WB Summer Offering Ends Up a ‘Dead’ Bore

Dead series walking? Perhaps not, but late-summer entry “Dead Last” is hardly the “supernatural comedic thriller” advertised by the WB.

Targeting a young audience, the short-term series is about a struggling Boston rock band whose three members, in their early 20s, inadvertently gain possession of a magical amulet that exposes them to lurking ghosts who make demands on them.

What’s more, Vaughn (Kett Turton), Jane (Sara Downing) and Scotty (Tyler Labine) can’t get rid of this ancient jeweled relic, which a dead pilgrim discloses will be theirs “until you die.” Bummer.

The amulet glows; “Dead Last” doesn’t, unfortunately, because the cast is short on flair, the storytelling is belabored, and little here is creepy or funny.

Rare amusing moments come when slovenly man-child Scotty (more than having a bad hair day, he looks coifed by the Santa Ana winds) tries unsuccessfully to get rid of the amulet. He attacks it with a welding torch and then a sledgehammer while being taunted by two young skateboarders.

Later, when he tries repeatedly to pawn it, the thing keeps returning to his pocket. So he revels in his windfall, keeping the amulet and the cash.

The joy is fleeting, though, as the trio’s ghostly encounters increase. Along with the tedium.

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“Dead Last” premieres tonight at 9 on the WB. The network has rated it TV-14-LV (may be unsuitable for children under 14, with advisories for language and violence).