25 shows to watch if you like Riverdale
By Sundi Rose
Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me has the wry wit that Riverdale wants to claim, but falls short behind the abs and cheekbones. It’s clever and smart but very, very dark.
The premise: A young girl dies unexpectedly and instead of moving on entirely, she’s recruited as a Reaper, who must usher doomed souls to their demise.
Georgia “George” Lass is unexpectedly killed by space debris at the tender age of 18, and she’s asked to be a Reaper, a job only a handful of souls can do. Their true faces aren’t seen by the regular people, and their bodies heal rapidly. George, along with her clique of other local Reapers, must collect a certain amount of souls in order to pass on, preferably before they die.
George’s close knit group includes Mandy Patinkin playing Rube, Jasmine Guy as Roxy, Rebecca Gayheart as Betty and a very dreamy Callum Blue as Mason. The group meet everyday to receive their assignments from Rube as they, ironically, grapple with the meaning of their lives.
Why you’ll like it: Dead Like Me only ran for two seasons, but during its short tenure, it explored, aptly and thoughtfully, heavy themes with humor and a clever wink. While it treats the act of dying a little lightly, it gracefully handles the human condition with careful consideration. Like Riverdale, it is far more than what it seems on the surface, and never, ever takes itself too seriously.
Unlike, Riverdale, however, it rarely deviates into gimmicks or shock tactics, and remains pretty consistent to its initial mission of exploring what it means to be alive, through the lens of death. It’s super smart.
Where to find it: You can burn through its two short seasons in a weekend on Hulu.