This article was written by Ellys Cartin, Jessica VanWinkle, and Matthew Fulton. The article was edited by Donna Cromeans (DJRiter). The open and close of the article were written by Ellys Cartin. Prepared for publishing by Aimee Hicks.
Dead to Me spins a fast-paced tale of a singular friendship forged among the ashes of grief, anger, and the occasional murder. Two everyday women must figure out how to dispose of a dead body while clinging to their unlikely bond that is now their best hope for healing and redemption. Judy Hale, one half of this show’s beating heart, is brought vividly to life by the perfection of Linda Cardellini’s performance. She tempered Judy’s kind quirkiness with a simmering fury, a charismatic combination that made it a wonderful experience to be caught up alongside Judy in each of her predicaments. Cardellini relished the escalating challenges of the show’s many twists and turns; her zeal for the role combined with her instinctive graciousness have surely shaped the development of her character, which simply means Judy Hale wouldn’t exist without Cardellini. She is just as likely to leave the audience hysterically breaking down in laughter as she is to reduce them to sobbing furiously on Judy’s behalf. For taking us on Judy’s adrenaline-packed roller coaster of love, laughter, despair, and countless hijinks, Linda Cardellini has been chosen as SpoilerTV’s 2020 Staff Choice Performer of the Year.