Lauren Ash, Hannah Simone say ‘Not Dead Yet’ breaks the mold for shows about seeing dead people

Not Dead Yet breaks the mold of a character suddenly gaining the power to see the dead, say stars Hannah Simone and Lauren Ash.

The show stars Gina Rodriguez as Nell, a woman who takes a job writing obituaries at the local paper and gains the ability to see those she’s writing about. Ash, who plays Lexi, said the show excels at fleshing out the characters and what connects them.

“I think the premise of the show is brilliant,” she told ABC Audio. “I think that it’s always fun to see a new guest star basically every single week who are, like, 12 out of 10 amazing actors and people.”

The guest stars she’s referring to are actors like Rhea Perlman, who play the deceased people who talk to Nell as she writes their obituaries.

Simone is pleased with how the show explores the topics of grief and past regrets. “I just feel like it’s authentic storytelling,” she expressed. Simone also appreciates the show doesn’t shy away from ruining a second chance and making mistakes, adding, “It just feels real. It’s not a show where things feel forced.”

“You’re watching people in the relationships stumble in ways that we all really relate to,” she said, adding the writers “really went there with telling the truth.”

She said that is what makes the show “interesting and groundbreaking.”

Ash agreed, saying, “I think what the real kind of crux of what makes this show unique is that every single character is so vastly different from the character before … We’re getting to see the full stories of these people, rather than just we come in, and there’s a dead person and then they’re out.” 

Not Dead Yet premieres Wednesday, February 8, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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