Came across this show a bit on a whim looking for something funny one evening. While the characters were ok, particularly Michael Smiley's, and the cinematography was relatively well done, I was left wondering where the show was meant to be heading.
Dead Still isn't a comedy, despite being listed on Acorn's comedy section; it isn't a murder mystery, even though somebody dies in every episode; and it's not a drama. So what is it? The write-up piqued my interest: a photographer who made a business in taking tasteful photos of the recently deceased, for posterity reasons. There's a lot that can be done with that concept, but unfortunately that's not what the show is actually about.
It also doesn't help that although the show takes place in the Victorian Era, there's far too much modernization to keep the immersion consistent. For example, I doubt there were perfectly rolled cigarettes that clearly came off a production line and lit by butane pocket lighters in the 1870s. Many of the streets were obviously paved with some leaves thrown onto it, and sorry, but the character of Nancy just doesn't work. I like the actress, Eileen O'Higgens, just fine, but her dialog is just atrocious saying things like 'as if' and she acts like a college student of about twenty years ago. If she was written with some nuance and less screen time she would've been far more palatable IMHO.
While it looked good and had a unique concept, I will forget about this show shortly after ending this review; I had to search around Michael Smiley's work just to remember the title. If you're looking for a laugh, as I was, look elsewhere. Cheers.
Dead Still isn't a comedy, despite being listed on Acorn's comedy section; it isn't a murder mystery, even though somebody dies in every episode; and it's not a drama. So what is it? The write-up piqued my interest: a photographer who made a business in taking tasteful photos of the recently deceased, for posterity reasons. There's a lot that can be done with that concept, but unfortunately that's not what the show is actually about.
It also doesn't help that although the show takes place in the Victorian Era, there's far too much modernization to keep the immersion consistent. For example, I doubt there were perfectly rolled cigarettes that clearly came off a production line and lit by butane pocket lighters in the 1870s. Many of the streets were obviously paved with some leaves thrown onto it, and sorry, but the character of Nancy just doesn't work. I like the actress, Eileen O'Higgens, just fine, but her dialog is just atrocious saying things like 'as if' and she acts like a college student of about twenty years ago. If she was written with some nuance and less screen time she would've been far more palatable IMHO.
While it looked good and had a unique concept, I will forget about this show shortly after ending this review; I had to search around Michael Smiley's work just to remember the title. If you're looking for a laugh, as I was, look elsewhere. Cheers.