It’s been a long time since Army of Darkness and I’m really happy we got more Evil Dead. It’s a cult favorite series, Bruce Cambell still rules as much as he did 30 years ago, and his fans want to see him return as his iconic character, Ash. I think every fan should check this out as it dishes out everything. Not familiar with the franchise? Catch up with the movies and then watch this if you dig it.

Bruce Campbell finally gets to spin around in the spotlight in a show made for him. Ash has been running from responsibility and the Deadites for 30 years. He stupidly resurrects the Evil Dead and reluctantly has to take up his boomstick and chainsaw gun in defense of all things living.

Two new characters, Pablo and Kelly, join Ash in fighting off hell’s horrors. I like them both a lot, Pablo especially. He plays great with Ash and comes through with the screams and laughter as the situation calls for. Kelly is a strong female character and gets to throw her stake deep into the ground of the franchise in the season finale by getting put through the ringer like few have.

Now for the downside, Ruby and Amanda. The lovely Lucy Lawless doesn’t get nearly enough screen time as Ruby. She appears in an episode for a few minutes and then disappears for many episodes. Amanda gets a fantastic introduction but then flounders for most of the season because the writers weren’t too sure what to do with her. The worst part is that they completely bungle her transition to Ash’s side. Amanda chases him for half the season in the “stop the madman” cop role and whenever they meet, Ash awkwardly hits on her (as he does with every woman) to win her over and make her an ally. In the 8th episode, she’s suddenly a love interest. It comes out of nowhere that she’s completely infatuated with him, set to ride or die (kissing and killing Deadites back to back). I think they even changed her hair between episode 7 and 8 to mark the change. Her personality switch was so drastic that I thought I missed an episode. Both Ruby and Amanda needed a lot more time to be fleshed out characters. It’s a shame because both Lucy Lawless and Jill Jones are great actresses. As a whole, the production felt a little rushed. I think most episodes were about 25 minutes where an extra 2-3 each episode could have helped a lot.

Ash vs Evil Dead comes delivers the series trademarks of comedy and splatter gore in equal measure. Many great ideas brought to life was some impressive visual effects, many of which are practical. My personal favorite is the bookstore demon. Really cool design and top notch effects to bring it to life on screen. There are some truly outrageous scenes like Amanda’s first encounter with the Evil Dead with her partner, the war in the diner and the absolute gore-fest of the fantastic season finale. There’s a great set up for season 2 and I hope they take their time planning out the season. Sure, the ancillary characters of the whose only existence is to get demolished don’t need much, but let’s give the secondary cast something to work with. I look forward to more.