Znation: The Poor Man’s Walking Dead

Znation: The Poor Man’s Walking Dead

So I just started finished the first season of Z Nation. I’m calling it “The Poor Man’s Walking Dead.” The story is about a group of people trying to survive 3 years after the Zombie Apocalypse. A cool thing about this show is that they actually call them zombies.

The show is pretty cheesy but that’s ok. This is from The Asylum after all, the company that gave us Sharknado (and a lot of bad movies). If you appreciated the humor in Sharknado then you’ll probably appreciate the laughs Z Nation offers as well (yes, there is a Znado in episode 5).

So how does the drama compare to The Walking Dead? Well there are definitely some similarities. TWD introduced Eugene, the man with a possible cure to the infected. Z Nation’s main plot is actually a group of people escorting a man who was attacked by zombies and did not die. There is even an episode with them driving a fire truck. I also smiled when one of the character says he was told about a place by an “Ex-cop taking refuge in a prison.” I don’t think they are suggesting the show takes place in the same world, but that was definitely a nod to TWD.

I was surprised when Harold Perrinaeu’s character was only in the first episode. I thought he was going to be one of the main characters on the show. I don’t mind though because ever since Lost broke my heart with its craptastic ending, I groan every time I see an actor from Lost on any other show. The exceptions being Daniel Dae Kim who I didn’t mind on Crusade and Hawaii Five-O and Ian Somerhalder. I’m not sure why seeing these two guys in other stuff doesn’t irk me. Maybe because Ian’s character died early on or because he’s on Vampire Diaries, a show I enjoyed in the beginning but has gone downhill over the last few years. I’m not sure why DDK gets a free pass. When Locke and Hurley show up as guest stars on Five-O, I wait for polar bears to show up in Honolulu. But I’m getting off topic.

Z Nation is not SRS business the way The Walking Dead is. Which is great because TWD is well done for what its goals are. With Z Nation there is definitely similarities between the two but Z Nation does stand on its own two feet with a different tone from TWD.

Fun Fact: Tom Everett Scott and DJ Qualls have both played Werewolves in other movies/shows. Tom was in American Werewolf in Paris and DJ Qualls becomes a werefolf in a later season of Supernatural.

What do you think?