Not Dead Yet

***Not Dead Yet*** is an American television sitcom created by David Windsor and Casey Johnson for ABC, based on *Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* by Alexandra Potter. It is produced by Windsor & Johnson Productions, Wonderland Sound and Vision and 20th Television, being distributed by Disney Platform Distribution. It stars Gina Rodriguez as Nell Serrano, as she works to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago. Additional stars are Hannah Simone, Lauren Ash, Rick Glassman, Joshua Banday and Angela E. Gibbs. It premiered on February 8, 2023 on ABC with a double-episode premiere.

On May 16, 2023, ahead of Disney/ABC’s upfront presentation, ABC renewed *Not Dead Yet* for a second season, which is set to premiere on February 7, 2024.

## Premise

Not Dead Yet follows Nell Serrano, broke, newly single and feeling old, a a self-described 40-something disaster, who works to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago. When she lands the only job she can find – writing obituaries – Nell starts getting life advice from an unlikely source.

## Content

### Seasons

 Nell Serrano works to restart the life and career she left behind five years ago and lands the only job she can find – writing obituaries.

 Nell Serrano works to restart the life and career she left behind five years ago and lands the only job she can find – writing obituaries.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Gina Rodriguez as Nell Serrano (formerly Stevens): Who is broke, newly single and feeling old – and a self-described disaster – works to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago. Moving back home to Pasadena – a world where everyone seems to have a better life than she does (kids, careers, happy marriages, etc.) Nell can only afford to share an apartment with a stranger who monitors how much electricity she uses and pesters her about her recycling habits (which lately include a lot of empty White Claws.) A once successful journalist, Nell put her career on hold to help her fiancé get his restaurant off the ground. Following their break up, she takes the only job she can get – writing obituaries – which at first seems like a step backwards but ultimately may be exactly what she needs to move forward.
* Hannah Simone as Sam: The editor of the Life & Style section of the newspaper and a busy working mom. A former wild child, Sam has hit her stride and seems to handle everything thrown her way with ease and an organized “mom purse.” But underneath this exterior, Sam struggles with taking too much on and misses her carefree single days when it was her and Nell against the world. She’s torn between her big work goals and missing the person she was before the kids and the big job. Hopefully, having Nell back will help her find that balance.
* Lauren Ash as Lexi Rhodes: The daughter of a wealthy newspaper owner and recently appointed editor. Lexi was raised in a rarefied world of boarding schools and private planes and is comedically out of touch with how normal people live. A former almost-Olympian horse jumper, Lexi exudes extreme confidence. But the truth is she’s in way over her head and if the newspaper fails, she’ll never win her father’s approval – something she desperately wants.
* Rick Glassman as Edward: An uptight, smart environmental lawyer, Edward is Nell’s landlord and roommate. A Stanford graduate, he is married and has a son who lives outside of the city. He spends weekends with them, but during the week is a thorn in Nell’s side due to his inflexible house rules and commitment to recycling and the environment. But there is something sweet underneath Edward’s slightly superior exterior and he and Nell will come to realize they’re more alike than they thought.
* Joshua Banday as Dennis: Nell’s old friend, former roommate and now current boss. Dennis used to be a nerd, but now is cool. He hired Nell because she is overqualified, desperate and introduced him to his husband.
* Angela E. Gibbs as Cricket: Nell’s beautiful, free-spirited friend. Even though recently widowed, Cricket lives in the moment, enjoying the life that is happening right now. Cricket becomes newly single Nell’s plus-one.
* Brad Garrett as Duncan Rhodes (season 2), the owner/publisher of the SoCal Independent newspaper, among many other successful businesses. He is also the father of Nell’s boss Lexi. Duncan is a total master of the universe. He has exuberant confidence and charisma and at the same time is completely out of touch with how normal people live – but he doesn’t know that. He thinks everyone is probably considering space travel for their next vacation. No one is comfortable telling him he’s out of touch, or that he’s not a great father, until he meets Nell.

## Production notes

### Development

On February 14, 2022, it was announced that ABC had ordered a pilot for single-camera comedy *Not Dead Yet*, which comes from *The Real O’Neals* creators Casey Johnson and David Windsor with McG exec producing. The project is based on *Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* by Alexandra Potter, which was published in 2020. It is the latest pilot ordered at the network from This Is Us alums – Johnson and Windsor currently serve as co-exec producers on the NBC series. The comedy, which is produced by 20th Television, will be written and exec produced by Johnson and Windsor, with Wonderland Sound and Vision’s McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh also exec producing. On May 13, 2022, it was announced that ABC had given *Not Dead Yet* a series order. On May 14, 2022, it was announced that there were changes on ABC’s *Not Dead Yet*. The significant change was that only half of the six series regulars in the pilot, Rodriguez, Joshua Banday and Angela E. Gibbs, will continue in that capacity on the series. In a retooling, *Not Dead Yet* will lean more heavily into the workplace, with the female friendship storyline being phased out. As a result, Jessica St. Clair and Mary Elizabeth Ellis will not continue on the series. One of the pilot’s leads, Rick Glassman, will stay on but not as a series regular.

### Filming

Production was cleared in April 2022, with filming beginning shortly after.

### Casting

On March 29, 2022, Gina Rodriguez was cast in the lead role. In April 2022, Joshua Banday, Jessica St. Clair, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Angela E. Gibbs and Rick Glassman joined the cast as leads opposite Rodriguez. On May 14, 2022, St. Clair and Elizabeth Ellis exited the series, and Glassman, was demoted to recur. In August 2022, Hannah Simone and Lauren Ash joined the cast opposite Rodriguez. In January 2023, it was announced that Martin Mull, Ed Begley Jr., Mo Collins, Deborah S. Craig, Telma Hopkins, Don Lake, Rhea Perlman, Paula Pell, Tony Plana, Brittany Snow, and Julia Sweeney would appear in different episodes as ghosts. On December 13, 2023, it reported that Brad Garrett was cast as a new series regular for the second season.

## Reception

### Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 45% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 11 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While an always engaging Gina Rodriguez is enough to ensure that this supernatural comedy isn't dead on arrival, it'll need more spark to survive viewer disinterest." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

## Trivia

* The series was announced on February 14, 2022.

## Gallery

### Images

* Posters
* Promotional

### Videos

Not Dead Yet - Coming Soon to ABCNot Dead Yet (ABC) Trailer HD - Gina Rodriguez comedy series
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 ‘Not Dead Yet’ Comedy, Based On ‘Confessions Of A Forty-Something F\*\*k Up’ From Casey Johnson, David Windsor & McG Lands Pilot Order At ABC
2. ↑ ‘Not Dead Yet’ Renewed For Season 2 By ABC
3. ↑ ABC Announces Post-Strike Return Dates for *Grey’s Anatomy*, *9-1-1*, *Abbott Elementary*, *The Rookie* and 10 Others
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gina Rodriguez To Headline ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Not Dead Yet’
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hannah Simone Joins New ABC Comedy Series ‘Not Dead Yet’
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lauren Ash Joins New ABC Comedy Series ‘Not Dead Yet’
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 ‘Not Dead Yet’: Josh Banday, Jessica St. Clair, Angela Gibbs Among Five Cast In ABC Comedy Pilot
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 ‘Not Dead Yet’: Brad Garrett Joins Season 2 Of ABC Comedy As New Series Regular
9. ↑ Hilary Swank’s ‘Alaska’, ‘The Rookie’ Spinoff & Comedy ‘Not Dead Yet’ Picked Up To Series At ABC
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 ABC’s New Series ‘Rookie: Feds’ & ‘Not Dead Yet’ Undergo Casting Changes As Part Of Creative Tweaks
11. ↑ Gina Rodriguez-Led Comedy "Not Dead Yet" Welcomes "Ghost" Cast Ahead of Series Debut
12. ↑ *Not Dead Yet*: SEASON 1
13. ↑ *Not Dead Yet*: Season 1