Dead Like Me, a comedy-dramatelevision series created by Bryan Fuller, premiered on June 27, 2003 on Showtime in the United States and ended on October 31, 2004. The show spans two seasons, with a total of 29 episodes. The original pilot was 74 minutes long, while the episodes that followed ranged from 40 to 50 minutes long. Showtime decided to cancel the series due to declining ratings in the second season, even though originally they claimed the show had three times higher ratings than the network's primetime average. Various actors also mentioned that the show had backstage problems, which was one of the reasons the creator, Bryan Fuller, left the series at the end of the first season. Both seasons of Dead Like Me were released on DVD in United States and United Kingdom in 2004 and 2005, respectively. A direct-to-DVD movie titled was released on February 17, 2009, with an option to restart the series. The episodes were filmed primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The first season premiered with a 74-minute pilot episode on June 27, 2003, which was split into two different episodes with added deleted scenes for syndication. It consisted of 14 episodes, and ended on September 26, 2003. The story began with George Lass getting killed by a toilet seat falling from the de-orbiting Mir Space Station and having to face the fact that she is now dead but still amongst living people, working as a grim reaper. George met other grim reapers, each with their own problems, and had to learn how to do her job efficiently. While breakingthe rules and testing the patience of her handler, George learned by the end of season just how important her job is.
The second season premiered on July 25, 2004, and ran for 15 episodes, concluding on October 31, 2004. The season explored the lives of other grim reapers while following the story of George, who has now been promoted at her daily job and is beginning to explore her love life. Roxy sought advancement in her career; Daisy found herself in an abusive relationship; Mason fought to stop drinking; Rube was facing ghosts from his past; and Joy and Clancy had to adapt to the end of their marriage.
