Cheer The Walking Dead Alternatives
Have you finished streaming The Walking Dead? Wondering what to watch next? Well, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming The Walking Dead.
Z Nation
Similarities – Zombies & Family Unit
When it comes to the zombie apocalypse, Z Nation is nothing like The Walking Dead. Its neither better nor worse than its older zombie brethren. What it lacks in big set pieces and polish however, it more than makes up for with its wicked humour and ideas. This is a show intent on having as much fun as possible while upping the stakes every season. The later segments of this one are great fun and the tight-knit family vibes make it an easy sell. You can read our thoughts on Z Nation in our full season reviews here!
Black Summer
Similarities – Action & Frantic Set-Pieces
Black Summer is an interesting take on the downfall of humanity, sticking much closer to the days of humanity’s downfall rather than the post apocalyptic wasteland depicted in so many other shows. Despite some strange stylistic choices and questionable character logic, Black Summer maintains a consistent danger throughout, with intelligent, fast zombies and an extremely tense atmosphere gripping most of the season. You can read our thoughts on Black Summer in our full season reviews here!
Kingdom
Similarities – Zombies
Beautifully presented and dripping in Asian culture, zombie action-thriller Kingdom is quite the thrill ride. Split across two seasons, Kingdom effortlessly blends political drama with a thrilling action plot, full of beautifully shot set pieces. It’s one of the few shows that balances the action with drama nicely. This one is full of tension and suspense too, leading to the welcome prospect of a possible third season on the horizon. You can read our thoughts on Kingdom in our full season reviews here!
To The Lake
Similarities – Gritty slow-burn
To The Lake feels like a mash-up between the latter half of 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead Season 1. The human drama is tense, the characters nicely developed and the dystopian world is bleak and unforgiving. It’s refreshing in some ways to find a series like this with such a controlled dose of dread without going overboard. This plays out much closer to a character-driven commentary about the selfishness and paranoia hidden away in all of us. All the while, this is back-dropped by an eerily similar viral outbreak not unlike what we’re facing right now (minus the crazy eyes). You can read our thoughts on To The Lake in our full season review here!
Fear The Walking Dead (Seasons 1-3)
Similarities – The Walking Dead Universe
Set years before The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead disappointingly brushes past the “during” phase of the apocalypse and devolves into a lite version of The Walking Dead instead. However, the show builds up beautifully to a tense second season and a fantastic third before taking a serious nose-dive in quality. While the later seasons – including the horrific season 5 – are sure to put you off, the first 3 actually do a good job of delivering a post-apocalyptic romp worth watching. You can read our thoughts on Fear The Walking Dead in our full season reviews here!
Santa Clarita Diet
Similarities – Zombies
Santa Clarita Diet is essentially a series about a Mum who turns into a zombie and has to adjust to her newfound undead life. Armed with a clever wit, surprisingly strong writing and memorable characters, Santa Clarita Diet is a breath of fresh air. Set in the heart of Santa Clarita, California, the story revolves around the tight-knit Hammond family. Comfortable with their realtor lives, everything is turned upside down when Sheila dies unexpectedly and comes back from the dead. While her husband Joel scrambles to find a cure to her condition, the two juggle Sheila’s insatiable appetite for flesh. It’s funny, clever and annoyingly ended prematurely with a cliffhanger third season. Still, it’s definitely worth a watch. You can read our thoughts on Santa Clarita Diet in our full season reviews here!
Falling Skies
Similarities – Action & Characters
Falling Skies is basically The Walking Dead with aliens. There’s plenty of drama, action and tense segments interspersed across the five seasons but do be aware the season finale at the end of 5 is pretty unanimously considered dreadful. Not a great recommendation I know but the show itself has a great run and some decent episodes along the way that make the ride worth taking… even if the destination is a bit questionable. If you’re looking for something that has a similar up-and-down vibe to The Walking Dead and characters you can get behind, this one may be worth a shout.
Outcast
Similarities – Robert Kirkman
If you’re a fan of Robert Kirkman, Outcast is a solid alternative. Although this show doesn’t tackle zombies per-se, the simple story revolves around a young man searching for answers as to why he’s been suffering from supernatural possessions. Split across two seasons, Outcast perfectly captures the eerie horror and suspense that the early seasons of The Walking Dead conjured up so well. Although it was unfortunately cancelled after the second season, there’s enough here to make for a solid watch nonetheless.
Survivors
Similarities – Outbreak & Characters
An unknown virus pandemic kills more than 90% of the world’s population. Those immune must strive to survive and overcome the difficulties of this new world order. Sound familiar? Nope, it’s not The Walking Dead but instead the synopsis for this excellent BBC series that ran for 2 seasons. The characters are well written, the pacing is nicely balanced and the relatively easy 12 episode run-time (6 episodes a season) makes this an easy show to get into and a difficult one to put down.
Dead Set
Similarities – Zombies
Channel 4 has a knack for creating cult hits from nothing. Dead Set is another such example, revolving around a zombie apocalypse that takes place outside the walls of Big Brother. With a great blend of horror and comedy, Dead Set is a surprisingly tense and well written series coming straight from the mind of Charlie Brooker. Like Survivors, this is one of those underrated gems that’s gone completely under the radar in the wake of more zombie content released in recent years.
The Strain
Similarities – Outbreak & Action
Split across four seasons, The Strain combines elements of a viral outbreak with vampires in an explosive and bloody fight that encapsulates the entire show. At the heart of this fight lies Dr. Ephraim Goodweather who leads a group of New Yorkers to fight against the undead and secure the fate of humanity itself. It’s a thrilling, decently paced show and although there are a few lulls along the way, this one does an excellent job keeping tensions high throughout. So there we have it, our 10 TV show picks to keep you busy in the wake of The Walking Dead drawing near its final conclusion. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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