The 9 best zombie shows streaming right now

How would you fare in a zombie apocalypse?

It’s a tough time to be a lover of the zombie show subgenre. The market is well-saturated with all kinds of series, but many fan favorites were canceled in their prime (hello, Santa Clarita Diet), leaving far too many questions unanswered and hunger for the undead unfulfilled. Even so, these zombie shows are still well worth watching.

From cinematic K-dramas to teenage soaps, period pieces to future hypotheticals, here are the best zombie TV shows streaming right now.

All of Us Are Dead (2022–present)

This South Korean coming-of-age drama finds a group of high schoolers trapped after a failed attempt at a resurrection spurs a zombie outbreak right within the halls of their school.

All Of Us Are Dead sees its stars MacGyvering survival tools — climbing floors with fire hoses and coming up with respectful ways to use the bathroom where none exist. Like many post-apocalyptic dramas, it also explores the extremes a person may go to so they can save their own skin. Based on the webtoon by Joo Dong-geun, the series reached the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 list within a week of its premiere. —Sammi Burke

Where to watch All of Us Are Dead: Netflix

Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon

Related content: The 20 best Korean shows on Netflix to watch now

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Probably the most extensive example of zombie-based lore out there, The Walking Dead universe covers several years and locales across the post-apocalyptic world. Based on Robert Kirkman’s comic series, the flagship television show touches on the start of the outbreak and occasionally flashes back, but it mostly takes place well into its existence. It eventually follows several groups of survivors as they rebuild communities, forge new governments, and fight for a better world. —S.B.

Where to watch The Walking Dead: Netflix

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus

Related content: Dead end: On set for the final days of The Walking Dead

Kingdom (2019–2021)

Zombies in the 17th century? It’s more likely than you think. Set three years after the Imjin War, Kingdom sees a mysterious plague spreading throughout the Joseon Dynasty, which is sure to meddle in the various political conspiracies.

Ju Ji-hoon stars as Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon, who works with allies to prevent the plague — which, of course, reanimates the dead — from spreading beyond the city-state of Sangju. But unfortunately, there’s more to the epidemic than they realized, and Chang must work to save his people from both zombies and treason. —S.B.

Where to watch Kingdom: Netflix

Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong

Related content: The 10 best zombie movies on Netflix right now

The Last of Us (2023–present)

Video game adaptations are famously hit or miss, but this expansive HBO drama is a worthy translation of its namesake’s rich storytelling. Set 20 years into a fungus-based pandemic that transforms people into the ravenous “infected,” The Last of Us follows the journey of middle-aged Joel (Pedro Pascal) and 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the latter of whom is immune to the virus and could therefore help develop a vaccine.

With superb chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey and careful attention to their respective characters, The Last of Us transcends being just another zombie show, entering the realm of prestige television. —K.J.

Where to watch The Last of Us: Max

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey

Related content: The Last of Us ‘may require season 4,’ creators tease

Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019)

Santa Clarita Diet is still well worth viewing even without a formal conclusion. It’s another creative take on the zombie genre since the undead aren’t usually sentient, and, until it was canceled, it was well on its way to explaining just how they came to be, which isn’t usually information the audience gets to be privy to in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Starring Drew Barrymore as Sheila and Timothy Olyphant as her husband Joel, Santa Clarita Diet is a genuinely funny comedy where the duo and their daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) and her friend Eric (Skyler Gisondo) work together to figure out how and why Sheila has started to crave human flesh — and hide her affliction from everyone else. —S.B.

Where to watch Santa Clarita Diet: Netflix

Cast: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo

Related content: Timothy Olyphant compares the 'f---ing crazy' Santa Clarita Diet to ALF

In the Flesh (2013–2014)

Taking place several years after “the Rising,” otherwise known as the zombie apocalypse, In the Flesh has an interesting take on life after the undead. Where we usually see society permanently overrun by flesh-eaters, resistance from the living has succeeded in keeping them at bay — until a cure of sorts was found. Now, the zombies are being rehabilitated and reintroduced into the general public, including teenager Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry), who isn’t exactly welcomed home with open arms.

The series was canceled after BBC Three faced budget cuts, but its 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes should still sway you to give it a chance, cliffhangers be damned. —S.B.

Where to watch In the Flesh: Hulu

Cast: Luke Newberry, Harriet Cains, Marie Critchley, Steve Cooper, Emmett J Scanlan

Related content: The 30 best zombie movies of all time, ranked

Happiness (2021)

When a failed experimental vaccine pill turns recipients into zombie-like monsters with unquenchable thirsts, who then, of course, pass it on to others through bites and scratches, it leads to secrets, quarantines, and a touch of mass hysteria.

Much of the action in Happiness is centered on a single apartment building, where Detective Jung Yi-hyun (Park Hyung-sik) tries to uncover the cause of the “Mad Person Disease" outbreak with the help of Yoon Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo), who is seemingly immune. —S.B.

Where to watch Happiness: Rakuten Viki

Cast: Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik, Jo Woo-jin

Black Summer (2019–2021)

How do you know who to trust when society comes crashing to a halt? Created as a companion show to Syfy’s Z Nation, Black Summer is a Netflix original taking place at the onset of the apocalypse.

The ensemble-driven series follows several survivors as they navigate the sudden onslaught of the undead, unsupervised children, untrustworthy military members, and more while heading to the local stadium for evacuation. Jaime King stars as Rose, a woman struggling to keep her daughter alive in an increasingly unsafe world. —S.B.

Where to watch Black Summer: Netflix

Cast: Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary, Christine Lee

Related content: Jaime King got 'busted the f--- up' making zombie show Black Summer

Freakish (2016–2017)

Violet (Liza Koshy) is one of many teens trapped inside their school after a local chemical plant blows up, causing those caught in the fallout to turn into zombie-like creatures. But there’s limited food in the cafeteria and few wieldable weapons on the premises, prompting a group to leave the campus to search for supplies.

Freakish is a Hulu original that never quite found its mark. It’s no Emmy-winning drama, but it’s a fun, young take that’s in line with what The Walking Dead may have been like had it aired on the CW. —S.B.

Where to watch Freakish: Hulu

Cast: Leo Howard, Liza Koshy, Adam Hicks, Aislinn Paul, Meghan Rienks

Related content: Hulu's Freakish trailer: Social media stars face off against mutants

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.