjoyable Applegate and Cardellini are to watch on screen together, I’m betting it would be. The only thing I’m hoping for is more from the grief group in a season two.

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I know they were mostly just a way for Jen and Judy to meet up. But they come back enough throughout the season that I’m dying to get to know them better and get their thoughts on how bonkers Jen and Judy’s lives are.

Overall, Dead to Me is an incredibly enjoyable watch. The pacing of the episodes is great and the tone of the show is a perfect marriage of pain and humor.

Netflix, you can go ahead and green light that second season now. Thanks!

What did you think of this season of Dead to Me? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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