There’s a lot riding on season three of Dead to Me. For one, it carries the burden of giving a decent send-off to one of Netflix’s most successful series in years: a dark comedy about the unlikely friendship that blossoms between acerbic widow Jen (Christina Applegate) and a glass-half-full artist named Judy (Linda Cardellini). It also follows two acclaimed runs – full of death, disaster and double pourings of white wine – that glugged down critical accolades and five Emmy nods. For Applegate herself, though, there is an added pressure: it marks her first acting project since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition that disrupts the communication between the brain and the body. As a result, the actor finds it difficult to walk unaided and says she’s gained 40lb (18kg), making her appearance a little different than before.
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” she told The New York Times earlier this month. Applegate admitted to worrying whether viewers will look favourably on the season as a result, and whether they’d notice the differences in her character’s physical abilities compared to earlier episodes. She needn’t worry: Applegate’s performance this season is just as charismatic, magnetic and moving as it’s always been. It also bursts with potential. While Applegate may not have realised it just yet, Dead to Me season three could prove to be a landmark moment for disability on screen.
