This Brutal Netflix Zombie Series Is the Best Walking Dead Replacement You Haven’t Watched Yet

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The Walking Dead brought zombies back into the mainstream, attracting around 15 to 20 million viewers per episode by its fourth season. The show focused on the lives of the survivors just as much as the zombie action itself, and it greatly influenced the popularity of zombie stories throughout the 2010s. It was created by Frank Darabont.

Netflix’s Black Summer was one of the most popular shows released recently, and it’s connected to the series Z Nation. Like The Walking Dead, it features intense, violent action and focuses on the characters’ struggles. It revitalized the classic zombie horror genre with particularly terrifying zombies – they were faster, stronger, and more relentless.

Black Summer is A Post-Apocalyptic Horror Series Set in the Z Universe

Before you checked out Black Summer, you might remember Z Nation, another zombie show that SYFY ran from 2014 to 2018. It wasn’t exactly a critical darling – Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 45% score – but it clearly found an audience, because it managed to stick around for five whole seasons. I remember thinking it was a fun, if slightly cheesy, take on the apocalypse.

Three years after the outbreak began, the story centers on Alvin (Keith Allan), a former prisoner who is immune to the virus. Because his blood could hold the key to a vaccine, a group of survivors embarks on a dangerous journey to get Alvin from New York to the last remaining CDC research facility in California.

Before the last season of Z Nation, Netflix greenlit Black Summer, a series that explores the very beginning of the zombie outbreak. Created by Karl Schaefer, who also worked on Z Nation, Black Summer centers around Rose (Jaime King), a mother trying to find her daughter after being separated during the initial weeks of the apocalypse. Driven to reunite with her child, Rose joins a small group of survivors on a dangerous journey across North America during the height of the outbreak.

The TV show Z Nation turned out to be funnier than many people anticipated, and this likely led to some criticism. While it didn’t reach the level of comedies like Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland, it was definitely more playful and intentionally cheesy than most zombie shows.

The filmmakers deliberately aimed for a lighthearted, B-movie take on zombies – something purely for fun. However, this playful approach didn’t appeal to all viewers, particularly those who preferred the more serious tone of other zombie shows.

Recognizing this potential, Schaefer hinted at a prequel, calling it a time “before the apocalypse got strange and was simply frightening.” He quickly delivered, and Black Summer soon earned a reputation as one of the most terrifying and intense zombie shows of the last ten years.

Black Summer’s Zombies Are Some of the Most Terrifying in TV History

Even though people have different feelings about the later seasons of The Walking Dead, I think most of us fans can agree it was incredibly innovative. Especially the makeup effects! Under Greg Nicotero’s guidance, the show really raised the bar – I still remember being shocked by the walker in the very first episode, and Winslow covered in metal in Season 7 was just mind-blowing. They weren’t afraid to push boundaries.

Although the zombies on The Walking Dead look realistic, they aren’t particularly frightening. Even from the beginning of the show, almost anyone with a basic weapon – like a gun, sword, or even just a chair – could easily defeat a whole group of them.

When people think of memorable villains in The Walking Dead, Negan and The Governor immediately spring to mind. While these complex antagonists make for compelling viewing and distinguish the show, sometimes horror fans simply crave the classic, relentless threat of zombies focused solely on destruction.

One thing Black Summer definitely gets right is its zombies. While they aren’t as visually striking as those in The Walking Dead, the makeup is deliberately minimal, making them appear freshly infected. They show some signs of the virus – bleeding from the eyes and nose, and a few visible veins – but remain largely human in appearance.

Although they aren’t very impressive to look at, these creatures are incredibly fast and aggressive. When they get close to people, they almost always win. A perfect example of this is seen in the fourth episode of the first season, titled “Alone.”

This episode centers on Lance (Kelsey Flower) as she’s relentlessly pursued by a single zombie. Usually, a fight with one zombie wouldn’t last long—a minute or less, especially in shows like Resident Evil. But in Black Summer, the chase with Lance goes on much longer, taking them through a school, grocery store, garage, bookstore, and eventually, to the roof of a school bus.

Though he ultimately wins, the episode clearly shows how incredibly dangerous even a single zombie can be, as Lance spends almost the entire time running from just one. Similarly, another episode features survivors trapped in a diner, and even just two zombies outside prove to be a deadly threat, not everyone makes it out alive.

Slow zombies are common in shows like The Walking Dead, but the truly terrifying ones are the rapidly decaying kind that leave almost no chance for anyone to survive. Black Summer consistently proves just how effective this type of horror can be.

Black Summer is A Must-Watch for Fans of The Walking Dead

As a zombie fan, I have to say Black Summer, especially the first season, really ramps up the gore compared to The Walking Dead. But it’s not just about the scares – there’s still some solid character drama happening. Season one did incredibly well, hitting Netflix’s top 10 in a bunch of countries and getting a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The biggest complaint, though, was that we didn’t get to know much about the characters before the outbreak – their backstories felt a little thin.

As a movie buff who loves a good gore-fest, this one totally delivered! If you’re all about non-stop action and don’t mind if the characters are a little thin – hey, they’re going to die anyway, right? – you’ll be thrilled. But if you’re the type who needs to really connect with people on screen before they get, well, dispatched, this might not be your cup of tea.

Building on the events of Season 1 and maintaining its intense action, Season 2 delivered a more in-depth look at the show’s characters. Across eight new episodes, viewers learned more about their pasts, saw stronger relationships form, and witnessed significant character growth.

Look, I was really pleased with how this season stuck to its guns and avoided predictable tropes. What I think really makes the show work is that the characters aren’t perfect – they’re messy and flawed, and that feels incredibly real. The danger felt just as intense as ever, and even after everything these characters have been through, the show made it clear that no one is safe in the brutal world of Black Summer. It’s a testament to the writing that even with emotional growth, the stakes remained consistently high.

The show was a hit with both critics and viewers, with many believing it was an improvement over its first season. It earned a remarkable 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and reviews consistently highlighted how it surpassed expectations and developed its characters effectively while staying true to its core strengths.

Despite being a successful show, Black Summer was canceled after only two seasons. Netflix didn’t officially explain why, but it’s likely due to the number of people watching.

Even though the show ended, Black Summer is still a good choice for viewers who enjoy The Walking Dead or zombie stories in general. It’s not just about the fast-moving zombies; the show also focuses on developing its characters and moving the story forward in a compelling way.

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2026-01-18 02:08