Sam Raimi’sEvil Deadmovie trilogy got an underrated sequel TV series, and as fun as it was, it made the movies’ biggest problem even worse. In 1981, Sam Raimi made his feature directorial debut with the supernatural horror movieThe Evil Dead. The critical and commercial success ofThe Evil Deadmade way for a franchise, mostly known for its movies.
The Evil Deadfollowed a group of five friends, among them Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), who traveled to an isolated cabin in the woods. There, they found a mysterious tape, through which they accidentally unleashed an evil force that possessed them one by one. The sole survivor was Ash, and he went on to lead the franchise.
After leading two more movies (Evil Dead IIandArmy of Darkness), Ash returned in the sequel TV seriesAsh vs the Evil Dead. Theending ofArmy of Darknessallowed for the show to reunite with Ash in a world still plagued by Deadites, and while it expanded Ash’s story, it also continued the movies’ biggest problem.
As fun as theEvil Deadfranchise is,it’s a very inconsistent one thanks to the movie’s retcons, alternate timelines, and Ash himself.Evil Dead IIfamously retconned the first movie, removing Ash’s friends and establishing that Ash and his girlfriend were the only ones in the cabin, and it also changed the tone of the story.
With Ash traveling back in time to the Middle Ages and back to his present year inArmy of Darkness, he further messed with the timeline, and that continued inAsh vs the Evil Dead. The show was set approximately three decades after the movies, and saw Ash working as a stock boy at the Value Shop.
However, when the Evil Dead shows up again, he faces it one more time with the help of new friends. Due to his involvement in the past, it would be expected that past events in Ash’s story were altered beforeAsh vs Evil Dead, but the show further messed with it in season 2.
The second season ofAsh vs Evil Deadsaw Ash, Kelly, and Pablo traveling to 1982to avoid his first encounter with the Evil Dead. This ends up changing not only Ash’s past but the Necronomicon’s past, essentially creating yet another timeline to further make the franchise’s overall timeline of events more confusing.
ThroughoutAsh vs Evil Dead,Ash himself contradicts some of his claims from the movies, and his personality has changed a lot throughout the movies and later in the show, which only makes the many inconsistencies of the franchise even worse – however, these are surprisingly fitting with Ash.
Ash Williams Isn’t The Most Reliable Narrator
As is widely considered a chaotic character with unbelievable good luck.
Ash Williams has changed a lot over the years, as well as his role in the movies and the TV show, and he’s widely considered a chaotic character with unbelievable good luck. However,Ash has also proven to be an unreliable narrator, and the inconsistencies in his backstory, memories, and personality only add to it.
Because of this, it’s not that surprising thatAsh vs Evil Deadcontinued to mess with the franchise’s timelineand had Ash changing his own backstory. A messy timeline and a chaotic main character became part of the charm and fun of theEvil Deadfranchise, andAsh vs Evil Deadmade sure to carry on that legacy and add to it.
Despite its popularity and positive critical reception,Ash vs Evil Deadwas canceled after three seasons. The reason for this was a decline in ratings, and though fans campaigned for it to be picked up somewhere else, the show couldn’t be saved. However, an animated revival was announced in 2022 with Campbell returning to voice Ash (viaCollider), but the show hasn’t happened yet.
TheEvil Deadfranchise moved on with the movieEvil Dead Rise, completely unrelated to Ash’s movies, and will continue with the 2026 movieEvil Dead Burn.Ash vs Evil Deadhonored what made Ash so fun and the franchise so special: comedy, horror, and chaos, even if that means an inconsistent timeline.
