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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Tuesday 7 February 2023

ABC’s ‘Not Dead Yet’ is a comedy with a weekly ghost story

By MARK KENNEDY ney.
AP Entertainment Writer Johnson and Windsor,
NEW YORK (AP) — While TV who created and execu-
writers Casey Johnson and tive produced “The Real
David Windsor were wind- O’Neals,” were coming off
ing down the emotional a three-year run as co-ex-
roller coaster series “This Is ecutive producers of “This
Us,” they had another proj- Is Us” and based their new
ect waiting to soar — one series on a book by Alexan-
with ghosts. dra Potter. They managed
Their new “Not Dead Yet,” to get the series filmed be-
about a newspaper obitu- fore Rodriguez gave birth.
ary writer haunted by Both writers had mourned
the subjects she is writing the recent passing of a par-
about, lands on ABC this ent and found themselves
week, less than a year af- missing their loved ones
ter viewers bid goodbye to and wishing they still had
“This Is Us” characters Ran- their guidance.
dall, Kate and Kevin. “It was almost wish fulfill-
“With the end of that show, ment thinking like, ‘Wow,
it was a lot about death. what would happen if we
And here we were at the could talk to them? What
same time giving birth to would happen if we could
this other baby,” said Wind- This image released by ABC shows Gina Rodriguez in a scene from “Not Dead Yet.” seek them out and and get
sor. “It was sort of a nice Associated Press their advice?’” said Wind-
cycle of life.” spirit. “This has just got to be away,” says Johnson. “Ghosts” has begun its sec- sor.
In “Not Dead Yet,” airing the chili cheese fries and “What can they bring up ond season. Johnson and Windsor had
Wednesday, Gina Rodri- the cake and the five cock- in Nell’s life that she can “Not Dead Yet” co-stars primarily done comedies
guez plays Nell, a newly sin- tails and maybe the half explore and what can she Hannah Simone from “New before “This Is Us” but they
gle reporter who returns to gummy I ate.” To which the learn from this person’s life Girl” as Nell’s best friend, always tried to give their
her California newspaper ghost deadpans: “Go easy that’s specific to them. So “Superstore” alumna Lau- shows a dramatic, emo-
10 years after she quit to there, Keith Richards.” it’s just kind of this rich ter- ren Ash as her chilly boss, tional heart. “Not Dead
follow a love interest to Lon- The use of a new ghost ritory.” “Cleopatra Jones” star An- Yet” has elements of both.
don. Things have changed each week allows Nell to Some of the ghosts Nell gela Gibbs as a new friend “We were wondering if
for everyone. explore other lives and ex- meets include a jingle writ- and “As We See It” star Rick there was a way to kind of
She lands on the obitu- periences, and they, in turn, er who teaches Nell about Glassman as her room- meld the two worlds,” said
ary desk “Everyone has a help advise a women who one-hit wonders, a hard- mate. Johnson. “Can we do a
story. It’s your job to find it,” admits she’s a mess, some- charging success coach Guest star ghosts over the comedy that has hard jokes
she is told and in the pilot one who drinks a little too who reveals not all advice first series include Mar- and is a lot of fun, but then
is soon visited by the ghost much and wears bathing is useful and a social me- tin Mull, Ed Begley Jr., Mo also goes for these really
of her first story. It does not suit bottoms when she runs dia influencer who brings Collins, Deborah S. Craig, emotional, real moments?
go well. out of clean underwear. up hurt memories of high Telma Hopkins, Don Lake, To us as writers, that was a
“No, uh-uh, I do not see “There’s two things about school. It airs while another Rhea Perlman, Paula Pell, really exciting experiment
dead people,” she tells the the people who’ve passed spirt-filled comedy CBS’ Tony Plana and Julia Swee- and we were really thrilled
that ABC was on board.”
Julie Andrews teams with daughter on new “Not Dead Yet” is also a
workplace show, one that
picture book makes fun of co-workers
who bring large salads to
work and the cliques that
form, like the adult jocks

NEW YORK (AP) — The quartet played in front of most in life,” Andrews and and the forever nerds.
latest picture book col- thousands of plants, one Walton Hamilton said in a Johnson notes that lead-
laboration between Julie for each seat at Barcelo- statement. ing a TV show mirrors a lot
Andrews and daughter na’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. “For us, it’s family, commu- of office culture and offers
Emma Walton Hamilton “The Enchanted Sympho- nity, nature, and the arts plenty to mine: “We’re in a
was inspired by an unusual ny” is a “hopeful fairy tale,” that provide true beauty writers’ room with bad fluo-
musical performance in according to Abrams. It’s and meaning,” they said. rescent lights and dried up
Spain. set in a village “beset by Andrews and her daugh- Sharpies and lunches out
Abrams Children’s Books a mysterious fog,” but re- ter have worked together of plastic containers,” she
announced Monday that vived by a “boy’s simple on numerous other books, said, laughing.
“The Enchanted Sympho- melody.” “While the fog including the “The Very They said that when writing
ny” will be published Sept. in our book evokes our Fairy Princess” series and episodes there were times
12. Andrews and Walton pandemic experience, it “The First Notes: The Story when the notion of the
This cover image released by Hamilton thought of the also symbolizes something of Do, Re, Mi,” based on ghost came first and other
Abrams shows “The Enchanted book during the first year of larger: the creeping and the famous song from “The times the idea for Nell to
Symphony” by Julie Andrews explore something in her
and Emma Walton Hamilton. the pandemic, when they countless distractions that Sound of Music.” They also life dictated the arrival of a
Associated Press learned of “Concert for the prevent us from appreci- plan a followup to “The En- certain ghost.q
Biocene,” in which a string ating what truly matters chanted Symphony.”q