iZombie: A Brainy Show That Never Took Itself Too Seriously

You can’t say zombies ever go out of style, but there was an uptick of undead life in pop culture during the 2010s. Cable behemoth AMC’s The Walking Dead (2010–2022) redefined the zombie movie for the small screen, while Netflix later added another cult favorite to the subgenre with its offbeat horror-comedy series The Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2018). Sandwiched between the two, iZombie had its take on living the (zombie) dream.

Premiering on The CW in 2015, iZombie was a relatively quirky addition to the ever-expanding universe of undead procedurals. The five-season series combined the trappings of a crime procedural, a supernatural murder mystery, and absurdist comedy, all while subverting many familiar tropes in a pleasantly bonkers way. It also showcased some impressive skills from its team and an often-surprising sense of heart and humor that won over viewers even though it was never a breakout hit.

The comic's main character was Gwen Dylan, a zombie gravedigger in Eugene, Oregon, as well as several supernatural pals, including a ghost and a were-terrier. But the main elements of an original female protagonist were borrowed and transplanted by CW execs and series creators to Seattle, Wash., with a live-action cast fronted by Scottish actress Rose McIver, who took on the namesake role of Liv Moore. The name, pun intended again.

Liv is an aspiring type-A medical student whose boat party night takes a turn for the worse after a brand-new designer drug called Utopium is combined with an energy drink called Max Rager. The result is pure chaos, leading to the death of many of Liv’s classmates. After being scratched by a zombie and waking up in a body bag, Liv puts an end to her engagement with her human fiancé Major (Robert Buckley), distances herself from her roommate Peyton (Aly Michalka), and finds a job working at the medical examiner’s office where she can surreptitiously access the brains she needs to maintain her “super zombie” health.

Liv’s new job catches the attention of her boss and neighbor, the good-hearted and slightly dorky forensic pathologist Ravi (Rahul Kohli), who is a former CDC scientist on the case of the zombie virus that ails her. Ravi soon learns Liv’s secret, but his sole focus on creating a cure for Liv and the other zombies doesn’t stop him from cheering on Liv’s best zombie moments and laughing (a little bit) when she becomes something new (except maybe when she was having a PhD scientist brain, though she admittedly was rather insufferable at times).

Liv was unique in that eating human brains gave her the memories, skills, and sometimes personality traits of the individuals whose brains she consumed. As a result, each episode of iZombie could include an entirely new Liv personality based on each victim of which she devoured the brains. She could become a sassy dominatrix or a curmudgeonly old man or a romance novelist or a magician or a pub trivia champion hitman, and each one was given sincere weight by McIver, who found unexpected joy in zombifying into whomever was unlucky enough to have their brains eaten.

Brains, Bad Guys, and Farewell to Friends

Of course, no show is complete without a little villainy, and iZombie had its bad boy—literally—in the form of Blaine DeBeers (David Anders). The former dermatologist turned evil hippie and bass guitarist zombie became an unfortunate scratcher of Liv’s at the party, and his character developed alongside Liv as he became a high-profile trafficker of brains and leader of a client list of other wealthy zombified clients in need of his wares. Blaine was a touch insufferable with a penchant for ill-advised mentoring (he tried to mentor Liv multiple times on and off throughout the series’ run), but Anders made him a viscerally captivating force of evil wrapped in daddy issues and dubious charm.

Seasons 3 and 4 were also known for their high-profile guest star cameos, including the likes of Daran Norris as sleazy weatherman Johnny Frost and Steven Weber as the Max Rager soft drink CEO Vaughan Du Clark and his zombie daughter Rita (Leanne Lapp). There were others, of course, many of which fit into short-term storylines or important side-threads that influenced the whole world of iZombie at some point over its five seasons.

The show was considered a critical and creative success early on, but it lost some steam in later seasons, and even the finale was contentious with fans who felt it was overstuffed and too rushed. And although the initial scripts were strong and produced quickly for the show’s first season, a great many of them suffered as the season numbers increased. The final batch of episodes—particularly the finale, which had to be reshot several times due to production complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic and weather—and the somewhat fallow late seasons suggest iZombie was ahead of its time and could have found new life in the streaming world, or maybe would have been better off as a tightly scripted miniseries with a short runtime.

In some ways, its pop culture high-water mark is episode 8 of season 1, “Flight of the Living Dead,” in which Liv eats the brain of a free-spirited former sorority sister, Holly (Tasya Teles), who dies in a skydiving accident. Holly’s influence and carefree attitude toward life light a fire under Liv, who has been forced to take the safe road of zombiehood too seriously, and this, in turn, gives new life and emotional resolve to Liv, as well as to the viewer.

The show had zombies, had gore, and had lots of murder. But it also had heart.