Zombies are slow (occasionally), but the genre? It just keeps rolling. Just when you thought you’d seen them all—tragic, terrifying, laugh-out-loud silly—another show shambles onto center stage with a new batch of apocalyptic mayhem. From thrilling survival tales to goofy undead capers, these 10 zombie TV shows demonstrate that the genre has plenty of bite left.
10. Daybreak
Imagine if Ferris Bueller got stuck in the zombie apocalypse, and you’ve got Daybreak. This short-lived Netflix series blends teen drama, fourth-wall-breaking humor, and a punk-rock attitude to the end of the world. Set in a post-apocalyptic California where the adults have turned into “ghoulies,” a ragtag group of teenagers takes charge. It’s zany, self-aware, and full of offbeat charm. It’s over too quickly, but viewers continue to discuss its crazy fervor and offbeat cast members—including a samurai, an anarchist 10-year-old, and a reluctant hero.
9. Black Summer
Ditch quippy survivors and comic relief—Black Summer reduces the zombie genre to its bare, nerve-shredding essentials. A spiritual cousin to Z Nation (without the camp), the show is all about speed, anarchy, and survival. Executed through fragmented storytelling, it plunges viewers into seconds of sheer terror as characters desperately fight to survive. If you like your apocalypse dark, high-velocity, and completely merciless, this is the one for you.
8. Fear the Walking Dead
Before the world became walker country, there was Fear the Walking Dead. This spin-off launches at the start of the outbreak, providing a more gradual burn that undergoes a radical transformation throughout its seasons. From domestic drama in LA to high-stakes survival situations in Mexico and more, the show repeatedly reinvents itself. Though it sometimes meanders into melodrama, its energy and character development make it must-see TV for Walking Dead enthusiasts eager to see where it all started.
7. Santa Clarita Diet
Suppose your mom suddenly developed a taste for human meat, but you still needed to make it to soccer practice and be on time for work? Meet Santa Clarita Diet, a dark comedy that blends zombies with suburban anarchy. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant excel as a couple whose lives spin out of control when mom Sheila turns into a zombie. Half-absurd and half-sincere, this show somehow makes cannibalism endearing—and it’s a pity it didn’t last longer.
6. iZombie
Think Law & Order meets Warm Bodies, and you’re close to iZombie’s quirky brilliance. Rose McIver stars as Liv, a medical examiner who secretly snacks on corpses to stay alive—and gains flashes of the dead’s memories and personalities in the process. With that unexpected side effect, she becomes an unlikely crime-solver. It’s a clever mix of procedural, romance, and supernatural drama that manages to be surprisingly thoughtful under its campy exterior.
5. Kingdom
Against the epic backdrop of feudal Korea, Kingdom brings political drama, breathtaking visuals, and some of the most horrific zombies ever committed to film. When an unknown illness starts to break out in the royal court, the crown prince has to unravel a conspiracy while fighting off a zombie pandemic that threatens the entire kingdom. Spiky, suspenseful, and deeply imaginative, Kingdom reimagines what a zombie series can be—and it’s as gripping as it is horrifying.
4. Ash vs Evil Dead
Chainsaw arms? Check. One-liners? Double check. Grotesque monsters and gallons of blood? You bet. Ash vs Evil Dead picks up Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror-comedy franchise where it left off, with Bruce Campbell returning as the inviolably quotable Ash. With new friends (and foes), this show happily mixes slapstick gore and 1980s horror nostalgia into one of the campiest zombie-adjacent shows on TV. It’s a cult classic for a reason.
3. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (and Friends)
Just when it seemed like The Walking Dead had said all it could, a new wave of spin-offs reinvigorated the franchise. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon sends everyone’s favorite crossbow-wielding loner across the ocean to France for a moody, mysterious adventure. Meanwhile, Dead City, The Ones Who Live, and other spin-offs spotlight Maggie, Negan, Rick, Michonne, and more. These series strip things back, offering tighter, character-focused stories that keep the undead drama fresh and compelling.
2. The Walking Dead
This is the series that opened the door wide for contemporary zombie TV. For 11 seasons, The Walking Dead brought us a sweeping story of survival, tragedy, and moral ruin. From Atlanta to Alexandria and all points in between, the show became an international phenomenon due to its emotional resonance and world-building. Though it had its highs and lows, there’s no denying its impact. It didn’t just make zombie TV mainstream—it remade it.
1. The Last of Us
Occasionally, a series arrives that transcends the genre. The Last of Us was one of them. Based on the award-winning video game, this HBO drama is not only about making it through a fungus-driven apocalypse—it’s about love, loss, and what it means to be human during the fall. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey give tour-de-force performances as Joel and Ellie, traversing a devastated America and developing an improbable partnership. Haunting, stunning, and emotionally shattering, it’s the new standard for zombie storytelling.
From tear-jerking epics to gory comedy, zombie television is now more diverse than ever. Laugh, cry, or sleep with the lights on, depending on your mood; there’s something for everyone on these shows that ensures there remains ample (after)life in the world of the undead.