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'Not Dead Yet' Ep 1 & 2 Review: Gina Rodriguez's return does nothing to breathe life into ABC series

'Not Dead Yet' is still in its early stages, but time will tell if it can live up to its potential

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It's not Halloween, but Gina Rodriguez can be seen getting spooked out in the new ABC series 'Not Dead Yet.' Gina Rodriguez won the hearts of viewers with her appearance in The CW's satirical romantic drama series 'Jane the Virgin' and Netflix's romantic comedy 'Someone Great' in which she sang and danced in her underwear to 'Truth Hurts' by Lizzo, which made the song even more popular and brought it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Last year in February, 'Not Dead Yet' was given a pilot order by ABC. It is based on the book 'Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up' by Alexandra Potter. The series is being developed by David Windsor and Casey Johnson, who will also serve as executive producers alongside Rodriguez, McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh. Read more about the Gina Rodriguez-produced series.

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In Wednesday's series premiere of 'Not Dead Yet,' viewers got to know Nell (Gina Rodriguez), a 37-year-old journalist who gave up a promising career five years ago and moved to London for a man. Now the engagement is off, and Nell is back at her old job, but not in her former position. She thought she'd pick up where she left off, but Nell is reassigned by her boss/friend Dennis (Joshua Banday) to work in obituaries. Gina Rodriguez is featured as a reluctant obituary writer who discovers she can see and communicate with the recently deceased people she writes about. The premise is intriguing, and despite some minor flaws and shortcomings in the early execution, the film is still worth seeing. The "ghost- of the-week" format gives 'Not Dead Yet' a classic network procedural feel, but unfortunately fails to breathe life into the series.

'Not Dead Yet' is still in its nascent stages 

The first two episodes this week make it clear what to expect from the series starring Gina Rodriguez. We see a ghost appear in each episode, about whom Rodriguez's Nell writes an obituary, which also somehow contributes to the ratings of the newspaper she works for, and readers sent feedback that the obituary made them feel that Rodriguez's Nell knew the person very well. However, the series also reflects how Nell helps the spirits cross the line and find eternal peace after helping the spirits find the closure they need. It's safe to say that the series is a worthy return of Gina Rodriguez to prime time TV, but there are still many aspects to work on.

The cast includes Gina Rodriguez, Hannah Simone, Lauren Ash, Josh Banday, Angela Gibbs and Rick Glassman.Not Dead Yet premiered February 8 at 8.30 pm on ABC, with new episodes airing weekly at 9.30 pm.