The Best Zombie TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked

Whether you prefer scientifically crafted zombies or the more supernatural ones, the undead crawling out of their graves has become a true staple of television in the past decade. With the release of AMC's "The Walking Dead" in 2010, it seems as if every network and streamer instantly jumped at the chance to cash in on the zombie craze. But what makes a zombie? Well, it's either a corpse returning to life or someone who is infected by a virus that transforms them into a rabid, animal-like state, but either way, there are plenty of them to choose from. 

Since we've already highlighted some of the best zombie movies out there, here are the greatest made-for-television undead adventures that you can sink your teeth into, Halloween season or not. Don't worry, watching these shouldn't turn you into one of them, but if you find yourself suddenly craving brains or human flesh, be sure to turn off the TV and get some fresh air. Otherwise, enjoy these shows!

Created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, "Z Nation" hit the SyFy airwaves in 2014, ushering in a new breed of zombie television. No doubt riding off the success of "The Walking Dead," "Z Nation" made itself stand out by introducing a new element to the zombie apocalypse: a man who cannot be turned, no matter how often he's bitten. After being given a test vaccine while incarcerated, Alvin Murphy (Keith Allan) wanders about the post-apocalypse immune to the ZN1 virus, which makes him arguably the most important human being alive. But Murphy isn't the only survivor we follow on "Z Nation," as there's also Lt. Roberta Warren (Kellita Smith) and Citizen Z (DJ Qualls) himself.

Though generally ignored entirely by critics, audiences liked "Z Nation" well enough that SyFy continued to renew the series for five seasons before the series ended. Nevertheless, The Asylum, the production company behind "Z Nation," teased a revival of the SyFy series in March 2024. If any sort of television series could make a return back from the dead, it makes sense that it would be a zombie drama like "Z Nation."

Okay, so "Santa Clarita Diet" isn't exactly your usual zombie drama, but the show's insane premise (combined with its own undead flair) is enough to warrant its spot on this list. What originally seems like it's going to be your standard SoCal drama quickly transforms itself into a zombie-centric comedy about a family trying to keep their undead wife and mother alive by feeding her human flesh. Yes, Drew Barrymore is a zombie mom here, and she's quite the force to be reckoned with. 

More of a sitcom than your standard zombie drama, "Santa Clarita Diet" plays more for laughs than it does talk about the existential questions about human existence, but that's why we love it. Not only did "Santa Clarita Diet" get great reviews, but it was a massive hit with audiences as well. The series was known for its morbidly aggressive humor, and though it ended a bit prematurely for some, it's still a fun series worth re-watching. Plus, who doesn't love to see Nathan Fillion (and later Alan Tudyk) as a talking head?

From the same minds behind "Z Nation" came Netflix's other premiere zombie drama, "Black Summer." Set in the same world as the aforementioned series, this two-season survival series focused on the early days of the ZN1 outbreak rather than its later years, and takes a different thematic approach to the zombie apocalypse. This time, we follow a young mother named Rose (Jaime King) as she seeks to find her daughter, all while working to survive the harsh Canadian landscape with a band of other survivors.

Unlike its predecessor, "Black Summer" garnered critical praise on top of the positive audience ratings, though the zombie series lasted only two seasons. Still, some cliffhangers aside, the series was seriously praised by Stephen King, who once told his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Just when you think there's no more scare left in zombies, THIS comes along." The New York Times went a step further, claiming that, "If Andrei Tarkovsky and John Carpenter had teamed up to direct a zombie show, it might have looked something like this formally daring Netflix series." Talk about high praise.

The first and most popular spin-off from "The Walking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead" was a breakout narrative that began as a prequel before connecting more directly with the original series. The first three seasons are effectively a prequel, taking place in Los Angeles at the very beginning of the outbreak we saw in the original series and following Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and her family as they navigate this new world. Beginning in the fourth season, Morgan Jones (Lennie James) from the original series joins the cast, and the narrative picks up in the present day, running concurrently with "The Walking Dead."

Like the original series, "Fear the Walking Dead" was received positively by critics, and due to the franchise's increasing popularity — a third spin-off, titled "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," was released soon after — it ran for eight seasons on AMC. It might not be as popular as the O.G. "Walking Dead," but its strong cast and interesting set of new storylines make it well worth a binge. "The Walking Dead" watch order can be a bit confusing, but the franchise has lasted this long for a reason.

Another Netflix zombie banger, "Kingdom" was the streamer's very first original Korean drama and a wild 17th-century take on the undead. Yes, you read that right. Set in a medieval take on Joseon-era Korea, "Kingdom" mixes the horrors of the undead with political undertones that make for quite an engaging historical tale. Running for two seasons on the streamer, the series followed Ju Ji-hoon's Prince Lee Chang as he battles the zombie plague that has completely overtaken his nation. 

While admittedly not your usual zombie tale, its distinct look and feel is not to be underrated. It's not surprising that "Kingdom" garnered incredible critical reviews, which likely contributed to Netflix's decision to greenlight a feature-length "Kingdom: Ashin of the North," a parallel narrative that runs alongside the second season. Unfortunately, "Kingdom" ends on a cliffhanger, but that doesn't mean the journey isn't worth the undertaking.

Okay, so there's an argument to be made that the Deadites in the "Evil Dead" franchise are more like demons than straight-up zombies per se, but considering there's some general overlap between the two (and that body parts themselves can come back to life, even when separated from their host), we're going to let it slide. Picking up with Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams about 30 years after Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness," "Ash vs. Evil Dead" pushes our hero out of retirement to battle the forces of evil. If you loved the original "Evil Dead" trilogy and can't get enough of Campbell's most famous character, then why haven't you watched this one yet?

With some pretty phenomenal critical and audience ratings behind it, this Starz Original ran for three seasons on the network before it was canceled, which is too bad. Many of the zombie projects on this list involve scientific means as the cause of said outbreaks, whereas the Deadites in "Ash vs. Evil Dead" are supernatural to their core. Though attempts to continue the Ash story in live-action have been futile (the recent "Evil Dead Rise" rebooted the entire franchise), Campbell has since confirmed that an animated revival is currently in the works. Sounds pretty groovy to us!

Another non-traditional take on the zombie concept, "iZombie" was a CW procedural comedy that followed young Olivia "Liv" Moore (Rose McIver) after she's accidentally killed and turned into one of the undead. Nuking her life in the aftermath, Liv discovers that she has to eat human brains in order to survive, so she takes up a new job in a morgue, also discovering that by eating the brains of others, she takes on their memories and personalities as her own. As such, "iZombie" becomes something of a police procedural with an undead twist, and plenty of hilarity ensues. Of course, an actual zombie outbreak in Seattle eventually occurs (or, at least something similar), but that's just the icing on the brain cake.

Running for five seasons on the CW, this series — which was based on the DC Comics series of the same name, originally published under their Vertigo imprint — is a good time. McIver kills it as Liv and makes the whole zombie thing look pretty appealing (you know, besides the dying part). Like many of the other shows on this list, "iZombie" was a bona fide hit with critics, and proves that zombie stories don't all have to look or feel the same. It's no wonder Netflix thought "Santa Clarita Diet" was a good idea.

Heading back to a traditional take on the dead returning to life, the SyFy series "Helix" isn't about living in a world overrun by zombies, but rather the creation of them. Following a group of CDC scientists hoping to find a cure to the latest viral outbreak, this two-season drama was produced by "Battlestar Galactica" legend Ronald D. Moore and immediately found a following. What's even more fascinating is the rate at which the story is told, with every episode representing a single day. As such, Season 1 takes place over the course of only two weeks, which gives us some real perspective on how quickly the outbreak can spread.

Another show that tragically only ran for two seasons (26 episodes total), "Helix" had a stellar cast that included Billy Campbell as Dr. Alan Farragut, Hiroyuki Sanada as Dr. Hiroshi Hatake, and Kyra Zagorsky as Dr. Julia Walker. The series was praised for its ingenuity upon its release and continues to find new audiences on streaming. Zombies aren't the only draw here, but the show is certainly made better because of the viral threat.

While one might argue about whether the infected in "The Last of Us" are actually zombies, it's still fair to say that this post-apocalyptic drama classifies as an undead hit. Unlike normal zombies, these are created because of an out-of-control hive-mind-like fungus that takes over the bodies of the dead, including animals, making the world of this HBO series a particularly terrifying venture. With a genuinely cinematic feel and two killer leads in Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, this is a must-see series if you love undead dramas — just don't get too attached to some of the supporting characters.

With a second season set to premiere in 2025, "The Last of Us" is among one of the most critically acclaimed zombie dramas out there, one that continues to delight fans of the original video games and the HBO series alike. While some of the material won't sit well with everyone (though what would you expect from a zombie show?), the production value alone is enough to get one interested in "The Last of Us." Let's just hope the show doesn't kill Joel (Pascal) too prematurely ...

Did you expect anything else? The original zombie apocalypse drama, AMC's "The Walking Dead" is still the best show about human survival out there, even if they never once call "walkers" zombies. While most of the show follows Andrew Lincoln's Sheriff Rick Grimes as he and his fellow survivors wander throughout Georgia, the show eventually grows to include countless cast members and plots that eventually overshadow Rick himself (though he's never fully gone). Running for an impressive 11 seasons, "The Walking Dead" outgrew the original Robert Kirkman comic book on which it was based, turning into a horror franchise all on its own.

In fact, "The Walking Dead" was so well received, that when the show ended, it was really just reborn. Instead of continuing the flagship series, the O.G. "Walking Dead" split into three, multi-part narratives. "The Walking Dead: Dead City" follows Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" focuses on Norman Reedus' titular hero and Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier beginning with the second season (subtitled "The Book of Carol"), and 2024's "The Walking Dead: Those Who Live" reunited Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira), resolving their story from the original series. If 11 seasons and 177 episodes weren't enough, adding the still-airing "epilogue" shows to your list will have to hold you over until the real zombie apocalypse arrives.