We Still Miss iZombie — And Here’s Why

Zombies are kind of like an Easter egg hunt: you can never really have too many. And, if 2010s television is any indication, you can never really have enough. The decade saw everything from AMC’s zombie apocalypse epic The Walking Dead (2010–2022) to Netflix’s campy horror-comedy The Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2018). Somewhere in between is a criminally overlooked five-season series about murder-solving and mayhem through the undead eyes of the freshly zombified Liv Moore.

iZombie never quite found the mainstream success of its peers (it’s not even streaming on Hulu, The CW’s go-to post-show purgatory) but developed a cult following all the same thanks to its sharp writing, charming performances, and a wildly original approach to the concept of zombies. The brainiac horror-comedy, created by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, was loosely based on Chris Roberson and Michael Allred’s Vertigo comic series. That book followed zombie gravedigger Gwen Dylan as she worked to solve murders and keep her mind intact in Eugene, Oregon, before a new zombie virus forces her to start eating brains every 30 days to maintain her memories.

The comics were pretty loose on their initial premise, too, with Gwen eventually being joined by a ghost and a were-terrier. (It’s a nice supernatural remix on friendship groups and self-identity.) But on TV, they ditched the original protagonist, renaming her Liv—a name, yes—Moore. Rose McIver plays the resident type-A med student in Seattle, whose carefree fiancé Major (Robert Buckley), offbeat roommate Peyton (Aly Michalka), and professional life are all turned upside down when a new designer drug called Utopium, mixed with an energy drink called Max Rager, causes the city’s first zombie outbreak at a boat party Liv just happens to be attending.

Liv is scratched during the chaos of said boat party, put in a coma-induced coma in a body bag and wakes up as one of the undead. After breaking up with her human fiancé, Major, drifting apart from her roommate, Peyton, and taking a low-key job at the medical examiner’s office to quietly access fresh brains, Liv is discovered by her idiosyncratic and kind-hearted boss and CDC scientist, Ravi (Rahul Kohli). Ravi eventually deduces Liv’s secret and becomes her ally in her search for a zombie cure.

But he also finds that the brains of those Liv eats—revealing memories and information about their final moments before their murders—become clues to help her solve cases. This meant that, paired with Det. Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin)—who, for the first few episodes at least, believed Liv had some form of psychic ability—Liv got a free pass to peruse the comings and goings of every major murder in Seattle. In the first season, Ravi’s comic relief banter served as the perfect balance to their partner-in-brain-squishing. It’s not a bad gig for anyone to have, but Ravi, ever the scientist, was happy to help his newfound friend while also reveling in her more unhinged brain personalities (okay, maybe not when she takes on the brain of his old nemesis PhD scientist…he’s not too happy then).

Brains, Cries, and Cried-Offs

Liv’s secret was hard to keep, but the show found its equal in shape-shifting, bleach-blonde playboy sociopath zombie Blaine DeBeers (David Anders), the man who scratched her at the boat party. Blaine is rich, no-nonsense, and has a boatload of daddy issues to fuel his moral decrepitude. A former dealer of Utopium, Blaine graduates into a full-time brain trafficker, assembling a network of wealthy clients dependent on his supply of illicit zombie food.

Liv’s zombified parents (Julie and Matt Bush) also remain through the series, while other major players include Blaine’s brawny protector Kim (Eddie Kim) and mega-rich nemesis Rita Du Clark (Leanne Lapp). Jessica Harmon’s Dale Brazzio became Clive’s detective partner, while Bryce Hodgson’s breakout comedic performance as season-one vigilante Scott E. was so adored that the writers brought back the eccentric performer as his nearly identical twin brother, Don E., Blaine’s enforcer. And guest roles from Daran Norris as sleazy weatherman Johnny Frost, Steven Weber as Clive’s father and Ravi’s nemesis, Vaughan Du Clark, CEO of Max Rager, and several other nefarious and weird brain victims added pop-up stars to a show that wouldn’t know what to do with a network lead.

The show’s creative energy and momentum dissipated in later seasons, however, and the finale was a bit of a letdown: it felt rushed and missed an opportunity to give audiences the series finale they deserved. But it was one of those rare cases where the ridiculous became downright moving. The humor was razor sharp, the puns (Major Lillywhite, The Scratching Post watering hole, Ravi’s dog “Minor”) were endless, and we ate up the brain-based concoctions Liv would whip up from her victims (did we mention she is also a chef? Stir-fry, hush puppies, protein shakes, you name it).

Our favorite episode was the one in which Liv ate the brain of her former sorority sister and free spirit Holly (Tasya Teles), who died in a (surprise) skydiving “accident.” Holly’s reckless spirit invigorates Liv, whose cautious attitude toward life is thrown for a loop, and it was one of those cringeworthy comedic reminders that under the grunts, giggles, and stitches was a very human story.

Zombies, Bodies, and Bodysnatchers

We have seen zombies in just about every cultural medium possible (TV shows about TV shows about TV shows about TV shows), so it’s rare when a series finds a new angle on the undead. At the time of its premiere, iZombie was that show: a bonkers narrative about medical students, detective work, zombies, serial killers, and murderers running around Seattle. It was gross and comedic and had a heart. And, for some of us, a soul.