From comic book origins, iZombie creators Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright have produced a brilliantly clever tv series that is addictive from beginning to end.
The plot of iZombie revolves around medical resident Liv Moore (Rose McIver, A Christmas Prince). Attempting to lead a less boring life, she attends a boat party but in the chaos gets herself ‘scratched'. The result is that she turns into a zombie.
As far fetched as this seems, it actually works as a plot and is done very well. Because Liv isn't your typical zombie. With a bit of hair dye and some extra make-up, she can pass as herself. And the fact that she already works in the coroner's office helps a lot.
She does have one problem though. As she can no longer eat normal food, she can only survive on human brains. Again, handy that she works in the coroner's office where a plentiful supply of nourishment is always on hand.
And that leads us to the main aspect of iZombie. Once Liv eats the brains, the side effect is that she takes on the memories of the person who has died. Realising this could help solve crimes, Liv starts working with the Seattle police, in particular Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin, Reacher).
Of course it's not just Liv and Clive that solve the crimes. Other characters include her co-worker Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli, Midnight Mass) who not helps her but is actively looking for a cure.
Robert Buckley plays her fiancee Nate Lilywhite and in the first season they break up because of her condition. And her best friend and roommate is Peyton Charles (Aly Michalka).
But no show about zombies would be complete with a resident villain. In this case it is Blaine DeBeers (David Anders). He's not a total villain, more of a guy who decides to capitalise on the zombie trend that is taking over Seattle. I mean, somebody has to provide black market brains when there's a zombie feeding frenzy!
iZombie is a very underrated series. It has the whole package – crime-solving, the same quick witted banter as Veronica Mars (also from creator Rob Thomas), it is tirelessly witty and above all is highly entertaining.
How Many Seasons of iZombie Are There?
In total there are five seasons of iZombie. Originally each episode was dropped on a weekly basis by CW in the US. However, all five seasons are now available on Netflix.
iZombie season one starts off pretty light-hearted. The zombie outbreak is contained and the focus is on solving the various crimes that take place in the city as well as how the change has affected Liv's life.
As the human relationships are developed and established in season one, in iZombie season two the rate of zombies in Seattle gradually increases. Various factions try to cover up their existence, fight them, exploit them, or protect them.
Does iZombie Have An Ending?
By seasons three and four, Fillmore Graves is a major aspect of the show. This is the military organisation that is trying to control the outbreak and society becomes more segregated.
When the final season rolls around, it is an all-out battle in Seattle. The race for a cure is still on so can Liv Moore and her friends survive? The series finale wraps everything up so thankfully fans were not left hanging.
Why Was iZombie Cancelled?
iZombie was exactly cancelled. The show ended after five seasons and its final season was announced in advance.
Airing on The CW, which pays acute attention to the digital viewing numbers, the network gave the show creator Rob Thomas the chance to wrap up its storylines and go out on its own terms with a fully realized final season.
Is iZombie Worth Watching?
The short answer is yes. It is definitely worth watching. Rose McIver is so good as medical resident Olivia Moore and her onscreen relationships with the cast of Robert Buckley, Rahul Kohli and Malcolm Goodwin are excellent.
It may be a loose adaptation of the original comic book but as a tv series, it works well with solid characters, fast-paced episodes and story arcs. Overall it's an amusing variation on the common zombie-themed show with plenty of drama to keep you watching.
