15 Best TV Shows Like The Walking Dead for Zombie Lovers
The Walking Dead is one of the most popular TV shows of all time because of how it was able to do the zombie genre the right way. After all, there aren’t a lot of shows that were able to portray a post-apocalyptic zombie world similar to how The Walking Dead was able to do so. And the human side of this show is what truly makes it amazing.
But since The Walking Dead is about to end sometime in 2022 while it still is on a hiatus before the premiere of its final season, you might need another TV show that scratches that zombie itch. As such, we have prepared a good list of TV shows that are like The Walking Dead for all of you zombie lovers out there.
Best TV Shows Like The Walking Dead
When you think of The Walking Dead, it’s not hard to not think of zombies as the main theme of the entire show. However, what you should know is that The Walking Dead is not all about zombies because there is plenty of drama and suspense all revolving around human interactions in their quest for survival. As such, the 15 shows that we believe are like The Walking Dead have some of these elements.
1. Kingdom
Kingdom is one of the biggest hits in Netflix’s entire library of shows. Of course, there’s a good reason why Kingdom is a success all over the world. Aside from the fact that Kingdom is particularly huge in Asia, considering that it is a Korean series, it also gives us a fresh new look at the zombie genre.
When we think of the zombie genre, we often think about the modern world where people struggle to survive against a zombie infestation using modern weapons and anything modern at their disposal. But the thing about Kingdom is that it takes place during South Korea’s Joseon period, which took place from the 14th century up to the 19th century.
Basically, Kingdom happened during a time when people didn’t have our current technology at their disposal. They were basically using swords, bows, and farm tools to try to keep the zombie infestation at bay. And without the help of modern medicine, they were all but clueless about what was happening. As such, Kingdom gives us a fresh new look at the entire zombie genre, as it is set in a totally different time period.
2. Fear the Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Dead is set in the exact same world as The Walking Dead. So, in a sense, this is a spin-off series that has a lot of similarities with the original series but is still unique in its own right due to how its story is not simply a rehash of The Walking Dead.
The main difference between The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead can be seen in relation to when the entire zombie outbreak started. In The Walking Dead, we were introduced to one of the protagonists who woke up from a coma only to find out that the entire world has gone to hell due to the zombie outbreak. However, in Fear the Walking Dead, the show initially starts out just a few months before the outbreak and then stems off to the actual zombie apocalypse.
What that means is that Fear the Walking Dead gives us an entirely different perspective because you start out seeing people panicking about what is happening in the world and trying to make sense of everything transpiring around them. On the other hand, The Walking Dead already jumps to the point where people already know that the world can no longer be salvaged and that they are simply trying to survive as best as they can.
3. Z Nation
Z Nation was a post-apocalyptic zombie series that went on for five seasons until it ended in 2018. It might not have been as popular and as successful as The Walking Dead, but Z Nation gave us a different look that made it unique. In a sense, it wasn’t just a simple rip-off of The Walking Dead because it had its own identity.
The basic premise of Z Nation is that it happens three years after a zombie apocalypse that was caused by a virus that wiped off almost the entire human population. Meanwhile, one of the main characters is a person who survived getting bit by a zombie because he was a survivor of a test vaccine that was administered several years prior. The story revolves around his travels with a group of survivors as that group looks to use him to try to solve the zombie disaster.
What makes Z Nation quite unique is that this is a show that does not take itself as seriously as The Walking Dead or any other zombie show. Instead, it has its hilarious moments as the characters can actually make the story quite lighthearted at times.
4. Black Summer
Black Summer has a relationship with Z Nation that is basically the same as the relationship between The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. In a sense, Black Summer takes place in the same world as Z Nation, but the story and premise happen before the events of Z Nation as the zombie apocalypse in Black Summer is still in its early stages.
Because of how Black Summer explored the events of the zombie pandemic when it was still just spreading, you will be able to see an entirely different take where people are still panicking and trying to find a way to get through the storm. In a way, it is very much like Fear the Walking Dead, but its story is totally not connected to Z Nation.
What makes Black Summer so different from Z Nation is the fact that it doesn’t have the same kind of lighthearted and comedic approach that Z Nation sometimes takes on. Black Summer is almost too gloomy as a mother tries to find a way through the zombie infestation to reunite with her daughter, all while making a lot of tough decisions just so she could survive.
5. Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is many things, but a zombie series is not one of them. Still, there are zombie-like elements in this show, as the ultimate evil that the cast needed to vanquish was an army full of dead people brought back to life by a group of heartless and soulless ice necromancers. Then again, it still isn’t a zombie series, but it adds a lot of different elements that make it one of the most memorable shows in the history of television.
In case you didn’t know, Game of Thrones is the most successful show of all time thanks to how popular it is around the world. This is a show that primarily revolves around politics and how different kings, queens, and lords were able to maneuver themselves in a medieval-like world with magical creatures such as dragons, giants, and the aforementioned ice necromancers called White Walkers.
So, even though Game of Thrones isn’t necessarily a zombie show, it does provide loads of entertainment in a lot of different ways, such as romance, comedy, and action. Of course, it gives you a few zombies here and there as well.
6. The Strain
The Strain is what you would get when you replace The Walking Dead with vampires. Basically, this isn’t a show that’s about zombies, but the show’s premise is almost exactly the same as that of The Walking Dead.
What happened in The Strain is that a viral outbreak turned people into vampires, similar to how The Walking Dead’s zombie outbreak was caused by some sort of pandemic. Of course, The Strain features survivors of the outbreak. And these survivors are left to try to stay alive in the middle of all of the chaos while salvaging what’s left of the world.
7. Creepshow
One of the most amazing parts about The Walking Dead was the special effects makeup. These creations were made by Greg Nicotero, who is the showrunner of an 80s reboot of the cult classic Creepshow.
Creepshow originally came from the mind of horror story expert Stephen King. Meanwhile, the original show was directed by George Romero, who is responsible for bringing about the era of modern zombie movies and shows with his classic masterpiece called the Night of the Living Dead.
What Creepshow is all about is that it is an anthology made up of 12 different short stories that are told in six episodes. While you might not expect the same kind of zombie fest in Creepshow, you will be happy about the fact that the special effects makeup is topnotch, all while the show delivers plenty of gore.
8. The Lake
One of the shows that are not entirely similar to The Walking Dead but still shares a lot of different elements is The Lake. So, basically, what you should know about The Lake is that it doesn’t have any zombies or elements of horror. However, what makes it similar to The Walking Dead is the fact that it comes with the same kind of survival atmosphere that has always been prevalent in The Walking Dead.
The Lake’s main premise revolves around a deadly virus that has led to the fall of society as we know it. Meanwhile, some survivors find themselves on an island to try to wait out the effects of the pandemic, all while doing what they can to survive each other and any external threat that can very well lead to the group’s meltdown. In that sense, it is quite similar to The Walking Dead because of how the main theme is to survive as a group.
9. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
Let’s dive into the world of CGI series by looking at Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. If you are not familiar with it, Resident Evil is an entire series of video games that revolves around a zombie outbreak. The video game series became so popular that it earned itself movie adaptations that are loosely based on the story of the games themselves.
While the true fans of the Resident Evil franchise hate the movies, the good news is that there are CGI movies that stay true to the source, which is the video game series itself. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is the first time that the game was made into a show, as the previous adaptations have all been movies.
This four-episode story takes place between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, but you don’t have to know all of the details of the game to understand the show. Basically, the protagonist of the story is out there to try to solve a zombie attack in the White House.
10. iZombie
iZombie may be based on zombies, but it is one of the most unique shows that you will ever see about zombies because of how it takes the entire zombie genre to a whole new different genre itself. In that sense, iZombie is as original as any show can possibly get.
The show’s protagonist was basically turned into a zombie but, for some reason, she was able to retain her intelligence and sense of individuality. Because of that, she was given the task of helping the police in finding criminals by eating the brains of the victims. Essentially, she is able to help solve mysteries by using the memories of the crime victims to her advantage.
In that sense, iZombie is completely original in its overall premise because it didn’t use the same kind of post-apocalyptic setting that is prevalent in The Walking Dead and in other zombie shows. Instead, it was still able to stay true to what zombies are without trying hard to fit into the mold.
11. Falling Skies
Imagine The Walking Dead but with aliens. Yes, that’s what Falling Skies is all about, as you are basically using the same theme. But instead of fighting zombies, the surviving humans are now banding together to try to stop an alien invasion. In a way, the elements can be quite similar except for the fact that Falling Skies involves aliens.
The story of Falling Skies starts off six months after an alien invasion basically neutralized human technology while exterminating about 90% of the remaining human population. As such, it was up to the surviving humans to find a way to resist the aliens, all while uncovering the ultimate goal of these invaders as the show goes on.
Falling Skies doesn’t really provide you with the kind of horror and suspense that tend to be common among zombie shows, but it can still get pretty intense with all of the drama and the twists and turns along the way.
12. Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass, which was released by Netflix in 2021, is one of the shows that tend to start out a bit slow in the sense that you won’t really get what the show is all about until you get to the later episodes. However, despite how slow the series can be, it is a masterpiece of dialog that tend to catch your attention as you learn more about the different characters and what makes them tick.
It would be very difficult to say what Midnight Mass is all about without spoiling the entire series because the horror part of the show is one of its major twists. But the best way to describe Midnight Mass is that it isn’t a zombie show. Still, it does have similar themes and elements present in other horror shows, just like The Walking Dead.
13. The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House came from the same mind that brought us Midnight Mass. In a way, the horror elements tend to be similar, but this show is a lot scarier due to how it was able to strategically make use of sudden scares that were masterfully blended with important scenes and dialogs.
You should know as early as now that The Haunting of Hill House is not a zombie movie. Instead, it is more of a ghost story that doesn’t really revolve a lot around ghosts but puts its focus more on the human side of the main cast, which is an entire family with a pretty sad and unfortunate backstory.
So, in a way, The Haunting of Hill House is more like Fear the Walking Dead in the sense that it is a show about family issues with haunting, just like how Fear the Walking Dead started out as a show about family issues with zombies on the side.
14. Castlevania
Let’s look at our second animated entry here. Unlike Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, Castlevania is your traditional 2D animated show. Of course, like Resident Evil, Castlevania is based on a video game of the same title.
If you grew up during the 80s and 90s, you might be familiar with Castlevania, which is one of the most popular video game series of all time. The series is basically about a family of monster hunters whose ultimate goal is to invade Dracula’s castle and slay the legendary vampire.
The Castlevania animated series follows the same theme but what makes it similar to The Walking Dead is that there is plenty of undead slaying going on with this video game adaptation. Of course, there are plenty of animated gore scenes in Castlevania. The similarities it has with The Walking Dead ends there, but you should really watch this series to appreciate what made Castlevania the classic favorite that it is.
15. The Mist
Finally, we have The Mist, which is another story that is based on one of the creations of horror master Stephen King. Like some of the other shows on this list, The Mist doesn’t have any zombies or undead, but it does have some monsters that mysteriously appeared when an equally mysterious mist began enveloping a small town.
The basic premise of the story is that the town survivors had to lock themselves away from the mist so that they could survive the entire ordeal. But what makes it similar to The Walking Dead is that the human element is one of the major antagonists in The Mist.
While the mysterious mist is still the main enemy of the show, the survivors all showed their human side as they had to basically antagonize one another just to stay alive. It basically puts the morality of the survivors into question as they had to do unspeakable things just to survive. So, even though the mist is the primary ordeal they had to survive, the focus was more on surviving one another, which is a theme that’s also present in The Walking Dead as different characters also antagonize one another for the sake of survival.