I generally hate using cute little terms like ‘quirky’ to describe shows or movies that are a little bit… uhhh… quirky. What makes this even more difficult is that I especially enjoy shows and movies that fit into the category of… uhhh… quirky. So when head about the Showtime series, “Dead Like Me”, I started wishing that I had the really good cable (you know, the one with all the movie channels?). I heard so much about the show, and the fact that it mixed Death with Comedy made me want to see it really bad. Then there was also the ‘quirky’ factor which made it even worse. Fortunately, the good folks at MGM Home Entertainment have seen fit to release the entire first season of “Dead Like Me” on DVD for people like me who are to cheap to spring for the really good cable. This was one of those DVD releases that I made time to start watching the same day it came in, after all I was ‘dying’ to watch it (insert website reader groan here). I ended up watching the entire 14 episode run in 4 days. I love the show, that’s all I can say. The blend of Death and Comedy is perfect, even going so far as to deliver a very heavy dose of sarcasm, which is my favorite form of humor. Of course, if you’re reading this review, and have never seen the show, you probably haven’t got a clue what it’s about. I’ll try to fix that for you.

The main premise of the show proposes that Grim Reapers exist in all shapes and sizes. None of these shapes seem to include the normally requisite cloak and scythe, however. Nope, the Reapers that inhabit our world look just like everybody else. They could be anyone from the guy that drives the bus you ride every morning to the homeless guy you pass everyday on your way to that bus. But that is an important distinction; they have to be some nameless person that just blends into the woodwork. It could even be one of your co-workers. (I myself often keep my eyes open for the ‘Angel of Layoffs” so I can hide if he passes by.)

Ellen Muth stars as Georgia “George” Lass, a young girl with no direction in life. As a matter of fact she has no appreciation for life either, well… until the day she dies.
After enduring a day of being made to get out of bed by her mother (Cynthia Stephenson) and being forced to go to a temp agency to look for work, she meets her doom by being hit by a toilet seat that falls from the Mir Space Station (without burning up in the atmosphere I might add). From the moment she dies, her life is destined to never be the same.

She soon finds that she has been ‘drafted’ into becoming a Grim Reaper, whose ‘sole’ purpose is to retrieve the ‘souls’ from the very nearly departed moments before they meet their demise. What surprises her, and allows for no end of laughs for me, is the decidedly corporate attitude that permeates her new job. Her ‘boss’, Rube (Mandy Patinkin) hold daily meetings at the local waffle house and hands out assignments to the crew on little post-it notes. The problem is that the info on the notes isn’t as detailed as a Reaper might like. It only contains the first initial, last name, location, and time of the ‘appointment’ and it is up to the Reaper to determine the identity of the soon-to-be-corpse.

The other Reapers that make up George’s little group include Mason (Callum Blue), Roxy (Jasmine Guy), Betty (Rebecca Gayheart) and Daisy Adair (Laura Harris). Each one met their demise at different periods in time, and as the series progresses, we learn about each one of them. All of the characters are terrifically well-written and acted, and the relationships that build between them and the reluctant George are priceless. Being that George is the main focus of the series, she constantly finds herself trying to insinuate herself back into her family’s life, or at least spy on them to make sure they are okay. When you become a Reaper your appearance to the living changes, so she is able to get quite close without causing too much difficulty. And of course, this little obsession of hers offers no end of trouble between her and Rube.

What is fascinating about the series is that aside from all the wickedly dark humor, there is a lot of philosophizing going on. It’s not until after her death, that George begins to realize how good life really was, and how much she misses it. Granted she still gets to ‘live’, which includes getting a job and finding a place to call home, but it’s not her old life. As we see her grow and learn to appreciate what she no longer has, it really makes you think about what you have now, and how precious it really is.

The new 4-disc set offers up all 14 episodes of the series’ 1st season, and is being released just a few weeks before the 2nd season starts up on Showtime. (Hmmm… do I spring for the good cable, or do I wait for the next DVD set? Decisions, decisions.). The Pilot episode features a really fun commentary by Muth, Patinkin, Guy, Blue and Stephenson. They’re all obviously having a great time doing the commentary, and that transfers over to the listener. Most of the comments are anecdotal in nature, so don’t look for a lot of technical info here.

There is also about 30 minutes worth of deleted scenes. Generally, I’m not into watching these, but there are some interesting ones here that give an idea of some different directions that the creators might have been thinking about taking the series. Some of these scenes look kind of bad, but that is to be expected since, after all, they were cut. I was looking forward to watching the behind the scenes featurette, but it turned out to be a very short promotional piece. A few interesting comments from the cast were sprinkled throughout, but it was way to short. You’ll find an even shorter conversation between the show’s producer John Malius and composer Stewart Copeland (yes, from the “Police”). It’s supposed to be about the show’s music, but they don’t really spend much time talking about it. The photo gallery is fairly small and didn’t offer much. Finally, there is the “Dead Like Us Weekly: A Journal for the Recently Deceased”, which is an amusing look at some of the show’s victims.

“Dead Like Me” may not appeal to everyone because the humor can be very dark at times. Plus, all the characters talk like sailors, which doesn’t bother me, but I know it will bother some. The writing is sharp and funny and I cannot wait for the 2nd season.

Episodes:
Pilot
Dead Girl Walking
Curious George
Reapercussions
Reaping Havoc
My Room
Reaper Madness
A Cook
Sunday Mornings
Business Unfinished
The Bicycle Thief
Nighthawks
Vacation
Rest in Peace

Starring: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Rebecca Gayheart, Laura Harris, Cynthia Stephenson, Britt McKillip
Extras: Audio Commentary by the Cast, 30 Minutes of Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes Featurette, The Music of “Dead Like Me”, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 6/15/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Dead Like Me: Season 1 an A.