Let the brain-munching antics continue! iZombie, The CW’s quirky comedy/detective/horror hybrid, has struck enough of a chord with network brass to earn a second season pickup, Deadline has confirmed.
Though iZombie is not a juggernaut in the ratings by any stretch of the imagination, it was warmly received by critics, and sources say that The CW execs are fans of the show’s offbeat humor. The involvement of Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is another plus for the network, which also wants to stand behind a fast-rising star in lead actress Rose McIver.
The series centers on Olivia “Liv” Moore (hehe, get it?), a young and uptight medical resident who gets the shock of her life when she’s attacked by ravenous zombies during a boat party. Newly risen as one of the walking dead, Liv resists the urge to crack open her friends’ craniums by taking a job at the local morgue and feasting on unneeded gray matter. Surprisingly, whenever Liv consumes a new brain, she receives some memories of the original owner, which takes a disturbing turn when she snacks on a murder victim. Sensing a new direction in life, she begins to help a local detective solve murders – much to his bafflement.
In my review of the show, I called iZombie “a spunky and sharp-witted antidote to grim, gory zombie shows like The Walking Dead,” and I’m happy to report that the series held up admirably throughout the course of its freshman run – even if it is just Veronica Mars: Resurrection. That it will be returning next year (presumably still as a midseason premiere) is welcome news.
The CW is always more generous than the other main networks in doling out renewals, but it has been exceptionally liberal so far this year. iZombie joins already-renewed shows Arrow, The Flash, Jane The Virgin, Reign, Supernatural, The 100, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Meanwhile, Beauty and the Beast is returning for what is expected to be its final season. The only series still unaccounted for are Hart of Dixie (which many already suspect has been unofficially canceled) and freshman drama The Messengers, which has been inert in the ratings since day one. Don’t hold out hope for either of the latter.
