The Walking Dead has been one of the most pivotal TV shows of the past 15 years, but there are a lot more shows for fans of that series to enjoy!
It's been a few years since The Walking Dead went off the air but it's never truly gone away. That's mostly due to the various spin-off series and how it's inspired other shows about people surviving a zombie apocalypse and/or the fall of civilization. That means a lot of copycat series, some better than others.
Some shows are pure zombie thrillers while others use a different type of threat. Yet they're great at showcasing tales of people trying to survive these sorts of supernatural affairs and the collapse of order. These are 15 TV shows fans of The Walking Dead should enjoy as a fun ride for people who want to see the end of the world in a great style.
The Last of Us
The most obvious pick on the list, HBO's adaptation of the award-winning video games has been hailed as a fantastic ride and it's the rare video game adaptation that is as great as the source material it is based on. The show opens 20 years after a deadly virus wiped out much of humanity while mutating others into monstrous "clickers." Joel (Pedro Pascal) is a bitter man hired by a group to transport Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who's mysteriously immune to the virus and might hold the secret to a cure.
Even if you've never played the games, the Last of Us show grips you from its heartbreaking opening and doesn't let go. The journey of Joel and Ellie is the key, but we get excellent standalone episodes from Ellie's past to the stunning tale of two survivors bonding (which won Nick Offerman an Emmy Award). The characters shine all the way to its stunning climax. With the second season upon us, it's the perfect time to catch a show that, at times, outdoes The Walking Dead in so many ways.
The Last Of Us streaming on Max.
Z Nation
On the surface, Z Nation looks like a carbon copy of The Walking Dead. It begins three years after a deadly zombie virus ravaged humanity, and a group of survivors band together. Enter Murphy (Keith Allan), who's immune to the virus and could hold the key to a cure. Just one problem: Murphy is a convict who's also a selfish, cowardly, abrasive jerk who could care less about the survivors or the rest of the world. That fuels the dark comedy of this saga.
We get some outlandish turns on the characters and the evolution of the zombie virus along with a unique road trip. It's Murphy who captivates, as the idea that the salvation of humanity lies in a guy who hates makes for a compelling arc and his transformation is wild to watch. It's hard to describe what comes next on this series, but its five-season run makes it one of the best zombie-themed shows out there.
Streaming on Peacock, Tubi and CWTV.
Black Summer
Once you've watched Z Nation, check out this prequel spinoff. It takes place in the early days of the outbreak as a mother (Jamie King) tries to find her missing daughter. She falls in with a band of other survivors living in a suburb as the world falls apart around them. We get a focus on the various characters and it's intriguing to see how they handle these events differently.
Despite the title, Season 2 shifts the setting to winter and how the survivors (and the zombies) are affected by the cold. It's too bad it only lasted two seasons, but it made sense to show the start of this dark show and yet the same spirit that kept humanity going on amid the darkness.
Streaming on Netflix.
Station Eleven
Based on the acclaimed novel, this HBO series bounces across time from the outbreak of a deadly flu to twenty years in the future after it's killed much of humanity. The balancing storylines are both captivating as we first see how society slowly collapses. It then leaps into how the survivors form crews with fun touches, like a roving theater band trying to raise spirits.
The storylines mix together well as. Rather than be jarring, the flashbacks only deepen the story. The characters are captivating with a good cast, highlighted by Mackenzie Davis as a grown survivor searching for family. It's a somber show that tackles the darker side of such a plague but another tale of survival that can appeal to TWD fans.
Streaming on Max
iZombie
If you want a more light-hearted show, this CW series loosely based on a DC Comics title is a great watch. Rose McIver plays Liv, a medical student who's turned into a zombie during a party but retains her intellect. She works at the coroner's office, where she can feed on the brains of cadavers. She thus gains the memories of murder victims and helps a cop solve their murders while she and a fellow coroner search for a cure.
The best part of the show is that Liv takes on the personalities of these victims, allowing McIver a chance to showcase anything from a rowdy frat guy to a car salesman to a private eye and more. It's hilarious yet also emotional, with Liv trying to maintain her humanity.
The later seasons up the ante majorly with zombies revealed to the world yet they still retain the show's quirky humor. It's a delightful show thanks to its cast, with McIver shining nicely and shows how fun a zombie outbreak could be... right?!
Streaming on Prime Video.
Van Helsing
This Syfy series replaces zombies with another form of the undead. After Yellowstone explodes into a supervolcano, the sun is blocked off by ash. That allows vampires to come out of hiding to take over the planet. As survivors battle them off, a woman named Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton) awakens from a coma to find her blood can cure vampires. As she fights to save humanity, she also tries to reconnect with her missing child.
The show is a boisterous watch with crazy action sequences and characters shockingly dying, and it gets wilder as it goes. That includes the last seasons with Tricia Helfer as a vampire queen.
It wrapped up its run in a good fashion to ensure that the whole thing remains a great watch, so while it didn't get the fame of TWD, it touches on much the same fun ground.
Streaming on Tubi, CWTV, Netflix
All Of Us Are Dead
This South Korean series kicks off with a high school science teacher attempting a unique experiment. It obviously backfires and causes a zombie outbreak in the school, which then spreads throughout its town. As the authorities try to contain it, a pack of kids have to survive and escape.
The twelve episodes flow well, and it's a fun dynamic that even in this disaster, the teenagers still act like kids. The action is well done with great stuff like using sound to distract the zombies and other moves. The teens are well cast, and the show has a great energy that shows how South Korea does horror shows and films like no other country on Earth.
Streaming on Netflix
Kingdom
Another South Korean series, this show succeeds thanks to its awesome concept. It's a zombie outbreak only happening in the 17th century. Thus, we have feudal warriors with swords and arrows fighting off zombies while also dealing with political in-fighting. Basically, imagine TWD crossed with Shogun and it's even better than it sounds.
The setting makes it shine as this isn't a time of science, so the humans don't understand how these zombies work (they at first assume they only come out at night). The action is frenetic, the production values are stellar, and for those wanting a different spin on the zombie genre, it's a terrific ride.
Streaming on Netflix.
In the Flesh
Most zombie stories take place amid the outbreak or in the aftermath. But what happens when the danger is gone? That's what this fun dramedy tells as the zombies have been put down and many cured. We see it through the eyes of Ren (Luke Newberry), a former infectee who's trying to readjust to being human again. Like others, he faces both guilt over what he did as a zombie and a backlash when he tries to return to his home village.
That original setup is what gives the show its wonderful spark. The themes of prejudice and guilt are obvious but still work alongside a compelling backstory of a world recovering from near annihilation. It gets more exciting as it goes with some fantastic work to explore how humans can be a greater threat than the undead and returning to life isn't as easy as it sounds.
Streaming on Peacock
Santa Clarita Diet
It ran three seasons yet oddly felt short-lived. This delightful Netflix comedy stars Drew Barrymore as Shelia, a typical housewife who starts craving human flesh. Timothy Olyphant is her husband and Liv Hewson as their daughter trying to handle this strange dynamic. Sounds like a high drama? Nope, it's a comedy and a hilarious one to boot.
The actors gel wonderfully with some terrific banter and a few twists on a zombie hunter, a cop and Nathan Fillion as a victim turned into a severed head. The show is a blast thanks to the main actors and it's a shame that it couldn't have run at least one more year. However, the three-season run makes it the funniest zombie show imaginable.
Streaming on Netflix.
Daybreak
This one-season Netflix show puts a delicious spin on the zombie tropes. First, a brief nuclear war only turns adults into ravenous, mindless beasts; teenagers are spared. That leads to the genius touch that these teen survivors soon form packs and tribes just like classic high school cliques of jocks, nerds, etc. There's also our main character addressing the camera as he's on a quest to find his crush, aided by a young pyromaniac child genius and a former bully turned peaceful samurai.
The show is a total romp that openly addresses the numerous post-apocalyptic tales it copies. The action and comedy mix well with the teen cast giving it their all and it's fun to see it develop. Like too many Netflix shows, it only lasted one season, but it's a different type of zombie show to enjoy.
Streaming on Netflix.
Sweet Tooth
Based on the Vertigo comic book, this Netflix show is quite faithful to its source material. It's another take on a deadly virus flowing over the world with the survivors mixed with animal-human hybrids. That includes young Gus, a half-human/half-deer who falls in with Tommy, a reformed hunter. They march on to look for Gus' mother and, along the way, uncover secrets to how the world ended up like this.
At only three seasons, the series still shines thanks to its beautiful production values and the deep lore of this world. It's captivating how, no matter how strange these characters look, their humanity shines through, and the mix of action, drama, and humor is wonderful. It also wraps up the tale perfectly for a warm-hearted story that's one of Netflix's most underrated series.
Streaming on Netflix
Dead Set/Reality Z
The first show is British and the second is from Brazil. But they both work thanks to sharing the same wicked concept. The contestants of a Big Brother-style reality TV show find themselves trapped in their "house" when a zombie outbreak occurs. The show lays on the satire showing how this pack of vapid, self-absorbed, fame-obsessed people try to survive the zombies and each other.
The British version is better at five episodes, while the Brazilian remake expands the episode count and amps up the violence. It's still fun seeing how the worst pack of people imaginable have to survive this chaos while poking fun at the reality TV genre. That satirical edge gives this a lot more bite than your standard zombie series.
Reality Z streaming on Netflix.
The Strain
A TV show created by Guillermo del Toro (who also directed the pilot episode) can only be grisly madness. This FX adaptation of the comic book sure fits as a CDC worker (Corey Stoll) and a doctor (Mia Maestro) track what they think is a strange new virus mutating New Yorkers. It's really the work of an ancient vampire ready to spread his evil across the world.
These are not your typical vampires but monstrous tentacled creatures, and the kills are savage. The series takes its time building the dread so the scares are more impactful and it gets bloodier and gorier as it goes. Del Toro's unique vision dominates and proves how this master of gothic horror can make a nice impact on TV as well.
Streaming on Hulu.
Ash vs Evil Dead
In 2016, the prayers of horror movie fans were answered as Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell brought back Ash Williams. The Starz series has the bumbling "hero" once more accidentally summoning the undead and having to slap back on the chainsaw hand to take them down. With a couple of aides, Ash is on a cross-country trip where he causes as many disasters as he stops, all with a snide wisecrack.
Campbell is magnificent in the lead role, anchoring a series that makes you laugh out loud even if you scream in fright. The story gets crazier with each season as we get the Raimi touch of black comedy and great guest stars like Lucy Lawless and Lee Majors as Ash's dad. If nothing else, it's wonderful to see this iconic horror character back and the sequel fans had long wanted.
Streaming on Starz, Hulu and The Roku Channel.