I see alot of us are Walking Dead fans, but what about its SyFy Channel knock off,* Z Nation*. I watched all of season 1 and the premiere of season 2. It’s a fun show really. I don’t think it’s trying to be Walking Dead, really. It’s taking a basic serialized concept like Walking, but adding more humor and not really taking itself seriously. I prefer *Walking Dead *over Z Nation, but I like both. What about you guys??
I binge-watched the whole shebang and mostly enjoyed it. True, the plot holes are big enough to fly a B-52 thru and the story-telling gaps are wider than Evel Knievel could jump, but the cast seems to be having a good time–Tom Everett Scott is always welcome, and Kellita Smith (Mrs. Bernie Mac from the Fox show a few years back) holds her own. The guy in the Arctic station is a bit hard to take (so is his situation), but it fits. If you don’t expect much, you could be pleasantly surprised; I’m looking forward to seeing how the hell they’re going to resolve the Season 1 cliff-hanger: it was crazier than an old movie serial “ending.”
You COULD do worse.
BTW, if you do/did like “Z Nation,” try “Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead,” on Netflix. Aussie zomcom, much better than you might think. Edging into “Shaun of the Dead” territory.
I watched the season opener of season 2…
Apparently the nukes used at the end of season 1 finale were not all that powerful, as each main character in peril was able to survive by driving far enough away and taking cover in a tunnel. Citizen Z, however had his nuke destroyed by automatic counter measures sent out from his bunker a few seconds before impact. Pretty cheesy, but it goes along with the show I guess.
I’m watching, but I’ve only had a little time to watch some football over the past few days, and the DVR is keeping it warm for me.
Ah, the bad zombie show. Certainly fits on the channel that brought you Sharktopus and Mega Gator and whatever bad movie of the week is on.
Yet somehow I keep watching.
DJ Qualls at the arctic base is probably the best part of the show, and still sometimes those parts get crappy.
^ Yes, from the network that brought you Sharknado and Sharknado II (we don’t care if we’re ripping ourselves off), comes Zombnado!!
(You gotta admit, it was certainly different.)
I think the actors/actresses on ZNation are doing a lot of good work with the script and situations they’re given. These people actually grow and their actions are believable even if the theme for a particular episode stretches credulity. For example, the Zombinado episode was completely, utterly ridiculous on the face of it, but buried in that episode was a heartbreaking story of one of the women searching for her husband and deciding to die rather than going on without him. So she’s sitting in his chair at their home, holding their scrapbook while this tornado (with zombies) is destroying the house around her, but she manages to make you forget the absurdities. I think that’s the episode that made me really fall for the show. That and the guy who plays Murphy.
Good points about the virtues of that Zombinado episode, grayhairedmomma.
I watch The Walking Dead because it’s popular (and that interests me), but I watch Z Nation because I actually enjoy it. As has been noted, the cast is having a good time and the writing, though not contrivance-free, is more intelligent than its reputation would imply.
The self-seriousness of TWD is wholly absent from ZN, and that’s something I appreciate.
Yep, I’m watching. There used to be a thread around here somewhere from Season 1
Oh wait, I found it.
After a somewhat rough start where we tried to figure it what kind of show it was, we accepted the plot holes and just had fun with it.
Dammit, I missed the premier of Season 2?!?
I binge watched season 1 on Netflix and loved it. It is cheesy, it is dumb, it is EXACTLY what I like in zombie movies being of a generation that grew up on Romero zombie movies. It isn’t taking itself seriously, it isn’t trying to be TWD, it is just good ole’ post-apocalypse zombie action.
Love it, now I got to find the premier online if possible and watch!
I agree with all these comments. I too am a fan of Murphy but his blue complexion know season 2 is kind a disdistraction. Guess I’ll just have to live with it.
One of my favorite episodes was the one focused on Citizen Z hallucinating his Russian companion at the Arctic base. Very well done episode.
I’m finding Z Nation more enjoyable than Walking Dead and probably Fear the Walking Dead though I’m willing to give that show at least a season to find its legs.
Episode is free streaming on the SyFy website.
I’m liking the humor more than anything; the Zombie Viagra Factory was effin’ hilarious.
While I love TWD, Z Nation’s goofiness keeps me coming back. Murphy is the guy you love to hate. A charming dick–J.R. Ewing with zombie blood.
I always see Murphy as a zombie version of Dr. House, without the major smarts though.
the baby zombie from season 1, one of the most scary / hilarious things I have ever seen it in all zombie video
Thanks, I just watched it and…
Zombie lesbian make-out session - I LOL’d.
Zombie stripper - It’s been done before but it is still just as absurd.
Baby Murphy - I have visions of a new scene borrowing heavily from the birth scene from V. Cannot wait!
I cannot remember from the end of last season, what happened with Cassandra again? I saw the bite scars on her face in this episode but for the life of me cannot remember what happened there.
She had some kind of illness that was making her weak/probably going to kill her. They left her behind in a room at the lab and were going to come back for her. Murphy went into the room - off camera - and bit her to save her.
I would never have thought that a knock-off of a Zombie show could ever have been very good.
But, then I saw Dawn of the Dead (2004) which was really excellent. If you have never sen it before, it’s worth seeing all by itself. It stands up as a good move without any need to compare it to any other movie.
So, perhaps it’s worth giving this knock-off TV show a try.