Cancelation & Everything We Know

Summary

• Not Dead Yet
  Season 3 has been canceled by ABC despite the success of its first two seasons.
• The main cast, including Gina Rodriguez and Hannah Simone, were expected to return for season 3 for continuity and appeal.
• Season 3 was likely to continue Nell’s quest for a stable relationship and explore the fallout of her career boost in Season 2.

Not Dead Yet was quickly becoming one of ABC’s most popular new sitcoms, but the network pulled the plug before it could be renewed for season 3. Based on the book Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter, the series follows Nell Serrano, a journalist who works as an obituary writer for a local paper. Despite believing it’s a dead-end job, Nell begins seeing the ghosts of those she’s eulogizing and learns important life lessons from the dearly departed that only she can see or hear.

Something of a sleeper hit in its first season, Not Dead Yet was quickly renewed for a second that was rushed to air despite setbacks from the Hollywood strikes of 2023. Critical reception has been decidedly mixed, but audience reactions are significantly more positive, thus justifying ABC’s confident renewal (via Rotten Tomatoes). While hardly re-inventing the classic sitcom structure, Not Dead Yet succeeds as a heartfelt comedy, and star Gina Rodriguez carries the episodes with her affable likability. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save Not Dead Yet season 3 from cancelation.

Not Dead Yet Season 3 Is Canceled

ABC Pulled The Plug On Season 3

Not Dead Yet
saw a 40% viewership decrease from season 1

Though ABC gave the show a confident renewal for a second season, the network is not extending the favor for a third. Not Dead Yet was officially canceled by the network in May 2024, just a few short weeks after it concluded its truncated sophomore outing. Though ABC didn’t explicitly say why it was canceling the show, Not Dead Yet saw a 40% viewership decrease from season 1 (via TV Line), and that is the likeliest culprit. Though network TV series have been saved on streaming and by other channels, it doesn’t seem like Not Dead Yet will be resurrected.

Not Dead Yet
season 2 concluded on April 24, 2024.

Not Dead Yet Season 3 Cast

Who Could Have Returned?

As a low-stakes comedy, the cast of Not Dead Yet didn’t change much from season to season, and season 3 was ikely to be the same. Continuity is key for comedy shows, and the entire main cast was needed for Not Dead Yet season 3 to have the same appeal as the first two. Therefore, it was expected that star Gina Rodriquez would have returned as the hapless journalist Nell Serrano, and she would likely have been joined by co-star Hannah Simone as Sam. Aside from series regulars, Not Dead Yet often featured recognizable stars in one-off roles as ghosts in each episode.

The returning cast is was expected to include:

Not Dead Yet Season 3 Story

Nell Will Never Get Closure Because Of The Cancelation

The story of Not Dead Yet is somewhat episodic, but there are a few threads that have carried on throughout that could have continued in season 3. Nell’s quest for a stable relationship wasn’t concluded in season 2, meaning season 3 would likely have seen her try to put herself out there once again. Nell got a bit of a career boost in season 2, and season 3 could have dealt with the fallout of those life changes. Regardless of what the overarching story would have been, each episode of Not Dead Yet season 3 would have seen Nell interacting with her ghostly obituary subjects.