(Photo by SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX © 2020)
Certified Fresh is a sponsored partnership with Rotten Tomatoes and Netflix that includes a series of interviews with the showrunners and creatives behind some of the streamer’s Freshest hits – all conducted by Tomatometer-approved critics.
The first season of Dead to Me was so deliciously twisty and compulsively bingeable that many feared a second season couldn’t possibly keep up the pace or the quality. But when new episodes of the Netflix smash arrived last May, all fears were set aside: With new mysteries, a handful of rich new characters, and the incredible Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini once again in career-best form, Dead to Me had only gotten better.
The critics took notice, lauding the series and its stars and driving the season to Certified Fresh status on the Tomatometer; a killer finale has left fans eagerly anticipating a third and final season, due to drop on Netflix sometime next year.
Talking to Salon.com TV critic Melanie McFarland, Dead to Me showrunner and executive producer Liz Feldman says the bulk of the series’ appeal comes down to Applegate and Cardellini. “These two actresses are so incredible and they embody these characters so humanely and authentically and sensitively – I think that’s what an audience connects to,” Feldman said. “I really give pretty much all the credit to those ladies because they’re just so insanely watchable.”
Of course, those epic twists also make Dead to Me “insanely watchable,” along with its dark comedy. In her extended conversation with McFarland, Feldman talks about her approach to mixing deep grief with big, unexpected laughs; the story behind one of the biggest OMG moments of season 2; and how real-life events have impacted the direction of the series.
Watch the full interview above or at Netflix’s FYSEE TV site.
Dead to Me is now streaming on Netflix.
Melanie McFarland is a Tomatometer-approved critic at Salon.com.
