Zombies have come to permeate our popular culture. Comics, novels, anime, video games, television, movies—there’s no medium that the living dead haven’t overrun. With the mainstream success of The Walking Dead, television has exposed a huge audience to these reanimated corpses. Right about now, you might be looking for some alternative zombie television programming to fill your revenant cravings. When choosing from such a vast menu of choices, your TV viewing doesn’t have to be a somber, survivalist slog. Try these fun selections to add some zest to your zombie watching experience.
Z Nation
Did the Season 7 finale of The Walking Dead finally put you over the edge? Looking for some lighter zombie fare? Well, look no further than Z Nation. The Walking Dead could learn a lot from this series. It has its emotional moments, but Z Nation never takes itself too seriously. Though Z Nation excels at comedic camp, the story feels good because these guys are on a mission to save the world. And who doesn’t love a story about saving the world? You can catch up with Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix, and watch Season 3 of Z Nation on SyFy, Fridays, 9/8c.
In the Flesh
This clever yet haunting BBC series takes a different approach to the world of the living dead by exploring what happens after the zombie apocalypse is over. It’s very British, being both funny and poignant, and manages to explore some real social issues. And by “explore,” we mean mock. Young Keiren Walker (Luke Newberry) has been recently rehabilitated through group therapy and a brain-rebuilding wonder drug that treats Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS). He returns home to find that his community and his family have changed while he was in a reanimated state. You can watch this BBC series on Hulu and through BBC America.
iZombie
TWD isn’t the only zombie comic book that’s been brought to the small screen. iZombie features Liv Moore (Rose McIver), a medical examiner/zombie who consults on police cases. It’s not the end of the world, but there is a pesky virus reanimating the dead. The emergence of undead consumers creates a whole new market ripe for exploitation. Writer and producer Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars and Party Down, gives this series the humor, mystery, and warmth that keeps viewers coming back. Season 3 has yet to premiere, but in the meantime, you can watch the first two seasons of iZombie on The CW or Netflix.
Dead Set
This 2008 British mini-series is set in the Big Brother house. Dead Set brings together reality TV and zombies, making for fantastic television. While Big Brother contestants fight and producers fret, the outside world is starting to fall apart. Civilization might be collapsing, but life goes on in the Big Brother house—that is until they realize, “Big Brother ain’t watching us.” This 5-episode series, available on Netflix and Amazon, makes for a perfect binge-worthy snack.
Ash vs Evil Dead
Are the Evil Dead (known as Deadites) really zombies? Well, according to the Evil Dead Wiki, they are described as demonic Zombie Hybrids, so let’s go with that. The team responsible for bringing us the original Evil Dead movie, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell, continue the story with this self-deprecating and witty television series. Ash vs Evil Dead continues the rich tradition of meta-horror. If you feel like you’ve already filled up on gore with The Walking Dead, you might want to wait until you’ve had some time to digest before you try Season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead. Start with the less gruesome Season 1 and see if this funny show provides the flavor you’ve been looking for.
With so much amazing zombie fare out there, you can create your own stockpile to gorge on whenever you see fit. You can make these your main dishes or pair them with the ever-serious The Walking Dead. So many choices, how will you ever decide?
Let us know in the comments if Z Nation, In the Flesh, iZombie, Dead Set, or Ash vs Evil Dead are your favorites.
My top favorite is Ash vs.the Evil Dead because of the movies.its hard to top the sheer zaniness of this show. Followed closely by Dead Set, which wasn’t what I expected. I expected it to be pretty bad but it turned out to be very effective.
I was unimpressed by In the Flesh, but I watched it through. I’ve been trying to get into Z Nation which isn’t half bad and I’ve been actively avoiding the show iZombie, although I did read the comics.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: The Walking Dead S07E01 Review: The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be | The Supernatural Fox Sisters
Pingback: The Walking Dead S07E01 Recap: The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be | The Supernatural Fox Sisters
Ash vs. Evil Dead is very fun. Z Nation improves over time, but is pretty fun too. It’s nice to have some zombie variety, especially now.
LikeLike