Is there room on television for two series set in a post-zombie apocalypse landscape? Syfy and production company The Asylum (Sharknado) believe so. Today the network announced that this fall it will be debuting Z Nation, a 13-episode action-horror series depicting “the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse.” The series will be produced by The Asylum, with Karl Schaefer (Eureka, The Dead Zone) serving as executive producer and showrunner.
From Syfy:
“In Z Nation, three years have passed since the zombie virus has gutted the country, and a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. Although the antibodies he carries are the world’s last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark secret that threatens them all. With humankind’s survival at stake, the ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America. … Z Nation is a dynamic ensemble drama that will plunge viewers into a fully-imagined post-zombie America and take them on an adventure with a diverse group of richly-drawn characters. As the reluctant heroes learn to work as a team and battle ever-more-menacing zombies, their flaws, idiosyncrasies, and moral dilemmas will ultimately become the heart of the show.”
Chris Regina, senior vice president of programming for Syfy, explained further in a release: “Z Nation is a unique new journey into the long established zombie genre. Instead of existential despair, the series offers hope that somehow, some way, humanity will not only survive, but triumph. In producing their first ever weekly series, our long-time partners The Asylum have created a different way of telling an iconic story.”
Not sure if the mention of “instead of existential despair” is meant to differentiate the series from The Walking Dead without overtly mentioning that wildly successful zombie series on AMC, but given the proliferation of zombies on film and TV of late, Z Nation will certainly have to find ways of taking a fresh approach.
What do you think — are you up for more zombies on TV?
