‘Dead to Me’ Season 3 Remembers Ed Asner, Who Played Abe

Dead to Me is back for its third and final season. But before the show bids farewell to fans, it pays tribute to the late Ed Asner at the end of its Season 3 premiere.

The seven-time Emmy winner died in August 2021 at age 91, and in addition to well-known roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Roots, Elf, and Up, Asner starred on Dead to Me as Abe, a resident at the assisted living facility where Judy (Linda Cardellini) works. Abe appeared in several Season 1 episodes and formed a close bond with Judy before his death at the end of the 2019 season. Judy deeply valued Abe’s friendship and mourned his loss, as did fans.

Dead to Me follows grieving widow and mother Jen Harding (Applegate), whose husband died in a hit-and-run. As she attempts to recover from her loss and uncover who killed her husband, she meets Judy (Cardellini), a seemingly genuine friend with some shocking secrets. The show is nonstop chaos, so Asner’s character served as a sweet, grounding presence.

Season 2 of Dead to Me premiered in May 2020, and Asner died in August 2021, so Season 3 was the first opportunity for the show to pay tribute to the actor. The final 10 episodes of Dead to Me hit Netflix on November 17, and at the end of Episode 1, “We’ve Been Here Before,” a tribute card to Asner appears before the credits roll.

Asner and his Dead to Me character Abe may be gone, but Season 3’s title card reminds fans they’ll always remain a crucial part of the show.

All three seasons of Dead to Me are now streaming on Netflix.