15 Best Zombie TV Shows Of All Time, Ranked

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While the horror genre has plenty of memorable monsters that have successfully terrified audiences on television, few have the staying power of zombies. Often traveling in overwhelming hordes, zombies bring a physical intensity and unrelenting force that few other horror creatures can match. Zombie stories often involve the collapse of civilization due to their viral nature, adding bleaker apocalyptic tones to a series involving them. And just like the resilient walkers, zombie shows have an undying relevance that continues to surprise and thrill audiences, even when the genre feels played out.

For the purposes of this article, we’re sticking with zombies as gruesome ghouls who can spread their condition primarily through biting victims, whether or not they’re clinically dead — or undead. And whether these shows are more rooted in science fiction or the overtly supernatural, they still qualify as fan-favorite zombie television. Here are the 15 best zombie shows of all time, ranked.

Since the success of “The Walking Dead,” Syfy has produced several zombie shows to capitalize on their resurgent popularity. One of the biggest was 2014’s “Z Nation,” featuring its own vision of a world overwhelmed by voracious undead. The show followed former convict Alvin Bernard Murphy (Keith Allan), who was experimented on to create a vaccine for the zombie infection, becoming a human-zombie hybrid in the process. Leaving the prison, Murphy joined with other survivors and his blood was used to create other hybrids, nicknamed “talkers” for their retained sentience.

Compared to more dour zombie stories, “Z Nation” never took itself too seriously, particularly with its talking zombie premise. Running on Syfy for five seasons, the show improved as it progressed, finding its unique voice among the horror television crowd. Standouts from the cast included Kellita Smith and DJ Qualls, playing two of the major figures within the nomadic group of survivors traveling cross-country. A relatively lighter take on the zombie apocalypse, “Z Nation” remains a cult classic of the genre.

After the conclusion of the main “Walking Dead” series in 2022, the franchise continued in a set of spin-offs spotlighting different main characters. The first of these returning character-centric shows was “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” which follows Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and her old enemy Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). After Maggie’s teenage son Hershel (Logan Kim) is kidnapped, she reluctantly teams up with Negan to track down his kidnappers and rescue him. The search leads them to Manhattan, with Maggie learning to let go of her grudge toward Negan as they work together.

Something that’s improved the continuations to “The Walking Dead” are the changes in scenery most of them explore. This extends to “Dead City” and its New York setting, with Cohan and Morgan providing compelling directions for their respective characters. Joined by a fresh supporting cast, the show takes advantage of this by offering its own major deaths and game-changing twists. Powered by its two likable leads, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” doesn’t reinvent the franchise wheel, but offers its own expansion of the world.

Brian Ralph’s comic book “Daybreak” served as the very loose basis for the Netflix original zombie series of the same name. The show’s protagonist was teenager Josh Wheeler (Colin Ford), who found himself thriving after a zombie apocalypse overtook the world. Set in and around post-apocalyptic Southern California, surviving humans formed rival factions while defending themselves from ghoulies, the show’s term for zombies. Josh set out to look for his missing girlfriend Sam Dean (Sophie Simnett), venturing out into the ghoulie-teeming wasteland.

“Daybreak” felt equal parts “Walking Dead,” “Mad Max,” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” with its fourth wall-breaking teenage protagonist. The presence of Matthew Broderick as Josh’s old high school principal furthered that connection, as did the idea of its carefree teenager going on the road. The show felt like a teen drama send-up of post-apocalyptic stories, with a likable enough main cast and unique take on the genre. Surely the silliest entry on this list, at least in live-action, “Daybreak” offered easygoing fun against a zombie-filled backdrop.

Another Syfy zombie series premiering several months before “Z Nation” was 2014’s “Helix,” which ran for two seasons. The show started with researchers Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell) and Sarah Jordan (Kyra Zagorsky) investigating a viral outbreak at an Arctic bioresearch station. Farragut and Jordan found the virus linked to the shadowy Ilaria Corporation’s activities, with the infected either dying or becoming zombified. As the duo delved into the increasingly disturbing mystery, they uncovered the true nature behind Ilaria and their own personal connections to the corporation.

While initially leaning more into the science fiction possibilities of its premise, “Helix” definitely had a strong horror undercurrent to it. The show steadily built its own expansive mythology with big reveals and shocking plot twists relatively early on, upping the ante as it went. The zombie element was almost secondary to the larger story, just a creepy means to an end as it explored bigger developments. The show’s strong main cast made big creative swings work, particularly Campbell, Zagorsky, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

There are plenty of anime shows with zombie elements, most prominently “Tokyo Ghoul,” but not too many that embrace the genre’s familiar tropes. One major exception is “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead,” based on the manga series by Haro Aso and Kotaro Takata. The show centered on 20-something office worker Akira Tendo, who felt trapped and exploited in his oppressive white-collar job. When a zombie apocalypse struck Tokyo, Akira had an epiphany, seeing this as an opportunity to escape his unfulfilling life and accomplish a set of personal goals for himself.

In a way, “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” was like “Shaun of the Dead” refracted through the perspective of a Japanese salaryman. The comedy elements within the chaos of zombie apocalypse were certainly present, fueled by Akira’s cheerful embrace of the outbreak. As the story advanced, the group Akira fell into built a visible rapport while the origins of the undead uprising were revealed. A gag anime fully exploring zombie apocalypse tropes through a comedic Japanese presentation, “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” is worth watching for any fans of zombies and anime.

One of the biggest breakout characters from “The Walking Dead” was Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), a biker who found his place with the main show’s ensemble. The popular figure received his own spin-off in the aptly titled “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” taking Reedus’ character to Europe. Regaining his senses in France, Daryl helps train the locals to defend themselves while his old friend Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) searches for him. Reunited, the duo takes their adventures beyond France, exploring other parts of a post-zombie apocalypse Europe.

It’s almost unfair comparing “Daryl Dixon” to other “Walking Dead” shows based on art design and filming locations alone. The spin-off takes full advantage of its European setting to create a much more atmospheric take on the familiar zombie apocalypse. Keeping this all from becoming a horror-tinged sightseeing tour is Reedus and McBride, whose on-screen rapport remains as magnetic as ever. “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” will end its run with four seasons, but not without a tease of even more story for its titular survivor.

After the concept’s memorable debut as a seemingly one-off story in the anthology animated series “What If…?,” Disney+ ordered a spin-off “Marvel Zombies” series. Set in a version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe completely overrun by ravenous undead, the show started with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) searching for a safe haven with her friends. Traveling across the devastated planet, Kamala gained a group of familiar allies as they tried to find a spaceship capable of escaping the planet. Meanwhile, the crew of survivors was pursued by the sentient zombified Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her growing horde.

Running for four episodes, “Marvel Zombies” never overstayed its welcome, keeping the action moving steadily along. Unlike “What If…?,” the show got gorier with its horrific spectacle, though without going overboard. Across its brief single season, the show covered an impressive breadth of the MCU and brought in some familiar voices to reprise their roles. One of the most impressive Marvel Studios productions on Disney+, “Marvel Zombies” showcased the solid horror potential of the MCU.

A prequel series to “Z Nation” produced as a Netflix original series, “Black Summer” depicted the earliest weeks of the preceding show’s zombie apocalypse. At the heart of the story was Rose (Jaime King), who was separated from her young daughter Anna (Zoe Marlett) in the resulting chaos. Rose set out to find Anna in what became known, in-universe, as the deadliest summer of the zombie apocalypse and its tragic turning point. Rose was joined by other survivors searching for their respective loved ones and others just trying to avoid becoming one of the shambling undead.

In stark contrast to “Z Nation,” “Black Summer” took its zombie horror overtones much more seriously. This was a straight-up horror series, with the undead’s foibles not played for laughs, but with zombies depicted as conventionally scary monsters. Running at eight episodes per season, the show also had a propulsive pace that carried the narrative briskly. A scarier take on the familiar world of “Z Nation,” “Black Summer” was the more straight-laced zombie horror show fans may have been expecting all along.

Horror and humor are two genres that consistently blend together well, as long as the tonal balance is carefully maintained. One zombie horror-comedy that pulled off that tricky distinction was the 2017 Netflix original series “Santa Clarita Diet.” The show followed married Santa Clarita couple Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant), with Sheila mysteriously transformed into a zombie. The couple kept Sheila’s undead nature under wraps, finding murderous ways to satiate her hunger while continuing their joint business as smiling realtors.

To be clear, despite being positioned as a comedy, “Santa Clarita Diet” definitely didn’t shy away from the gorier aspects of zombie stories. Olyphant and Barrymore played off each other well, with the laughs flowing as freely as the blood. And between all the cannibalistic mayhem, seeing the Hammonds repair their marriage through Sheila’s zombification formed a surprisingly effective emotional core.

When Andrew Lincoln left the main “Walking Dead” series in its ninth season, it was reported that he was eyed for a trilogy of movies starring his character, Rick Grimes. These plans evolved and changed over the years, culminating in the continuation spin-off series “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” The show revealed that in the years since his disappearance, Rick had been taken prisoner by the Civic Republic Military as they solidified their control in the Cascade Mountains. He was rescued by his lover Michonne (Danai Gurira), with the two battling the CRM as they made their way back home to their children.

With its cross-country scope and tight six-episode lifespan, “The Ones Who Live” is currently the best “Walking Dead” spin-off. Seeing Rick and Michonne together again was especially rewarding for longtime fans, with Lincoln and Gurira delivering on that longstanding promise in full. The narrative focus gave the show a sense of urgency that a lot of its fellow spin-offs lack, packing plenty of propulsive action. With “The Ones Who Live” reportedly very different from the planned film trilogy, the choice to pivot back to television was a wise decision, given the end result.

Netflix had been building up an expanding library of impressive K-dramas years before “Squid Game.” This includes the zombie show “All of Us Are Dead,” an adaptation of the 2009 webtoon by Joo Dong-geun. The show places an unassuming Korean high school at the center of a zombie outbreak that quickly spreads to the surrounding country. Barricading themselves from the infected, a group of students tries their best to survive their monstrously transformed classmates and peers.

“All of Us Are Dead” stands proudly unique from its genre contemporaries thanks to its young and engaging cast. By taking on a primarily teenage perspective to a zombie apocalypse, the story mixes coming-of-age drama with plenty of visceral horror. These themes are evident in the show’s tightly crafted Season 1 finale, putting these interpersonal bonds to the test. A tale of youth lost to voraciously infected hordes, “All of Us Are Dead” is a fantastic twist on modern zombie stories.

Chris Roberson and Michael Allred’s comic book series “iZombie” was loosely adapted into a television show of the same name by The CW in 2015. The series had protagonist Liv Moore (Rose McIver) become infected by a zombie while attending a party. In order to keep her condition under control rather than transform into a mindless ghoul, Liv had to eat human brains regularly. Whenever Liv ingested brains, she absorbed the memories of their owner, parlaying this ability to help the local Seattle police solve murders around the city.

Starting out as a brain-eating procedural, “iZombie” leaned more into its ghoulish premise as the story progressed. By the final two seasons, the series embraced its zombie potential, bringing the conflict with the infected to the forefront as thousands of zombies ran wild in a quarantined Seattle. This undead twist brought a radical change to the show’s latter seasons while maintaining its quirky sense of fun. A young adult twist on zombie tropes buoyed by strong performances from McIver and co-star Rahul Kohli, “iZombie” was a relatively young audience-friendly zombie show.

There is just something about South Korean zombie stories that puts them a cut above most other cultures’ tales involving undead ghouls. Another strong example of this is “Kingdom,” a Netflix original series adapting the webtoon by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il. Set in 17th-century Korea, the country was already weakened by the recent Imjin War when Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) investigated a strange contagion. With those infected turning into mindless zombies, Lee tried to defend his kingdom while other high-ranking figures had their own designs for the throne.

With its period setting and royal intrigue, “Kingdom” brought plenty of new elements to the familiar zombie horror table. This breathed a lot of new life into the undead saga, with the courtly politics adding fresh dimensions to the medieval fantasy story. That said, the show still brought loads of gruesome spectacle, while gently providing its own rules to established zombie tropes in its swashbuckling approach. For those looking for the next “Squid Game” in terms of riveting K-drama intensity, “Kingdom” absolutely delivered.

Some might nitpick that “The Last of Us” doesn’t feature conventional undead, but instead an infected horde connected through a brain-altering fungal infection. But not only does that discourse get lost in technicalities, but it ignores the fact that all the familiar zombie apocalypse tropes are prevalent throughout the show. The show takes place in a world where a fungal infection turns humans into zombies, with humanity sheltered in isolated communities by 2023. Hardened survivor Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) agrees to escort teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) cross-country for study after she’s discovered to have an immunity to the fungus.

Every bit as grim and gritty as the video game series it’s based on, “The Last of Us” constantly places its main characters on obsessive quests. Whether it’s Joel taking Ellie to Wyoming or Ellie out for revenge, this on-the-road setup offers a tour of its apocalyptic expanse and questions about the nature of survival. This is punctuated by taut moments hiding from and fighting not just the fungal hordes but hostile survivor factions with their own personal vendettas. A beautifully brutal zombie thriller that gets harder to watch as it progresses, “The Last of Us” does its acclaimed source material justice.

At the end of the day, it was always going to be “The Walking Dead” that topped this list. Based on the best-selling comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, the 2010 series featured a world overwhelmed by undead zombies. Waking from a coma in a deserted hospital, the show’s original protagonist, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), found the zombie apocalypse had occurred while he was unconscious. Reuniting with his family outside of Atlanta, Rick led a small band of survivors across this deadly world, confronting both hostile factions and hordes of undead.

There was a time when “The Walking Dead” was must-watch event television, particularly in its tautly crafted first half. This distinction made the show responsible for single-handedly reviving the zombie horror sub-genre worldwide, with countless knock-offs introduced in its wake. This is all to say that the show delivered on its hype, season after season, earning the popularity and accolades it’s enjoyed for years. Running for 11 seasons before its big finale, the original series’ influence lives on as the franchise continues to thrive.