#SAVENOTDEADYET

Not Dead Yet has been canceled by ABC, and as a diehard superfan I am going to do everything in my power to have it be picked up again somehow.

Not Dead Yet is a show which airs on ABC and Hulu. It is based off of Alexandra Potter’s novel “Confessions of a Forty Something Fuck Up, starring Gina Rodriguez as main protagonist Nell Serrano. Nell is a woman in her 40’s moving back to California to start her life over after a messy relationship and her life falling apart. She resides in an apartment and rents it out with her new uptight roommate Edward. Thanks to Nell’s best friend Sam, she gets a job at her old workplace, SoCal Independent, but as an obituary writer. She then realizes that she can communicate and see the ghosts of the people (and animals) she is writing about, and follows their life advice to improve her own.

The show was created by David Windsor and Casey Johnson, who were the writers of the NBC hit show This is Us, explaining how touching every episode is. There’s always a message to be learned, and a new story and legacy for Nell to leave. Every single character has their own background, giving importance and putting a light on so many real world topics, such as being neurodivergent, sexuality, miscarriages, family dynamics, and (obviously) death and the afterlife, but with deeper meanings, leaving the audience's hearts warmed, laughing, crying, and feeling uplifted after every unique episode.

The cast all in all is STACKED, and they all have such a comforting and beautiful dynamic that even offscreen you can see how special of a connection and talent they all have. Lexi Rhodes, (played by Lauren Ash), the posh and emotionally distant editor of SoCal Independent, Brad Garrett as Lexi's big boss father Duncan, Joshua Banday as Dennis, Hannah Simone as Sam, Angela Gibbs as Cricket, Jimmy Bellinger as Mason, and Maile Flanagan as salad enthusiast Tina.

Edward, who is portrayed by Rick Glassman, is introduced as openly autistic in the pilot episode. He is one of few canonically neurodivergent characters in modern television, which is absolutely not as normalized as it should be. Having autism representation as an autistic teenager myself is so amazing, because it shows the dynamic of neurotypical and neurodivergent relationships, and how we communicate and live.

Although not as mainstream, Not Dead Yet currently stands in the 200’s for most popular television shows streamed online. The show has millions of views per episode and high end ratings. ABC Entertainment today unveiled new inclusion standards for its primetime shows to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities both on-screen and behind the scenes, according to Variety, which is exactly what Not Dead Yet does in so many ways with such a diverse and inclusive cast.

The season 2 finale was left on a serious cliffhanger, leaving room for so many opportunities when it comes to how the show could progress. I would love to see Nell finally tell her friends about her being able to communicate with ghosts, and to see the evolution of Lexi and her father Duncan's relationship, as well as the growth of Lexi’s romantic relationship with Edward. More in terms of Sam and Dennis's children and them growing up, more backstory of Lexi's family and childhood. Nell and Edward could get together, which I know MANY fans would love to see. The show being canceled is extremely heartbreaking for so many people who have emotional connections to the show, and losing something that has so much more potential. Even just one more season with some more closure would add so much more depth and storyline and give us the ending we all need.

Please share and sign the petition, we need all the love and help we can get :) <3