Feldman (right) on set with Linda Cardellini (left) and Christina Applegate.
NetflixNetflix is wrapping up its relationship with Dead to Me, but expanding its partnership with creator Liz Feldman.
The streamer has renewed the twisty dramedy series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini for a third and final season, following its second-season release in May. At the same time, the company has signed creator Feldman to an overall deal, under which she will create original series and other projects as Netflix continues its quest to own more of its content. Feldman, who previously wrote for 2 Broke Girls, will segue her overall deal from Dead to Me producers CBS TV Studios to the streamer.
“From start to finish, Dead to Me is exactly the show I wanted to make and it’s been an incredible gift,” she said in a statement Monday announcing the news. “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.”
The show, which follows Applegate’s and Cardellini’s Jen and Judy after Jen’s husband is killed in a hit-and-run accident and through a series of melodramatic twists in their tight-knit friendship, became a breakout hit after its debut in 2019, landing Applegate a best actress Emmy nom and Feldman a Writers Guild Award for episodic comedy. Netflix revealed that season one of the show was fourth on its 2019 list of most popular series of the year in the U.S.
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Season two, which (spoiler alert!) brought back the seemingly deceased James Marsden as his original character’s twin, joined by Natalie Morales, was met with similar fanfare. The series left off in another one of its signature cliffhangers, with Jen and Judy in a major car accident after being struck by drunk-driving Ben (Marsden) and once again at risk for being found out for the murder of Steve (also Marsden).
“Liz Feldman is a comedic force who brings her fresh and distinct point of view to every element of the creative process from inception through writing and producing,” said Jane Wiseman, Netflix’s vp comedy series. “We could not be more excited to expand our relationship with Liz and continue to work with her on Dead to Me and future series to come.”
Feldman, whose past credits also include Hot in Cleveland, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and creating NBC sitcom One Big Happy, will return to exec produce the final season of the series, along with Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell for Gloria Sanchez Productions, Christie Smith, Applegate and Adam McKay. Cardellini serves as co-executive producer. Dead to Me is produced by CBS Television Studios for Netflix.
Feldman is the latest creator with a hot Netflix series to move from their previous overall deal to one with the streamer. The company did the same with The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flannigan (who moved from Paramount TV Studios), among others. The streamer, like other outlets, is increasingly interested in owning its content rather than paying licensing fees to third-party suppliers.
The decision to wrap Dead to Me after three seasons comes as Netflix scripted originals typically have a very short shelf life. Few shows make it to four seasons and beyond as the media titan, which does not release traditional viewership data, weighs renewals based on how many new subscribers would sign up for another season of an existing show or if those funds would be better allocated toward new material that would increase its customer base. To that end, Netflix recently announced that Ozark would end with its fourth season.
