Your Guide to Zombie Nation

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Zombies, Walkers, Undead – call them what you want, but America is in love with the Zed word and, seeing as we are now in October, it is only fitting that I tell you why.  As always, I am not here to spoil things, so feel free to keep reading.

The Walking Dead [Season 5 premieres Sun, Oct 12 – 8 pm central on AMC]

AMC is the perfect home for The Walking Dead.  Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 have kept me interested throughout, despite fan comments about lackluster episodes here or there.  Honestly, I enjoy the character development and build-up just as much as the guts and violence.  I also admire the writers taking a different approach from the comics.  It keeps the viewer guessing where the characters are going and who may be the next to go.  Have I mentioned how awesome the effects and makeup are?  They could have another show just dedicated to the behind-the-scenes work on The Walking Dead and I am pretty sure people would watch it!  AMC does have an interesting site to share some of these bonus features and behind-the-scenes moments.

AMC’s Talking Dead [Sun, 9 pm central on AMC, right after The Walking Dead]

Speaking of behind-the-scenes, Chris Hardwick hosts an increasingly popular talkshow to address what just happened in the recent episodes of The Walking Dead, with not only cast members, but celebrity fans of the show as well.  In between segments, Talking Dead shows facts and information about the show that is somewhat reminiscent of VH1’s Pop-Up Video.  If you’re one of the 15.7 million people watching The Walking Dead, stick around after the show to catch more facts, conversation, and theories from Talking Dead.

Town of the Living Dead [Tues, 9 pm central on Syfy]

This unscripted reality show brings you to the small town of Jasper, Alabama, where a group of people have been struggling to make their very own zombie film for the past six years!  Watch as they struggle to fund, produce, and direct “Thr33 Days Dead”, and risk being shut down by the Christian townsfolk.  As a film grad, I absolutely love watching this show!  I have a lot of respect for people who put all of their money, resources, heart, and dignity into an idea, only to realize that things are not going as planned.  That is the case in any film, no matter how big or small the production.  This group of misfits has my attention with their hilarious antics and misfortune throughout the filming of this movie.  Oh, and did I mention, the Syfy channel plans to air this film when it’s done (whatever year that may be)?

ZNation [Fri, 9 pm central on Syfy]

Man, Syfy is on a roll this year.  ZNation is off to a great start, with a story about a group of people trying to survive a zombie outbreak three years after the ZN1 virus has taken over the world.  (Think Resident Evil meets The Last of Us).  I risk ruining the story if I go into much more detail, but I want to say that ZNation is a stand-alone show from The Walking Dead.  If you try to compare dialogue or effects to AMC’s hit show, you will not love ZNation.  With that being said, ZNation has a great story being developed in the first few episodes, and a cast full of recognizable people: DJ Qualls (Road Trip, The New Guy, Legit, Supernatural), Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Law & Order) and Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show).

iZOMBIE [Coming Soon on the CW]

Based on the graphic novel, this show revolves around Olivia, a medical resident recently turned into a zombie.  Not much else is being released about this new show, but the cast described it as “comedic, dramatic, with crime-scene and mystery solving in the mix.  Keeps your eyes open for this show, the season announcement should happen in the next few months.

 

AlysonYour Guide to Zombie Nation

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