# R.I.P. Dead Like Me; Cancelled By Showtime **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007 "2004-12-21T18:12:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/1 "2004-12-21T18:12:15Z")
From today’s Hollywood Reporter: R.I.P.: Showtime lays ‘Dead’ to rest Life is over for the series “Dead Like Me,” which Showtime has canceled after two seasons, according to sources. The afterlife drama from MGM TV was denied a third batch of episodes by Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt, who is mulling his options among a new crop of drama pilots. “Dead” premiered last year on the premium cable channel to relatively strong ratings and some critical acclaim. But a second season this year fell short of the buzz it generated in its first outing. Executive produced by John Masius and Bryan Fuller, “Dead” stars Mandy Patinkin and Ellen Muth. The end of “Dead” could be a signal that Greenblatt wants to clear some room on the schedule for more than one of the new pilots he is considering for series treatment. Among the contenders are terrorist drama “The Cell” and the cop drama “Hate.” A decision is expected next month. (Andrew Wallenstein) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/2 "2004-12-21T18:23:04Z")
Good riddance, I say. I happened to catch the pilot at a friend’s house when it premiered and I thought it was pretty good. It looked like it was setting up a storyline that the writers could have a lot of fun with and get some good drama out of as well. So the girlfriend and I picked up the first couple DVDs at Hollywood Video a few months ago and they were horrible. No comedy, laughable drama, poor acting, horribly self-contradicting “rules” for the reapers, unlikable characters that make stupid and nonsensical descisions…the list goes on. This was a show that managed the heretofore thought impossible task of making me hate Inigo Montoya. Bye bye _Dead Like Me_, you won’t be missed. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/3 "2004-12-21T18:33:51Z")
Gotta agree with the good riddance. All round weak show with so much “comedy” centred around “funny” ways to die. Blech. Quite an unlikeable central character IMHO, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/4 "2004-12-21T19:01:39Z")
If you guys just heard a scream, that was me. Personally, I love the show (as does my father, my mother is another story) and watch it whenever I can. Why is it that the shows I like always get cancelled within two seasons? ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/5 "2004-12-21T19:24:47Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > If you guys just heard a scream, that was me. Personally, I love the show (as does my father, my mother is another story) and watch it whenever I can. Why is it that the shows I like always get cancelled within two seasons? I happened to like the show too. But then I’d love anything that Mandy Patinkin was in. I guess I’ll cancel Showtime - no need for it now. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/6 "2004-12-22T01:06:10Z")
What? They had a witty, original show with a great cast, awesome characters and an absolutely kick ass concept, and they’re cancelling it _to make room for another cop drama!_ If there’s one thing this world doesn’t need, it’s another cop drama. Yeah. No need for Showtime. In fact, I don’t watch hardly any of these channels… Hell, if it weren’t for the Daily Show, I’d drop TV forever and never look back. Everything else that’s halfway decent is either cancelled right away or on DVD inside of six months. Often both. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/7 "2004-12-22T02:53:44Z")
Great cast? They stunk!!! Especially that blond girl that is apparently the heroine of the whole show. She is painful to watch - like, Heather Graham painful. But without the good looks to help soothe the horrible experience. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/8 "2004-12-22T03:50:02Z")
It’s a minority view, but I liked the show. And I thought that Ellen Muth, who played George, was great. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/9 "2004-12-22T12:18:41Z")
I liked it too – although I missed most of the whole first season (the 1rst season DVD is on my Christmas list). Damn! ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/10 "2004-12-22T13:23:21Z")
Darn it…I liked it too. How often do you get to see Mandy Patinkin in anything these days? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dead-like-me-cancelled-by-showtime/281007/11 "2004-12-22T13:42:36Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Great cast? They stunk!!! Especially that blond girl that is apparently the heroine of the whole show. She is painful to watch - like, Heather Graham painful. But without the good looks to help soothe the horrible experience. Given that I know more than one person IRL who acts almost exactly like George (except, y’know, the undead thing), I thought both character and actress were great. They really caught up the post-graduate “wtf do I do now!” confusion and desperation many of my peers are going through. It was the whole Buffy vibe, supernatural experience as metaphor for life, shifted forward a few years. Plus, she was as cute as a button. And she was a virgin past the age of sixteen, and the show was neither preachy about it nor treated her as damaged goods. That was a refreshing change. I’m really surprised to see so much hate here. There was a regular thread about the show almost every week. Anyway, I was serious about cancelling Showtime, but it turns out that by some strange rules, that would actually raise my cable bill. So, it turns out that I’m essentially paying $56 a month to watch the Daily Show. Sorry Jon, I love ya, but not that much. Goodbye, cable.