'Dead to Me' Season 3: Big Update on Production
Dead To Me, Netflix's dark comedy series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, finished production on Season 3, but not completely without a COVID-related incident. During the final week of production, just as the omicron coronavirus variant began spreading in the U.S., there were multiple positive COVID cases. The production was not affected.
A production office employee reportedly began showing symptoms on Dec. 13 and was sent home, sources told Deadline. The person later tested positive for COVID-19. Another crew member who worked in transportation tested positive later that same week, as well as other people who came into contact with that person. CBS Television Studios, which produces the series for Netflix, started contact tracing. However, sources told Deadline that no further positive COVID cases have arisen yet.
Dead To Me was created by Liz Feldman and stars Applegate and Cardellini as Jen Harding and Judy Hale, respectively. The two women met at a grief support group after Jen's husband was killed in a car crash. During the first season, Jen soon learned that Judy had a shocking connection to her husband's death. James Marsden also stars as Steve Wood, Judy's ex-fiance, and Steve's twin brother, Ben. Max Jenkins plays Jen's friend Christopher Doyle while Sam McCarthy and Luke Roessler play Jen's sons. The first season was one of Netflix's most popular shows of 2019 and was watched by 30 million households in the first month of its release.
The first season earned Applegate an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Season 2 was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for both Applegate and Cardellini. The show's third season was delayed, first due to the coronavirus pandemic and later due to Applegate's multiple sclerosis diagnosis. It is now expected to be released in 2022.
Season 3 will be the last for Dead To Me. "From start to finish, Dead To Me is exactly the show I wanted to make," Feldman said when the show was renewed in July 2020. "And it's been an incredible gift. Telling a story sprung from grief and loss has stretched me as an artist and healed me as a human. I'll be forever indebted to my partners in crime, my friends for life, Christina and Linda, and our brilliantly talented writers, cast, and crew. I am beyond grateful to Netflix for supporting Dead To Me from day one, and I'm thrilled to continue our collaboration."