tranj001 Review of Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me (2003–2004)

My thoughts on why they canceled the show so early

[7/10 · 3 September 2014]

I think whats so successful about Dead Like Me is also why it was also so short lived. It has a highly underdeveloped mythology and Rube was the personification of this characteristic. That's was also why was was such an important character and loosing him was so devastating to the show. The flaw about the show is that it never really clearly defined the mythology (in Dead Like Me, its the concept of death and its intricacies, a really good example of clearly defined mythology is Inception and its ideas on dreams). And I often feel that Dead Like Me is also flawed since the mythology is not consistent. Clear indicators of underdeveloped mythology are shown in the initial episodes and how the questions they posed never get answered. For example, do trees, rocks, blah blah have souls? And the response was Rube says we just don't do it so I don't. I think one of the reasons the writers were so averse in defining these terms is because when you clearly define the mythology, you risk alienating viewers and the stories don't endure the test of time very well. But I have to say, I really loved the show and continue to re-watch it time and time again because it is so entertaining and so funny.