The cast includes Harold Perrineau (Lost, Oz), Tom Everett Scott (Beauty and the Beast, Southland), DJ Qualls (Road Trip, Supernatural), Michael Welch (The Twilight trilogy), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), Anastasia Baranova (The Darkness II), Russel Hodgkingson (Big Fish) and Keith Allan (Rise of the Zombies)
Z Nation starts three years after the zombie virus has gutted the country, 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.
Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) will serve as executive producer and showrunner.
Looks terrible. God help me, because I’ll probably watch it.
Not sure how anyone can make much of a determination from that trailer. There really wasnt much to it but a plot synopsis. I do understand how the words The Asylum and Syfy could give one concerns though. Please let Harold Perrineau have a lost brother named Walt, I really want an episode or two of him calling that name over and over again, for old times sake.
So gods help me, I watched this, all three episodes thus far even. It’s like Troma studios produced a zombie show for TV. Plenty of gratuitous gore, odd camera angles, flat acting, abrupt scene changes and an underlying sense that the show is poking fun at everything from politics to pop culture. In the first three episodes we’ve already seen a zombie baby, a zombie dog, survivors turned cannibal and a dozen zombies taken out by a rolling Liberty Bell.
This show has none of the suspense, nuance or character development of Walking Dead, and given that Walking Dead isn’t really that great of a show in terms of plot and writing in it’s own right, that should say something loud and clear about Z Nation. That said, the show doesn’t skimp on the action, with zombies an ever present danger and the survivors fighting them or other survivors pretty much constantly. It also has a sense of humor that can be laugh out loud funny once or twice an episode. Because of this, and curiosity about where the story goes, I may keep watching. On the other hand, the show may not be on long enough to bother with, as I can’t imagine ratings on this are anything but abysmal.
I watched the first episode, and the only thing that kept running through my mind was “DJ Qualls is better than this.” I was explaining to a buddy, that unlike the current crop of Asylum movies, this (the first episode at least) was missing a lot of the fun that the movies bring. You can watch an Asylum movie and see that everyone involved probably had a good time together. Joking, hanging out at the craft services table, talking shop, and just generally enjoying the low-budget camaraderie. I never got that sense in Z Nation.
This program is now on Netflix. I have watched several episodes…some are pretty sketchy, but I will say that the best of the lot from what I have seen is Episode 5 or 6, called something like “Resurrection Z”. That episode seems to stand out from the others. It is also not too painful in small doses without commercials.
It was a great show to watch while playing games on my laptop. Doesn’t require too much attention and isn’t exactly “good” but manages to be interesting and fun in a schlocky way. The guy with the vaccine gets more and more interesting after the fifth or sixth episode. The season ended with me really wanting to know where that story goes from here.
Do not ever watch this show. I really hate that I wasted any time on it. It was so bad that I can’t imagine ever watching anything created by syfy again.
Well, it looks like they are not going to die in a ball of nuclear fire:
One of the Senior Executives at the channel management, Ted A’Zary, has just officially confirmed the renewal of Z Nation for season 2 on his Twitter account: “#ZNation has been renewed for season 2!”
Oh, and Desslock will be overjoyed. It has a five year story arc.
Disclaimer: I love schlock. I’m the guy who watched the Syfy-movie-of-the-week and occasionally enjoyed it (before I cut the cable). A lot of that stuff is too bad even for me but this show really leans into it’s awfulness. You get radioactive zombies, murderous families, mind control and other weird shit. I’m excited to see more.
Been watching this on Netflix, up to episode 7. Z Nation is actually more entertaining than Walking Dead! As well, it doesn’t get too emo like Walking Dead does… and the characters are actually funny and more likeable. And the biggest thing about the show is things move quicker and don’t waste time. Check it out!
