Nell returns to help the dead! Not Dead Yet season 2 release date, trailer, and everything we know

Not Dead Yet made its debut in February 2023, and we were so excited to see Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez in a new comedy! While in our opinion the new series isn’t as great as the actress’ hit satirical telenovela, we are happy for her, the cast, and the crew. Why are we happy? Because Not Dead Yet season 2 is happening!

The show was created by David Windsor and Casey Johnson, with the leading star executive producing. Joining her in EP duties are Mary Viola, Corey Marsh, Dean Holland, and the two creators of the sitcom. Here’s everything we know about the second season ahead of its release!

Not Dead Yet season 2 is coming February 2024

The comedy isn’t returning in 2023, however ABC did announce that the plan is for the show to be back at some point in the midseason schedule. And now we have the official release date! Not Dead Yet season 2 premieres Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Check out the announcement our leading lady shared on Instagram below:

New episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. For an in-depth watch guide, click here! The first season of Not Dead Yet is currently streaming on Hulu. We’ve known for a while that a second season was happening as the series was renewed by ABC in May 2023. Though a return date has been pushed due to the Hollywood strikes (more on that below).

An episode count hasn’t been revealed yet either. Season 1 had a total of 13 installments, so perhaps the second season will follow the same pattern. Due to the Hollywood strikes delaying productions, it’s expected for scripted shows to only have 10-13 episode seasons this time around. With this series being a comedy, it’s quicker for filming and post-production to get done. So hopefully this is one of the shows that gets a longer season at 13 episodes. Fingers crossed!

We have the synopses and titles for the first three episodes, plus a trailer!

Episode 1, "Not Owning It Yet" - Wednesday, Feb. 7

"Lexi’s father and owner of the SoCal Independent, Duncan Rhodes, comes into the office and forms a bond with Nell, much to his daughter’s dismay."

Episode 2, "Not A Valentine Yet" - Wednesday, Feb. 14

" It’s Valentine’s Day. After receiving some truth from Cricket, Nell realizes she may be using ghosts as an excuse to not open herself up to love."

Episode 3, "Not in the Cards Yet" - Wednesday, Feb. 28

"Lexi, Duncan, Sam and Dennis attend an award ceremony for several SoCal Independent editing nominations. Meanwhile, Nell steps into babysit Sam’s daughter, Tilly, who doesn’t seem interested in hanging out with her “fun Aunt Nell."

Was season 2 affected by the strikes?

Yes, Not Dead Yet season 2 was affected by the strikes. The writers strike began on May 2, 2023, with the actors strike following just over two months later on July 14. The comedy was renewed by ABC on May 16, 2023 – two weeks after the writers strike began.

Because of this, there was no time for the writing team to start penning any scripts. Initially, the Gina Rodriguez-led show should have been part of ABC’s fall 2023 television schedule. But when the network released that schedule, it’s completely dependent on reality and competition shows, college football, and reruns of Abbott Elementary. This was done due to the fact that it’s expected these strikes will go on for a while.

What’s great is that the writers strike is officially over as of Sept. 25, 2023! The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted and ratified the new contract and agreement between the guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represents the major studios in Hollywood. Since that date, writers were able to go back to work. While we’re not 100% sure if and when the writers room opened for Not Dead Yet season 2, the group should be back to work by now since we have the premiere date. The new contract is in effect through May 1, 2026.

Thankfully, the good news keeps rolling as the actors strike has also come to an end! On Nov. 9, 2023, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the AMPTP came to a tentative agreement, which meant that the strike was over. Now, the new three-year contract has been ratified and made official. It means actors can get back to work and production on movies and shows can start back up, which many already have. That’s why ABC was able to come out with their 2024 midseason schedule, including Not Dead Yet season 2!

Cast: Who is returning in the new season?

The good news is that all the characters we've become invested in will be returning in the comedy's second season! Those include Gina Rodriguez, Hannah Simone, Lauren Ash, and more. We shared the cast list below:

• Gina Rodriguez as Nell
• Hannah Simone as Sam
• Lauren Ash as Lexi
• Rick Glassman as Edward
• Joshua Banday as Dennis
• Angela Gibbs as Cricket
• Brad Garrett as Duncan Rhodes (new series regular)

Perhaps best known for her role as Jane Villanueva in The CW’s romantic dramedy Jane the Virgin, the leading actress has also taken been a part of other projects in the last few years. She first made her breakthrough in 2012 in the indie film FIlly Brown. Most recently, you can see the actress in Spy Kids: Armageddon on Netflix, as well as Diary of a Future President on Disney+.

Brad Garrett joins the cast as Duncan Rhodes

On Dec. 13, Deadline shared that the series has tapped actor Brad Garrett to join the cast as a series regular. This is an exciting role and one we've been waiting for! That's because Garrett will be playing Duncan Rhodes, owner of the SoCal Independent newspaper. Aka Lexi's father. The show has mentioned him so many times, and now there's going to be an actual face to the name.

The character is described as someone who has "exuberant confidence and charisma," but is "out of touch with how normal people live," per Deadline. He thinks everyone operates and thinks like him, and no one is brave enough to tell him otherwise or that he isn't a good father to Lexi. That is until he meets Nell!

Ghostly guest stars to come

The inaugural season featured many notable ghostly guest stars like Martin Mull as Monty, Brittany Snow, Ed Begley Jr., Rhea Perlman, and more. Variety shared a number of guest stars to come in Not Dead Yet season 2, including Nico Santos in the premiere episode! This guest star is extra special since he starred in Superstore with Lauren Ash, which means there's a reunion happening! Now whether there's an onscreen reunion remains to be seen (more on that here). We listed the guest stars we know of so far below:

• Nico Santos as Teddy
• Wendie Malick as Mary Sue Manners
• Rob Corddry as Andrew
• Annie O'Donnell as Estelle
• Cedric Yarbrough as Paul
• Lidia Porto as Senator Diana Fernandez

Two other guest stars who are not ghosts are Tommy Martinez as Diana Fernandez's son Andres, as well as Jesse Garcia who will play sportswriter at SoCal Independent, T.J., per the news outlet. He is going to be in six episodes this season, and is a potential new love interest for Nell. Here's the character's description from Variety:

" A native of Chicago, T.J. is a diehard Cubs fan. He’s affable and friendly to everyone in the office, except Nell. He can’t get over how seven years ago in a bar she drunkenly turned off the historic Game 7 of the World Series when the Cubs finally won it all – something Nell doesn’t even remember. Although they get off to a rocky start, T.J. and Nell become friends and possibly more."

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote as we bring you news and updates about Not Dead Yet season 2 on ABC!