I am starting a thread on this TV series because I think it bears some resemblance to what might really happen when we cross over. I'd like to see what others think. I also want people who haven't heard about this to see it.
First a little about this series for people who haven't seen it. It's a black comedy. The characters are truly endearing and become like family after awhile. Because the series ran back around 2003 or so, it's readily available both on TV and on DVD. You can also see it through view instantly at Netflix.
It's about a group of soul reapers. They are people who have crossed over and whose new job is to reap the souls of those who are about to die before they actually are killed. This particular unit deals with bizarre deaths but there are other units of other soul reapers who deal with other types of deaths. I can't think of an example at the moment but I know they mention these other units at various spots in the series.
I have read that the soul disassociates from the body at the time of death and that no pain is felt, so there is a connection point here. In the movie, the reaper brushes the shoulder of the soon-to-be-departed and there is a special effect of a gray mist that arises off the touch. The next thing you will see in the show is the bizarre accident and then the person conversing with the reaper. The person is often looking at his body and acknowledging that he's "dead." The reapers are told they are to do this to prevent the person from feeling horrible things at the time of death.
The reapers, even though they are dead, still have to make their own way in life. They have to support themselves and many of them have regular jobs. Thus the main character, George (short for Georgia) has a job in a temporary placement agency. It is the same place she was working when she died but she comes back to work with a slightly different appearance, which is how others see her. Occasionally they show how George appears to others. The show, however, portrays them physically as they always were, before they "died."
A woman who is like a reaper appeared on Coast to Coast a couple months ago. This person is among the living, not the "dead," but in her nighttime state, or sleep, often meets up with people who have crossed over and who do not know they are dead. Or they might know they are dead but have no concept of what to do next. Anyway this woman told about her many encounters and how she helped these tortured souls find their way. Now, the interesting tie here is that she says this is like a second job and she told about how hard it was to get used to doing it in the beginning.
This is very similar to the show because in the show the characters often have a hard time making it financially in the "real world." They sometimes to unethical things to get by, like move into the departed's apartment, or they take their car or jewelry, etc. They get it trouble with their crew leader for this, too. BTW, his name is Rube and he is played by Mandy Patinkin. I have a soft spot in my heart for this actor as I used to run into him a lot at the coffee shop. This was back in the day when people read newspapers in coffee shops. Mandy always read his outside and I would see him in the mornings. He was always friendly and nice to me. I think he does a superb job as crew leader in this series.
While I'm on that topic, there are several other actors who do outstanding jobs. One of my favorites is Delores, the office manager at Happy Time. She is played by Christine Willes. Man, is this lady funny. She's so bizarre but appears to be so "normal."
Another terrific portrayal is of George's mother, played by Cynthia Stevenson. She is sooooo neurotic (organized type).
The lead, George, is played by Ellen Muth, an actress I know little about but she is cute as can be and sets the tone for the humor.
I could write more and probably will post more on this thread later but here are a few pics:
Ellen Muth, or George
The series was originally shown on Showtime. It ran two seasons and there was also a movie.
It's showing on a cable station regularly now but the best way to see it is from the beginning. Like I said earlier, rent the DVD or watch it online at Netflix.
Listen to two songs by Metisse (from the series) Boom Boom Ba and Nomahs Land:
http://www.myspace.com/deadlikememusicWiki entry on "Dead Like Me:"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Like_MeCher