Z Nation is a 2014 action horror comedy drama post-apocalyptic television series created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, starring Kellita Smith, DJ Qualls, Keith Allan, Anastasia Baranova, Russell Hodgkinson, and Nat Zang.  The story follows a group of survivors escorting the only known survivor of a zombie bite to the last CDC office in California during a zombie apocalypse.

Positives:

• Good performances by the main and supporting cast
• Interesting and compelling story
• Great, well-written characters
• Great humor
• Wity dialogue
• Great use of makeup, practical, and CGI effects
• Good, well-choreographed action scenes

Negatives:

• Story isn’t consistent
• Cliche story elements
• Crappy CGI sometimes

Plot: The story follows a group of survivors escorting the only known survivor of a zombie bite to the last CDC office in California during a zombie apocalypse. The story is good yet presented in a terrific and unique way. Roberta and her group are transporting Murphy across the country while dealing with other survivors as well as the zombies.  There are moments where it does become predictable but there are others where it can become very unpredictable.  Murphy has to deal with his transformation while helping the others to survive. (4 out of 5)

Characters: The series features a lot of interesting and well-written characters. Roberta is the leader of the group and she is the strong female lead but isn’t overly aggressive. Murphy is despicable at times but he does have depth to his character and probably is the most well-rounded of the characters. Addy is another tough female character who becomes stronger as the series progresses.  (5 out of 5)

Cast: Great performances by the main and supporting cast.  Terrific performance by Keith Allan as Murphy.  Kellita Smith and Anastasia Baranova give great performances of Roberta and Addy.  Great chemistry between Allan and Smith. Russell Hodgkinson is great and next to Allan brings a great deal of humor to the cast.  Other great performances include Pisay Pao, Michael Welch, Nat Zang, Matt Cedeno, Emilio Rivera. (4 out of 5)

Visuals: The show does have a lot of great action sequences whether it’s human vs human action or human vs zombie. The show creates a lot of new and interesting concept for the zombie genre such as the irradiated zombies, the herd, plant hybrids, etc. The zombie effects and designs look really good, though they could be polished. The gore is used effectively. (4 out of 5)

Score: The score is good. There are some pretty intense moments and the music does a great job of making the moments memorable.  The opening intro “Have Mercy” performed by Jason Gallagher is just great and it does fit for the premise of the show. (3 out of 5)

Writing:  The writing does utilize a lot of zombie apocalyptic troupes but for every troupe presented there are a lot of original ideas.  There are a lot of dramatic moments and for as serious as the show is there is a lot of great humor and witty dialogue.  Murphy being a human/zombie hybrid is a great idea and how the script chronicles his journey makes for a very compelling story.  There are moments where zombie characteristics do seem inconsistent here and there but it is used to bolster the humor and “zaniness” of the show. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Z Nation is without a doubt one of the most awesome zombie television shows.  Despite some of the inconsistencies, troupes, and crappy CGI here and there, the show excels with its characters, cast, performances, story, and great visual effects.  Z Nation gets 4 out of 5.  Definitely for those who’ll enjoy a fun zombie experience compared to the more serious Walking Dead series.