The Verdict
Overall, iZombie stands on it’s own well enough. Although it has clear hints of Veronica Mars entwined in the foundation of the story, the style of writing, and the characters, it’s more refined in just about every way. It’s no surprise that The CW chose to bring Thomas back into their collective ranks and take a chance on another genre series. The zombie trend is hit or miss in pop culture these days, so much like Veronica Mars, this show is more of the ‘Love it’ or ‘Hate it’ variety. It has the potential to rally fans in a similar way behind these more defined characters, but zombies are also a trend that not everyone is into, or wants to in on.
Thankfully, Rose McIver’s performance as Liv provides a strong lead for the show, as she has her own sense of purpose which will carry the narrative as it develops from its simplistic origin story to something more complicated down the line. Fans can look forward to the best that Rob Thomas has yet to offer with Liv fulfilling the role of heroine, and The Vampire Diaries‘ David Anders coming in as a strong, and clear cut, antagonist.
It you’re expecting a Veronica Mars with zombies, you’ll be severely disappointed here. iZombie is its own show in every way that matters. There are some indications of different stages of the zombie transformation that mirror more of a stereotypical version of these fictional creatures, but all in all, Liv and Ander’s character, Blaine, are able to live as functional zombies, giving the show a different take on zombies as a whole.
After only seeing the first four episodes, I’m already hooked. The CW has really stepped up its content in the last few seasons with surprise hits like The 100 which aren’t afraid to take risks or go against the grain, and I think iZombie offers fans something different enough to be catchy without being redundant. There are some things about the show that still need to fall into place, but with any new series, that happens over time. I just hope that viewers appreciate what iZombie has to offer at this point enough for the writers to get that opportunity.
