Black Summer is a zombie apocalypse horror drama television series created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams, starring Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Christine Lee, Sal Verez Jr., and Kelsey Flower. The series follows a group of survivors six weeks into a zombie epidemic.

Plot: Set six weeks after the start of a zombie epidemic, the main story follows Rose, a mother who’s separated from her daughter Anna, who embarks on a journey through a world filled with threats both human and zombie alongside a small group of survivors. It’s a pretty damn entertaining show with survivors being put into some pretty tough situations but there’s a serious lack of story.

The episodes predominately follow characters who try not to get eaten by zombies or killed by other survivors. The most prominent story is Rose attempting to find her daughter with the aid of a criminal named Julius who’s past and crimes are unknown but pit him against the military. It’s never really said what he’s done but it’s damn important because he’s captured twice because of it.

One of the best episodes is episode three “Summer School” where Julius, Rose, Lance, and Ryan take refugee inside of a school only to learn that it’s run by a bunch of homicidal teens and kids. (3 out of 5)

Characters: The characters for the most part are a bit of a mixed bag. Unlike The Walking Dead or Z Nation, a majority of the characters lack any kind of depth. Hell, most of the time you don’t even know the characters’ names or motivations. By far, my favorite characters are Sun, Julius and Rose who each have some motivation. I can admit that I find the characters realistic enough in their approach to certain situations as well as their reactions to others. There are some duds here and there (a lot actually) but they keep the cast full and well rounded. (3 out of 5)

Cast: Really enjoyed the performances and how diverse the cast is. The most prominent actor is Jaime King and Justin Chu Cary who lead the charge along with Christine Lee, Sal Velez, and Kelsey Flower. I really enjoyed the performances by King, Cary, and Lee especially the chemistry between King and Cary. (4 out of 5)

Visuals: The series has a really good production value behind it that not only helps with the presentation but also with its story. Everything from the zombie makeup effects, to the desolate streets, to the action sequences, and even the character driven scenes just makes for a great looking series. I really like the close focus of the characters and the handling of the camera and the great long takes. Sometimes the shaky cam can be a little annoying. (5 out of 5)

Score: The music is pretty good but perhaps it’s the lack of music in certain parts that makes it so suspenseful. Whether characters are wandering the streets, cross open fields, combing through empty buildings, the music does a good job of keeping things tense. I like those certain moments where the music has this sound resonance that helps with the mounting tension. (5 out of 5)

Writing: Obviously creators and writers were taking this series in a different direction than it’s parent series. The dark humor and cool one liners are not present here but the series doesn’t feel like it needs it. It’s serious and draws on just that. The series is broken up into segments that tell its stories from different character perspectives, sometimes revealing what happened before a shown event or showing what’s happening at the same time. The segments come off more like chapters of a book, each highlighting what the theme of the scene is. It’s unique method that helps to highlight events in different areas while introducing characters or killing them off.

There’s a good focus on the characters but not about their past, more on what they’ll do in a situation. The series isn’t original but what it does it does it well. I definitely appreciate the dilemmas and moral choices the characters faced as well as the believable dialogue. The episodes run different lengths, ranging between 20 minutes to 45 minutes, each presenting a different story. Hell, there’s one episode following the character Lance, who’s running from zombies the entire time. Really, the writing feels in your face. People don’t talk in this series, they have to act because things happen and they have to make quick decisions in the moment. This is good because the show isn’t about dialogue it’s about actions the characters take which helps flesh out the horror elements. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Black Summer has done a great job of impressing me. Despite the disconnect from the parent series Z Nation, Black Summer manages to forge its own path successfully. Good direction, good writing, great characters, intense atmosphere, great performances, and good production value make the plot and the series definitely worth watching for fans who enjoy zombie fiction. Black Summer gets 4 out of 5.