Main Cast
Ned
Portrayed by: Lee Pace, Field Cate
- "What makes me different has also brought everyone I love into my life."
A young man who discovered at an early age that he possessed the power to bring back the dead, but only for a minute, or something else in close proximity would die in return. After realizing — through his resurrected mother kissing him goodnight — that a single touch would kill them forever, Ned is shipped off to boarding school by his absentee father, separating him from his childhood sweetheart Chuck.
Some years later, Ned has become a piemaker who makes money on the side by partnering with Emerson Cod, a private investigator, in resurrecting the victims of difficult murders in order to track down their killers. He lives a smooth, if emotionally detached life, until he learns of Chuck's murder and inadvertently lets her live longer than her intended one minute. Along with Emerson, occasionally Olive, and definitely Digby, they solve crimes.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: He raises the dead, but doesn't believe in ghosts.
- Balancing Death's Books: How his powers work. If someone he brings back is alive for more than a minute, someone else dies in their place. The exact target is usually random and it seems only Ned himself is immune to it and it seems to work on a proportional basis, meaning an animal kept alive would result in another animal dying.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: He has them, courtest of being played by Lee Pace. His half-brothers have them as well.
- Bad Liar: He's an absolutely terrible liar who can't sustain even the simplest of deceptions.
- Blessed with Suck: Bring back the dead, but can't touch his girlfriend or his dog lest they die again for good.
- Butt-Monkey: If something bad happens to a main character, there's about a ninety percent chance it will be Ned.
- Clingy Jealous Guy: A heroic example to Chuck, although it's somewhat justified given Chuck is probably the first person he's openly let into his life in nearly twenty years.
- Creature of Habit: Ned really doesn't do well with anything that upsets his routine or daily life.
- Cursed with Awesome: Ned can revive the dead with a touch, and has used that power to revive his dog and later his childhood sweetheart, make lots of money investigating murders, and open a thriving bakery by using old, rotted fruit in his pies (since it becomes fresh-off-the-vine as soon as he touches it).
- Dark and Troubled Past: First his mother died, so he resurrected her with his powers, which led to Chuck's father dying in her place. Then he lost his mother permanently, and his father shipped him off to a boarding school.
- Dark Secret: The fact that Chuck's father died to balance out the revival of his mother haunts him for a bit, leaving him unable to tell Chuck.
- Devoted to You: An unusual male example, in that Ned is very faithful and loyal to Chuck.
- Friendless Background: As the multiple flashbacks to his school life show, his gift was not very conducive to making friends. Even at the start of the series, his relationships with Emerson and Olive are more business associates than genuine friendships.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic. He is painfully shy, kind and faithful, reluctant to let other people in his life, and often angsts about his odd resurrection powers.
- Heroes Love Dogs: Has had Digby (a golden retriever) since he was a child, and the first case we're shown him working in-series is to clear the name of a dog that's been framed for murdering its owner.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With both Olive and Chuck as Ned is 6'4 and both women are 4'11 and 5'2, respectively.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: To be fair, his powers have made his life a lot worse.
- Indirect Kiss: A necessity when he wants to kiss Chuck.
- Long Lost Sibling: Two of them—his twin half-brothers.
- Motor Mouth: Tends to talk fast, especially when nervous or flustered. So...a lot.
- Mundane Utility: He uses his powers to bring dead fruit back to life for his pies.
- Nervous Wreck: He's very anxious and tightly wound at almost all times,
- Nice Guy: Sweet, kind-hearted and mild-mannered, with everyone's best interests at heart.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: His attempts at simple kindness have a tendency to go wrong.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: A variant but the narrator always refers to the adult Ned as "the piemaker".
- Only One Name: Strangely enough, he's the only regular character with no last name given.
- Parental Abandonment
- His dad shipped Ned off to boarding school and started a new family with another woman. The only notification that he gave of any of this to Ned was a generic "We've Moved!" postcard. He later abandoned that family, too.
- His mom had an aneurysm. Ned revived her but she died again when she kissed him goodnight.
- Power Incontinence: Ned has no control over his power.
- Ridiculously Average Guy: His powers aside, he's very much unremarkable and seems to prefer it that way.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to Chuck's Energetic Girl. She's so much more enthusiastic than Ned that it's hard to describe with words.
- Shrinking Violet: In his own dorky way. Even more so when he was a child.
- Single-Target Sexuality: Ned doesn't want anyone but Chuck, much to Olive's dismay.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Ned doesn't really do well with people.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He's very reserved and jumpy towards people he can't afford to tell everything to, but an absolute sweetheart to those closest to him.
- Supreme Chef: His pies look and are said to taste delectable.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's 6'4.
- Twitchy Eye: He does this a lot when nervous.
Charlotte "Chuck" Charles
Portrayed by: Anna Friel, Sammi Hanratty (young)
- "I'd kiss you if it wouldn't kill me."
Ned's childhood sweetheart. Upon the death of her father, who had died to balance out the revival of Ned's mother, she is sent to live with her aunts Lily and Vivian. She and Ned do not meet again until he is called upon to solve her murder on a cruise ship, upon which he accidentally revives her (killing the funeral home owner in return). Despite being legally dead, Chuck manages to reintegrate herself into Ned's life, rekindling their romance along the way, but on one condition — they can't ever touch, or else Chuck dies again forever. Her kind, free-spirited nature provide good faith and cheer to the show's dynamics, something Ned is appreciative of.
- Alliterative Name: Charlotte "Chuck" Charles.
- Attractive Zombie: She is as beautiful as she is when she was alive.
- Badass Bookworm: She reads a lot and is capable of defending herself against killers.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Granted the funeral home certainly tidied her up for her burial, but once Chuck's been revived she looks very good for someone who was first asphyxiated and then dumped in the ocean, especially since Ned's power doesn't necessarily heal someone when he revives them.
- Book Worm: Chuck's main hobby growing up was reading and she amassed numerous skills as a result of doing so.
- Brainy Brunette: Dark-haired. She can speak several languages, and is multitalented in several fields as well.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic. Sunny, optimistic, level-headed, and a real sweetheart.
- Immortality: It's never stated but it is possible that being revived has slowed or either stopped her aging completely as Digby shows no signs of his age.
- Indirect Kiss: Since Ned touching her a second time will kill her permanently, this is a necessity for when they kiss.
- Informed Judaism: We learn Chuck is Jewish, but we never see her practicing; it's possible it was just used as a Hand Wave for why she needed to be buried so quickly and hadn't been embalmed.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: She fits the bill; she's cute, quirky, cheerful and brightens up Ned's life with her real existence.
- Motor Mouth: Chuck likes talking. A lot.
- Nice Girl: Chuck is a very warm, caring and kind-hearted person.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Suddenly being surrounded by talking dead people (and becoming one yourself...) can do that to you.
- No Hugging, No Kissing: With Ned at first, due to one touch from him killing her instantly, but they find ways around this (such as kissing through plastic wraps and holding hands through body suits).
- Omniglot: Being sheltered her whole life with her aunts led to her discovering a cache of language lesson tapes, which she took to heart.
- Parental Abandonment
- Her dad died to balance out the revival of Ned's mother.
- The woman she thought was her mother died. Her real mother is actually Lily.
- Plucky Girl: Looks for the best in life and takes dying and being resurrected in stride.
- The Pollyanna: Not even dying can bring her down!
- Repetitive Name: Charlotte Charles.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Energetic Girl to Ned's Savvy Guy.
- Tomboyish Name: Chuck, although she says that nobody calls her that except Ned anymore.
- Two First Names: Her family surname is traditionally a given name.
- Whodunnit to Me?: She helped solve her own murder.
Emerson Cod
Portrayed by: Chi McBride, Steven Wash Jr.
- The truth ain't like puppies, a bunch of them running around, you pick your favorite. One truth and it has come a knockin'.
A private investigator who frequently partners with Ned. Dour and sour, he provides some of the show's more down-to-earth comments. He's also a very avid knitter, using the hobby as a stress relief.
- The Big Guy: Being the tallest member and armed member of the crew.
- Born Detective: His mother was a detective to and he inherited her skills and desire for it.
- Character Catchphrase: "Oh, HELL no!"
- The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Even without Ned's aid Emerson Cod is a capable investigator. But he still can't find his daughter.
- Deadpan Snarker: As the most down-to-Earth character he can't help but snark at how stupid some situations are.Emerson: Death by scratch-and-sniff. What the hell happened to people shooting each other with guns?
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric. Rather unemotional, sarcastic, often the Team Dad, and his private investigations drive much of the plot.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He's massive at 6'5" and gets a lot of scenes with 4'11" Olive.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is greedy and blunt on a lot of subjects but he cares about Ned.
- Men Don't Cry: Believes in this, although he gets a few shots crying himself. It's less don't cry and more don't cry in public.
- Money, Dear Boy: In-universe, he'll do anything for a quick buck.
- The Nicknamer: There are several examples, but Chuck's "Dead Girl" moniker comes from him. He also gives Olive the Affectionate Nickname "Itty Bitty."
- Real Men Wear Pink: He might be a tough detective, but he also knits.
- Scary Black Man: He's black and his height, girth, and baritone voice certainly add to the impression, although he grows friendlier as the show goes on.
- Sesquipedalian Smith: Emerson Cod.
Olive Snook
Portrayed by: Kristin Chenoweth, Samantha Bailey, Ellen Sprayberry
- "Wouldn't it just be rock 'n roll if liking someone meant they had to like you back? 'Course that would be a different universe and something else would probably suck."Portrayed by: Kristin Chenoweth
Tiny, adorable Olive is Ned's neighbor, a waitress at the Pie Hole, and unfortunately hopelessly in love with Ned. Despite her initial dislike for Chuck, the latter eventually warms herself to her. At the same time, Olive strikes up a friendship with Chuck's aunts.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She's very sweet until you set her temper off.
- Big Eater: Is a stress eater to the tune of six whole pies in one sitting.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Is initially very unhappy with Ned and Chuck's relationship, but Character Development sees her get past this.
- Competition Freak: She takes cooking competitions extremely seriously.
- The Cutie: She's played by Kristen Chenoweth. This is a given.
- Dogged Nice Guy: To Ned.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine. Olive is bubbly and outgoing, which is a helpful for her profession as a waitress and her befriending suspects in cases.
- Hopeless Suitor: To Ned, at first due to his aversion to social interaction and later on because of his love for Chuck.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Tiny Girl to both Ned and Emerson's Huge Guy, to the point of Emerson calling her "Itty Bitty."
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She has feelings for Ned, but he doesn't reciprocate her feelings, especially when he gets Chuck back in his life. She ultimately lets him go.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: She gets so fed up with being everybody's Secret-Keeper that in the season 2 premiere she has a near-breakdown and goes off to a convent.
- Locked Out of the Loop: She isn't privy to Ned's power, believing Chuck faked her death.
- Malaproper: Thought "homeopathic" meant pertaining to homosexuals. She apparently once thought "masturbating" meant chewing. note
- Ms. Fanservice: Frequently wears short dresses with prominent cleavage.
- Never My Fault: Not only does she not apologize for being a Stalker with a Crush, Ned actually apologizes to her for rejecting her. Twice.
- The Other Darrin: Two different actresses play her younger self.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The smallest main character, but capable in a life or death fight.
- Secret-Keeper: Of a lot of them. First, she discovers that Chuck is really alive, though Olive is under the impression that Chuck faked her death for some reason rather than through the actual, much crazier truth. Next, she discovers that Lily is really Chuck's mother and that she had an affair with Charles Charles, who was Vivian's fiancée at the time. Olive keeps so many of everybody else's that, well see the Keeping Secrets Sucks entry above.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: The Narrator explains that Olive likes to imagine there's an orchestra in her heart and sings in notably emotional moments, most often whenever she's feeling lovesick for Ned. Though it's mostly imaginary, several characters (such as Manuel the janitor) have noticed Olive singing out loud and she's shared a diegetic number with Vivian, so in terms of Musical World Hypotheses, it's a mixture of "All in Their Heads" and "Diegetic."
- You Can Always Tell a Liar: She starts answering questions with questions.
Vivian Charles
Portrayed by: Ellen Greene, Giselle Gail Gaines
- "Lying to yourself about love never works."
One of Chuck's aunts, who is the softer, kinder one of the two. She and Lily were once the famous synchronized swimming duo Darling Mermaid Darlings.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys:
- She is more intrigued than disturbed by the fact that Dwight Dixon spent 22 years in prison.
- Although we'll never know for sure (alas!) Charles Charles, her one-time fiance, was a friend of Dwight's and most likely had several deep, dark secrets too.
- Cool Old Lady: She does her best to be comforting and reassuring to those around her, like Ned and Olive
- Hates Being Touched: One of the social phobias that contribute to her agoraphobia. The one time Ned touches her hand out
- Horrible Judge of Character: Fell in love with super-shady d.bag Dwight Dixon.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Her unawareness that Chuck is alive drives a lot of her arc in the show.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Is sweeter, kinder, and quicker to yield than her sister. To drive the point home, "Vivian" means "life" while "Lily" is a flower normally used at funerals.
- That Reminds Me of a Song: Much like Olive, Vivian has more than once burst into song - notable numbers of hers include "Morning Has Broken" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul", the latter of which she shared with Olive on the drive to (appropriately enough) rescue a stray pigeon.
Lily Charles
Portrayed by: Swoosie Kurtz , Mackenzie Smith, Avery Stevens
- "Hm. As in Russian for vodka?"
The other of Chuck's aunts, who is colder and snarkier than her sister. She and Vivian were once the famous synchronized swimming duo Darling Mermaid Darlings.
- Cool Old Lady: An eyepatch wearing, retired athlete who takes down a killer.
- Deadpan Snarker: Tends to have a very bitter, sarcastic sense of humor.
- Lady Drunk: After hercareer was ruined by an eye injury, though the truth is that Chuck's and Charles' deaths really hit her since they were her daughter and lover.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Like her sister, she doesn't know about Ned's powers are that Chuck is alive.
- Mama Bear: Blows Chuck's killer out of the window with a shotgun it also helps that she really is Chuck's mother.
- Mushroom Samba: This is what leads to her telling Olive that Lily is Chuck's mother.
- My Secret Pregnancy: Hid her pregnancy from Vivian by joining a convent until Chuck was born.
- Orgasmically Delicious: Whether it's the mood enhancers, the cheese crust, or Ned's amazing skills, nobody reacts to Ned's pies like Lily does.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Only temporarily thanks to Ned reviving Chuck, but Lily spends the series believing that her daughter is dead.
- Parental Substitute: To Chuck. Then subverted when it turns out the substitute part was not entirely accurate.
- Perpetual Frowner: She never really smiles.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: More aloof and withdrawn than Vivian. To drive the point home, "Vivian" means "life" while "Lily" is a flower normally used at funerals.
Digby
Portrayed by: Orbit/Orion
Ned's beloved childhood golden retriever. When Ned was nine, Digby was run over by an eighteen-wheeler. Ned's sorrow at this led to him discovering his mysterious power. In the present day, Digby still lives with Ned, but is frequently cared for by Olive.
- The Ageless: Hasn't aged since Ned resurrected him during the opening scene of "Pie-lette". He's still alive in the present, well beyond the usual age range for a Golden Retriever, and hasn't aged a day, raising the unanswered question as to whether Ned's powers also stop or at least considerably slow the aging process for humans as well.
- Back from the Dead: Got run over, then brought back.
- Canine Companion: Has been Ned's dog sidekick since childhood.
Other Characters
The Coroner
- "Mmm-hmmmm."Played by: Sy Richardson
The coroner at the morgue where most of the victims of the week end up. He's more than a little suspicious of Ned and Chuck, and how Emerson keeps bringing them along on investigations.
- Deadpan Snarker: He doesn't know nor care why Ned is being brought along and obviously know he is not whatever expert he is posing as at the moment. He just take the bribe and ask questions just to mess with them.
- No Name Given: We never find out his name.
Alfredo Aldarisio
- " If I loved you... Then I would love you in any way I could, and if we could not touch, then I would draw strength from your beauty... And if I went blind, I would fill my soul with the sound of your voice and the contents of your thoughts until the last spark of my love for you lit the shabby darkness of my dying mind..."Played by: Raúl Esparza
A Traveling Salesman who treats his own fear that Earth's atmosphere will get sucked away through various homeopathic remedies. He gives Chuck antidepressants that she bakes into her aunts' pies. He's also in love with Olive.
- Alliterative Name: Alfredo Aldarisio.
- Birds of a Feather: Initially thinks he and Olive are this, see below.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Initially a love interest for Olive, he eventually fixes the espresso machine for her and attempts to catch her eye to no avail. Later on in the series, he then simply disappears with minimal explanation and the Alfredo/Olive subplot is dropped. Justified, in that Alfredo's last appearance is in an episode where he is Put on a Bus, and Olive realizes she loved him too late.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: During their first conversation Olive asks him if he ever felt like "all the oxygen was leaving the room." She was referring to seeing her crush make out with another girl, but he thought she was talking about his own phobia.
- Traveling Salesman: Goes around the area selling his products. This eventually causes him to leave, right as Olive is starting to return his crush.
Oscar Vibenius
- "Nothing sells books like a little murder and mayhem."Played by: Paul Reubens
Originally introduced in "The Smell of Success," a smell expert who believes fouler smells improve the human condition. He becomes a recurring character after becoming curious about Chuck and Digby's unique smells.
- The Nose Knows: A smell expert so good he can perform Sherlock Scans.
- Rival Turned Evil: Napoleon LeNez paints him as this.
- Secret Chaser: To the main cast.
- Sherlock Scan: Like his rival, can determine a lot about a person through the scents he picks up from them.
- Stalker with a Crush: His behavior towards Chuck can be interpreted as this.
Simone Hundin
- Played by: Christine Adams
Originally introduced in "Bitches" as a dog breeder and trainer, and is easily the most ruthless and pragmatic of Harold Hundin's wives. She and Emerson develop feelings for each other during the investigation, and she becomes something of a Love Interest for him.
- Aloof Darkhaired Girl: Dark-haired, cold, and very pragmatic.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: While discussing the poker regulars in "Dim Sum Lose Sum.""Shrimpboy's the gangster in charge of the table and paying off the manager. Anson Chen did eight years in the state pen for armed robbery. Jin Quin is a thug for hire who'll do anything for a few dollars. Louie Lu strangled his mother-in-law, got off on a technicality. Jim is a plumber."
- Evil Brit: Subverted—she's not the killer, and while much more pragmatic and callous than the other wives, she is definitely not evil.
- Meaningful Name: "Hundin" is German for "female dog."
- Ice Queen: As noted by Emerson, she never shows anyone her cards.
- Odd Name Out: The only one of Harold's four wives to not have a first name that starts with H, breaking the Alliterative Family Theme Naming.
- Scary Black Woman: She comes across as more intimidating than most characters.
- Token Minority Couple: With Emerson.
Randy Mann
- Played by: David Arquette
A roommate and client of the frescort Joe, Randy is a socially awkward amateur taxidermist with more than a few similarities to Ned. He appears again as a Love Interest for Olive.
- Birds of a Feather: Randy is essentially Ned without the gift. Ned recognizes this.
- Taxidermy Is Creepy: The reason he doesn't have many friends is that people are turned off by his taxidermy hobby.
Eugene Mulchandani
- Played by: Nicholas Khayyat
- Asian and Nerdy: Seems to be a somewhat successful student.
- Braces of Orthodontic Overkill: He has to wear a pretty uncomfortable-looking orthodontic device, which contributes to his unpopularity.
- Foreign Exchange Student: He originally comes from India.
- Only Friend: He and Ned were both largely outcasts and among the only people who'd regularly socialize with each other.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: He was horrified by the first time he saw Ned's power displayed and ran away, although he later convinced himself that it was his imagination and started hanging out with Ned again.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He hasn't appeared or been mentioned in the present day despite his friendship with Ned as boys.
Ingmar Todd
- Played By: Daeg French
- Defrosting the Ice Queen: Shows some signs of happiness, and even friendliness helping Ned distribute pies to the rest of the school in his second (and final) episode.
- The Gambler: Runs a roulette wheel where the kids with nowhere to go over the weekend gamble various prized possessions (food, slinky etc.) and is very strict about refusing to let a bet be cancelled once it has been placed.
- Hidden Depths: He's a decent saxophone player.
- Lonely Rich Kid: The rich part is ambiguous, but his parents are off in another country and leave him alone at the school.
- Lonely Together: Hangs out with a bunch of similarly ignored kids who he isn't really friends with (including Ned) over the weekends.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: His hair is longer than Chuck's was at their age.
- Perpetual Frowner: He has a somewhat unwelcoming, brooding face.
The Norwegians
- Played by: Orlando Jones (Magnus Olsdotter), Michael Weaver (Nils Nilsen), Ivana Miličević (Hedda Lilihammer)
A team of Norwegian detectives who were so good at solving crime that Norway eventually had no need for them, leading them to emigrate to Papen County.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: A competing detective team to Emerson, who hates them.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: They're bedecked in Norwegian flags, befitting their nationality.
Ned's mother
- Played by: Tina Gloss
Ned's unnamed mother, the first person to be resurrected from his gift at the cost of Chuck's father. She died again upon kissing him goodnight.
- Missing Mom: She died from a brain anuerysm
- Supreme Chef: She was an excellent piemaker; Ned was inspired by her.
- Through His Stomach: According to Dwight Dixon, her piemaking skills went a long way in making Ned's father fall in love with her.
- Unnamed Parent: Her name is not given.
Ned's father
- Played by: Jon Eric Price, George Hamilton
Ned's unnamed father, who left him at boarding school with the promise "I'll be back." He actually moved away to his new family, an unnamed woman and the twins Maurice and Ralston.
- Disappeared Dad: To Ned and the twins.
- Everyone Went to School Together: He, Charles Charles, and Dwight Dixon all served in a squadron of the UN Peacekeeping Force.
- Jerkass: According to Lily and Vivian, he was a jackass who did everyone a favor by moving away.
- Unnamed Parent: His name is not given.
Charles Charles
- Played by: Josh Randall
Chuck's father, who died when Ned's mother was resurrected for more than one minute.
- Alliterative Name: Doubles as a Repetitive Name.
- Disappeared Dad: To Chuck.
- Flirty Stepsiblings: With Lily and Vivian.
- Repetitive Name: Charles Charles
Calista Cod
- Played by: Debra Mooney, Amelia Borella
Emerson's strict, no-nonsense, Caucasian mother, who taught him everything he knew about private investigating.
- Alliterative Name: Calista Cod
- Sesquipedalian Smith: Something she shares with her son.
Maurice and Ralston
- Played by: Alex (Maurice) and Graham (Ralston) Miller, Connor (Maurice) and Keenan (Ralston) Merokvich, Jason (Maurice) and Kristopher (Ralston) Simmons
Ned's twin half-brothers by his Disappeared Dad. They work as stage magicians.
- Always Identical Twins: True to the trope, they look exactly alike.
- Big Brother Worship: To Ned, who finds the whole thing a little unnerving.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Chuck points out that it's a trait they share with Ned.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Apparently, Ralston used to always pee himself whenever they'd perform a disappearing trick, due to it reminding him of his father.
- Disappeared Dad: Shared with Ned. He abandoned them, too, and at a Sunday matinee no less.
- Long Lost Sibling: To Ned.
- Stage Magician: They prefer "illusionist."
Bernard Slaybeck
- Played by: Jonathan Magnum
From "Dummy." An automobile safety specialist at the Dandy Lion Worldwide Industries.
- Dying Declaration of Love / Last Request: Upon his resurrection his last request is for the team to tell Jeanine he loved her.
- Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: He was murdered to keep him from exposing a fatal flaw in the Dandy Lion's design.
- Mistaken for Cheating: By Jeanine, due to his increasingly long hours at work.
- Nice Guy: Apparently, he collected butterflies but always set them free afterwards.
- Office Romance: With Jeanine.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Refused bribes from Chase to keep quiet about the car's defect and announced he'd go public with it. This led to his murder.
- Victim of the Week: He was one. Indeed the first one of the show - to stay dead that is.
Jeanine
- Played by: Riki Lindhome
From "Dummy." A model for the Dandy Lion SX.
- Big Eater: Seen wolfing down Ned's pies, and demands Emerson's as well. Subverted, though — she's bulimic.
- Genki Girl: As part of the model gig. She's not as upbeat in person, though.
- Office Romance: With Victim of the Week Bernard Slaybeck.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's willing to market a dangerous product.
Lawrence Schatz
- Played by: Brad Gunberg
From "Pie-lette" and "The Fun in Funeral." Along with his brother Louis, he runs the Schatz Brothers Funeral Home. He was killed to balance out Ned's revival of Chuck.
- Always Identical Twins: The only physical difference between him and his brother is that Lawrence lacks a mustache.
- Asshole Victim: He stole from the dead.
- Camping a Crapper: Died on the toilet.
- The Face: Of the Schatz Brothers Funeral Home. Louis did all the behind-the-scenes work.
- Fat Bastard: Robbed dead people of their valuable family heirlooms.
- Sibling Team: With Louis.
- Theme Twin Naming / Alphabetical Theme Naming: Lawrence and Louis Schatz.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Brad Gunberg plays both twins.
Louis Schatz
- Played by: Brad Gunberg
From "The Fun in Funeral." Along with his brother Lawrence, he runs the Schatz Brothers Funeral Home.
- Angsty Surviving Twin: Averted. He doesn't seem too perturbed with Lawrence's death, seemingly more occupied with the scandal that broke out about his brother's graverobbing.
- Consummate Liar: Almost everything he tells Ned and Emerson is a complete lie.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: Has a moustache while Lawrence doesn't.
- Sibling Team: With Lawrence.
- Theme Twin Naming / Alphabetical Theme Naming: Lawrence and Louis Schatz.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Brad Gunberg plays both twins.
Wilfred Woodruff VI
- Played by: Eddie Shin
From "The Fun in Funeral." A man whose prized family heirloom, a sword dating back to the Civil War, was stolen. He vows revenge upon the Schatz brothers for this.
- Alliterative Name: The sixth, too!
- Chinese Laborer: His ancestor Fambing Woo was this, becoming a decorated hero by putting on a soldier's uniform.
- Fan of the Past: Is very proud of his Confederacy heritage, and is very active in Civil War discussions and the like.
- Sword Fight: With Ned.
Lemuel "Lefty Lem" Weinger
- Played by: Dash Mihok
From "Pigeon." A one-handed criminal who breaks out of prison in search of a hidden treasure his deceased cellmate told him about.
- An Arm and a Leg: Lost his right hand in a paper shredder.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Impersonated the owner of the apartment the plane he hijacked crashed into.
- Generation Xerox: Continued to write to Elsita under the impression that she was Elsa under Jackson's name. Fittingly, he and Elsita fell in love like Jackson and Elsa did.
- Long-Distance Relationship: With Elsita, all along.
Pidge
From "Pigeon." A homing pigeon that lost its wing and is later nursed to health by Lily and Vivian. Later revealed to belong to Elsita's mother.
- Instant Messenger Pigeon: Naturally.
- A Lizard Named "Liz": It's named after it's species.
Elsita
- Played by: Jayma Mays
From "Pigeon."
- An Arm and a Leg: Has a wooden leg, which is covered by the long skirt she wears when we meet her. It contains the diamonds Lem was searching for all along.
- Generation Xerox: Continued to write to Lefty Lem under the impression that he was Jackson under Elsa's name. Fittingly, she and Lem fell in love like Jackson and Elsa did.
- Long-Distance Relationship: With Lem, all along.
- Plucky Girl: Seems very spirited when Lefty Lem ties her up.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Mother-daughter pair Elsa and Elsita are both played by Jayma Mays.
John Joseph Jacobs
- Played by: Hamish Linklater
From "Girth." A young man who'd been hyped as the best jockey of his age until his tragic death in a horse race Olive participated in.
- Alliterative Name: Three name starting with J.
- Back from the Dead: The "murderer" in "Girth" is claimed to be the ghost of John Joseph Jacobs, out for revenge. It's actually his mother, although John Joseph is still alive, and in fact never died.
- Basement-Dweller: remains in his mother's house after faking his death.
- Posthumous Character: He was killed many years ago; his girth was cut and he fell off, trampled to death by his competitors. Or so it seems - though he is not the murderer.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He used to be about Olive's height but got surgery after his "death" and now stands at impressive 6'4, as tall as Ned and Emerson. He also has Hamish Linklater's thick jet black hair and good looks.
Mrs. Jacobs
- Played by: Barbara Barrie
From "Girth." John Joseph Jacobs's mother.
- Ashes to Crashes: They're not human ashes.
- Knight Templar Parent: Subtle, but you can see in her conversation with Olive that she holds contempt for the surviving Jock-Off 2000 jockeys. And up to eleven when it turns out she was murdering them all along.
Lucas Shoemaker, Pinky McCoy, and Gordon McSmalls
- Played by: Christopher Neiman, Ralph P. Martin, Carlos Alazraqui
From "Girth." The three other surviving jockeys of the Jock-Off 2000 (Olive being the fourth). Lucas is killed by what he claims is the ghost of John Joseph Jacobs, and the other three survivors meet up to discuss it.
- The Alcoholic: Gordon. Formerly Lucas, although he recently had joined AA.
- The Bartender: Pinky, complete with a gun under the bar.
- Discriminate and Switch: Pinky refuses to serve Emerson — not because he's black, but because he's tall.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Lucas Shoemaker...makes horseshoes.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Pinky's motive for cutting John Joseph's girth to rig a race.
- Victim of the Week: Lucas was one. So is Pinky, a little later.
Harold Hundin
- Played by: Joel McHale
From "Bitches." A famous dog breeder who is poisoned by, he tells Ned before his one minute is over, his wife. Too bad he forgot to mention that he has four.
- Alliterative Name: Both names start with H.
- Alliterative Family: Hillary, Heather, and Hallie Hundin.
- Bitter Almonds: He describes his coffee as tasting such, which is in line with the autopsy of cyanide poisoning.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: After ingesting poisoned coffee, he tripped and stabbed himself on a pointy dog brush several times, which meant he was doomed either way.
- Meaningful Name: "Hundin" is German for "female dog."
- Marry Them All: He had four wives.
Hillary, Heather, and Hallie Hundin
- Played by: Jessica Lundy (Hillary), Lydia Look (Heather), and Jenny Wade (Hallie)
From "Bitches." Harold Hundin's three other wives (the third, Simone, has her own section above). Hillary owns a designer petwear store, Heather is a pet psychologist, while Hallie breeds Labradors as seeing-eye dogs and donates them to the blind.
- Alliterative Family: Four H names.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: From what we see of her, Heather is also cool and emotionally detached. Justified as she's a psychologist.
- Canine Companion: All of them have one, as seen at Harold's funeral. Bubblegum is an amalgam of all their favorite breeds.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Hillary is... a little unhappy about the polygamy.
- Frame-Up: Hillary frames Hallie for Harold's murder.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The fourth and youngest wife, Hallie, has blond hair and donates dogs to the blind. Chuck denies that Hallie could be the murderer because she comes off as that angelic.
- Not So Stoic: Heather starts crying and has to leave the room when she's reminded of her husband.
- Team Pet: Their prized dog, Bubblegum, a Col-a-dor-Russel-a-poo, the "perfect dog," bred from their favorite dogs by Harold. They are all vehemently protective of her and take measures to ensure she won't fall into the wrong hands.
Ramsfeld Snuppy
- Played by: Mark Harelik
From "Bitches." A pet store chain owner and friend of Harold.
- Feed the Mole: A variation. Determined to find out which of Harold's wives killed him and Snuppy, Ned revives Snuppy at Harold's funeral. Hillary then has a Freak Out and runs away, pinning her as the killer.
- Red Herring: The wives paint him as Harold's murderer, but that's quickly thrown out the window when he's murdered himself.
Anita Gray
- Played by: Sarah Jayne Jensen
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Burned alive by a bomb planted in LeNez's book. She is even interrogated while her corpse is still smoking.
- Hero-Worshipper: Was utterly convinced of LeNez's genius.
- Nice Girl: Polite and upbeat.
- Victim of the Week: She was one.
Napoleon LeNez
- Played by: Christopher Sieber
From "The Smell of Success." A smell expert who believes that humans should surround themselves with good, positive smells. His book, "The Smell of Success," is poised to become more successful after the attempt on his life.
- Decontamination Chamber: Has one in his office, due to his paranoia.
- Frame-Up: Frames Vibenius for the attack on his life, when he'd been staging assassination attempts on himself the whole time.
- Harmony Versus Discipline: The "Discipline" to Vibenius's Harmony.
- Meaningful Name: "Le nez" literally means "the nose" in French
- The Nose Knows: To Sherlock Scan levels when Ned and Emerson bring him anything for the ivestigaiton.
- Rival Turned Evil: Plants Vibenius as this.
Billy and Dilly Balsam
- Played by: Mike White (Billy), Molly Shannon (Dilly)
From "Bittersweet." A Brother–Sister Team who open a taffy and sweets emporium opposite the Pie Hole, seemingly intent on driving them out of business.
- Alliterative Name: Billy Balsam.
- Bad Liar: Billy is not very convincing when he tries to deny that h works at the restaurant he's just been shilling for in a public area.
- Brother–Sister Team: They run a restaurant together.
- The Corpse Stops Here: Billy.
- Evil Gloating: Dilly, until the team proves they had no role in Billy's murder.
- Verbal Tic: Dilly deliberately stutters when she's upset.
Bruce Carter
- Played by: Michael Cornacchia
From "Bittersweet." A burly man who kills the episode's first Victim of the Week when the latter questioned his relationship with a life-sized doll.
- Cargo Ship: In-universe, he's deeply in love with a lifesized doll, Sheila, believing her to be a real woman.
- Conveniently Cellmates: With Ned, upon the latter's arrest.
- Morality Pet: For all her, uh, doll-ness, he notably softens up when Sheila is brought up.
- Taking the Heat: For...Sheila.
Andrew Brown
- Played by: Steve Hytner
From "Bittersweet." A health inspector whose surprise inspection of the Pie Hole ends up temporarily closing the place.
- Blackmail: To the Balsams; they had bribed him to close the Pie Hole and he was holding this over their heads, resulting in his murder.
- Fingore: Billy bit off his finger when the latter killed him.
Abner Newsome
- Played by: Colby Paul
From "Corpsicle." A young man whose requests for a heart transplant are continuously denied by Über-Life Life Insurance.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Abner threatens a bonobo monkey with cutting its heart out with a butter knife to use for himself. Everyone around him is understandably put off.
- Littlest Cancer Patient: Inversion. Abner is probably the least likable kid with a terminal illness on television.
Madeline McLean
- Played by: Audrey Wasilewski
From "Corpsicle." A perky agent of the Make-a-Wish Foundation whose only desire this Christmas is to see Abner smile. She's obviously having a hard time with this.
- Batter Up!: She kills people with a baseball bat.
- Pun: Killing people with a baseball bat with "kindness" engraved onto it.
- Stepford Smiler: Tries to keep up a bright face even as she's login through deep emotional torment and frustration.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: A very loose definition of "well-intentioned," but she really wants to make kids happy. To the point of murdering insurance agents for the sake of one Abner Newsome .
Kentucky Fitz
- Played by: Autumn Reeser
From "Bzzzzzzzz!" The potential new face of Betty's Bees, replacing previous Number One Bee-Girl Betty — something that the team suspects is highly connected to her murder.
- Beehive Hairdo: As an employee of a honey-based product company.
- Death by Disfigurement: Stung to death by a swarm of bees. When Ned resurrects her corpse, she's covered in bulbous bee stings from head to toe.
- Happily Married: To Dusty Fitz.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Described as being as close as sisters with Betty.
- The Lost Lenore: To Dusty.
- Victim of the Week: She was one.
Dusty Fitz
- Played by: Peter Cambor
From "Bzzzzzzzz!" Kentucky's grieving husband, who brings her murder to the team.
- Happily Married: To Kentucky.
- Like Brother and Sister: According to the narrator, he and Betty became this.
- Manly Tears: While grieving over his wife, much to Emerson's dismay.
Betty Bee
- Played by: Missi Pyle
From "Bzzzzzzzz!" The founder and president of Betty's Bees before it was taken over by Woolsey Nichols. Kentucky's former employer, with whom she shared a sisterly relationship.
- Beehive Hairdo: Fittingly, as the owner of a honey-based products company.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kentucky. So much that they were in cahoots to bring Nichols down.
- Old Maid: According to Nichols, her age (37) is the reason for her being phased out in favor of Kentucky.
Woolsey Nichols
- Played by: French Stewart
From "Bzzzzzzzz!" The new owner of Betty's Bees following his hostile takeover of the company.
- Bee-Bee Gun: Spat an encased queen bee at people so that the swarm would follow and kill his victim.
- The Stoic: She's very reserved and deadpan in her manner.
Nikki Heaps
- Played by: Hayley McFarland
From "Circus Circus." "Sweet" Nikki is Georgeann's runaway daughter. Her mother brings her missing person case to Emerson.
- Doom Magnet: People around her keep showing up dead.
- Nice Girl: She's fairly pleasant to the detectives trying to find her.
- The Runaway: Implied to stem from her Mommy Issues.
Randi Jean
- Played by: Casey Weiant
From "Circus Circus." Nikki's best friend.
- I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: Chuck slyly gets more information from Nikki's best friend than the friend had planned on revealing.
- Loose Lips: Although she claims not to have this, Chuck easily gets information out of her with the right bait.
Jackie Johnny
- Played by: Loren Lazarine
From "Circus Circus." The head clown at the Circus of Fun.
- Alliterative Name: Although it's probably a stage name.
Bryce von Deenis
- Played by: Googy Gress
- Butt-Monkey: The stunt the clowns pulled on him seems to have been pretty disgusting, from what we hear. He's more than a little upset about it.
- Unfortunate Names: When you make a limerick out of "von Deenis," you end up with...
Pierre
From "Circus Circus." An acrobat at the circus.- French Jerk: a snooty, self-centered performer with a noticeable accent.
Sister Larue
- Played by: Mo Collins
From "Bad Habits." A nun who'd taken Olive under her wing. She was in charge of the convent's truffle harvest before her death.
- Naughty Nuns: Carried on an affair with Hansel von Getz.
- Victim of the Week: She was one.
Hansel von Getz
- Played by: Graham McTavish
- All Germans Are Nazis: Although Emerson thought to he was an "Angry German," he's actually Swiss (and non-threatening).
Father Eduardo Dedonde
- Played by: Michael Hitchcock
The priest at the convent.
- Nice Guy: Despite being a murder suspect, he seems to be genuinely nice — he is genuinely concerned for Sister Larue's situation, and speaks to Ned a little about his issues.
Veronica Villanueva
- Played by: Alexandra Barretto
From "Frescorts." A beautiful woman who comes to Emerson about the death of her best friend Joe.
- Alliterative Name: Two V names
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: When asked why she would pay for a frescort, she mentions it's because people "can't see past the physical" with her.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Keeps things near her chest.
Buddy Amicus
- Played by: Hayes McArthur, J.R. Nutt
From "Frescorts." CEO of My Best Friend Inc., a frescort company where people are hired to become friends.
- Meaningful Name: He starts up a business related to friendship.
- Humiliation Conga: Suffered one in high school at the hands of the football team.
- Jerk Jock: Claimed to be this in his high school years, but he reformed.
- Paid-for Family: Runs an entire business of paid-for friends.
- Repetitive Name: A variation: his surname is the Latin translation of his first name.
Joe
- Played by: Joshua LeBar
From "Frescorts." A "frescort" at My Best Friend Inc., who had been hired by Veronica, Eugene, and Randy.
- Office Romance: With Barb, to the point of wanting to leave the company for her due to the anti-fraternization rules.
- Victim of the Week: He was one.
Barb
- Played by: Dana Davis
From "Frescorts." A perky receptionist at My Best Friend Inc.
- Expy: Of Season 1's Jeanine, who was similarly a perky green-clad employee of the company being investigated involved in an Office Romance with the Victim of the Week.
- Office Romance: With Joe.
Ares Kostopolous
- Played by: Colton Haynes
From "Frescorts." Supposedly the dorky school mascot of Buddy's high school years. Except not really.
- Big Man on Campus: Mentioned to be this by the narration.
- Jerk Jock: He was quarterback, and joined in humiliating Buddy after the latter caused a crucial defeat.
- Posthumous Character: He's been dead since Buddy's high school years.
Bao Ting
- Played by: Ping Wu
From "Dim Sum, Lose Sum." A dim sum chef.
- LostHerInACardGame: How his daughter got engaged.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: His death.
- Meaningful Name: "Bao" means "bun."
- Papa Wolf: Deeply regretted gambling away his daughter's hand in marriage, he begged for a second chance from Shrimpboy and co.
- Translation Convention: Subverted. "Bao chose to respond in English."
- Victim of the Week: He was one.
Mei
- Played by: Andrea Lui
From "Dim Sum, Lose Sum." Bao Ting's daughter, a waitress at the restaurant.
- Arranged Marriage: To Rubbie.
Shrimpboy
- Played by: Ron Yuan
From "Dim Sum, Lose Sum." Head of a gambling ring.
- Ironic Nickname: Shrimpboy for someone who's definitely not a shrimp.
Rubbie Wu
- Played by: Blake Kushi
From "Dim Sum, Lose Sum." Shrimpboy's cousin.
- Arranged Marriage: To Mei.
- Cannot Talk to Women: According to Shrimpboy.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Ugly guy, hot fiancee, at least.