The Resident Evil franchise rejuvenated zombie fiction at a time when people were more into living dinos and evil spirits brought back to life. While the video game series has become one of the most famous and highest earning titles to date, the corresponding on-screen adaptations have proved themselves to be quite popular amongst horror/action movie fanatics. Resident Evil fans have seen the rise of Alice as the franchise’s on-screen protagonist, to the return of the games’ fan-favorite heroes (Claire Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong, Jill Valentine) in the films, as well as a reboot in 2021, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. The video game franchise returned this year for another live-action reboot, this time by Netflix, featuring leads that haven’t appeared yet in any of the previous films or games.
Netflix’s Resident Evil series is set in two timelines; 2022 and 2036. While the 2022 storyline explores the beginning of the massive outbreak that snowballed into consuming all of humanity, 2036 sees the struggle of survivors as they find ways to stay alive and take down the evil Umbrella Corporation once and for all. The first season mostly deals with Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick) - a name quite familiar to Resident Evil veterans - and his family, namely his genetically enhanced daughters Billie and Jade Wesker. If you are done with Season 1 already, here’s a list of seven shows similar to Resident Evil that will curb your zombie apocalypse survival fantasies as you wait anxiously for Season 2.
The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
Perhaps one of the most famous post-apocalyptic zombie horror TV series of all time, The Walking Dead has seen its own share of video games and a dedicated fandom that has been following the franchise for 11 seasons since 2010. Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) of King County, Georgia, wakes from a coma to find himself amidst an ongoing zombie epidemic overrun with "walkers" i.e. humans turned into zombies. The only way to permanently kill one is to damage the brain or destroy the body entirely, such as by cremating it. Grimes becomes the leader of a group of survivors from his city as they try to fend off the ever-hungry walkers while also fighting for resources with rival groups. The Walking Dead franchise has even expanded to several spinoffs that include Fear the Walking Dead (2015–present), The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020–2021), and others that are currently in development.
Z Nation (2014-2018)
Z Nation is a refreshing take on the post-apocalyptic scenario plagued by zombies that combines elements of horror, action, and comedy. Created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams, Z Nation made its Syfy debut on September 12, 2014. The show tells the story of a world three years into a zombie apocalypse caused by a virus that has already killed most of the humans and turned them into bloodthirsty zombies. However, a Portsmouth Naval Prison inmate named Alvin Murphy (Keith Allan) survives being bitten by a zombie as part of a government-approved trial and becomes the last hope for humanity to fight the spreading epidemic. A small group of survivors, led by Simon "Citizen Z" Cruller (played by DJ Qualls), tries to rescue Murphy and bring him to the world's last known functioning Centers for Disease Control research lab in California. However, unbeknownst to them, Murphy’s mutation harbors a dark secret, one that will change their future forever.
Black Summer (2019-2021)
A spinoff of Z Nation created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams, Black Summer tells the story of the earliest days of the zombie apocalypse that was described in the original show. The series builds up the story of Rose (Jaime King), who is separated from her daughter Anna (Zoe Marlett) six weeks after the start of the zombie epidemic. Rose embarks on a mission to find her missing daughter with the help of the rest of the survivors while trying to stay alive during the deadliest summer humanity has ever faced. Even though Z Nation and Black Summer share the same world, writing, directing, producing staff, and company, the two have nothing else in common, making Black Summer an entirely different TV show in its own right.
Happiness (2021)
Happiness makes use of the atmosphere of terror created by the COVID-19 pandemic and draws a bleak picture of our worst dreams crawling into real life. The South Korean horror-thriller sees a COVID-19 treatment drug trial called "Next” go horribly wrong, unleashing a new worldwide pandemic called the Rita Virus, a.k.a "mad person disease". The symptoms include short bouts of insanity and bloodlust, followed by a zombie-like state. While the South Korean police and government are trying to contain the spread of the virus through extensive investigation and authoritarian quarantine measures, the locked-up citizens must find ways to survive during the raging pandemic by fighting against the worst of their nightmares.
Daybreak (2019)
Are you a fan of rom-coms and horror? Daybreak is just the show for you then. Based on the comic series of the same name by Brian Ralph, Daybreak tells the story of a 17-year-old Canadian high school outcast Josh Wheeler, portrayed by Colin Ford, who is looking for his missing girlfriend Sam Dean (Sophie Simnett) in a zombie-infested California. He teams up with a ragtag group of misfits on his search and rescue mission, and battles through hordes of Ghoulies - adults who have turned into flesh-eating zombies, while also looking out for warring teenage gangs consisting of former school jocks and cheerleaders.
Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-2018)
Stemming from the famed Evil Dead universe, Ash vs Evil Dead was Starz’s attempt to bring Ash back into action after a 30-year hiatus from his monster-slashing days. The show serves as a direct sequel to the first three Evil Dead films and begins with the trilogy’s famous protagonist Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) living a mundane, seemingly normal life at the Value Stop as a simple stock boy. Ash knows the Evil Dead will be back for him one day, and they do as he accidentally sets off a Deadite plague in an act of carelessness. He now has to return to his older chainsaw-wielding demon/zombie-slashing persona to take down the Evil Dead once and for all.
All of Us Are Dead (2022-Present)
All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean coming-of-age horror show created by Chun Sung-il, Lee Jae-kyoo, and Kim Nam-su for Netflix. One of the most successful K-Dramas post-pandemic, All of Us Are Dead was adapted from the Naver webtoon Now at Our School by Joo Dong-geun, published between 2009 and 2011. The story follows a failed science experiment at a local high school that leads to the spread of a deadly virus turning people into zombies. The few surviving students are now cut off from the outside world, as the zombies have trapped them inside the school premises with no food or water supply and no communication with the government to call for help. They learn to use the school’s facilities in creative ways to fend off the incoming hordes and survive the animosity amongst rival groups. The series was renewed for a second season by Netflix on June 6, 2022.