Horror: Apocalypse to Zombies: My Favorite TV Series

3 seasons / 30 episodes: Ongoing Series
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I could tell right away from the trailer this was going to be a good series. It turned out to be so much better than even the trailer or synopsis suggested.

Lots of tension, lots of mystery, terrific drama. These monsters are terrifying - I love it! There is no escape - only mystery, only despair.

I worry that if there is a reveal, it could ruin this series. Sometimes a hellish existence is just that.

Finished watching season 2 (26jun2023) and it was as good as season 1.

2 seasons / 6 episodes: Ongoing Series

aka: Hellbound. S.Korean with English DUB available.

Season 2: 25sep2024, all 6 episodes aired the same day.
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Exceptionally written horror mystery with a compelling take on supernatural monsters.

Season 1 had it all: well developed characters, powerful drama, tightly written script. One of the best TV series for any genre in 2021.

The IMDB's 6.6 rating (09sep2022 by 23,676) is incredibly low for a series of this quality.

1 season / 9 episodes: Ongoing Series

season 2 confirmed for 2025.

Zombie apocalypse told through the lens of dramatic, character building, story-telling.

1 season / 12 episodes: Ongoing Series

aka: All of Us Are Dead. Korean. English DUB available.

Season 2 confirmed for 2025.
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Great drama with excellent character depth, character development, tension and hordes of fast moving zombies. The first season provided complete closure and felt like a miniseries.

2 seasons / 12 episodes: Ongoing Series

Season 1 was excellent!

After the last few seasons of the original series, I did not expect that a real effort was going to be made with this series. I thought it was a money grab. I was wrong:-)

3 seasons / 26 episodes: Series Complete

aka: Sweet Home. Korean. English DUB available.
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early/2021: Nearly unkillable (unique) Monsters instead of Zombies.

Great cast, great story. Loved season 1 - especially the character development, the larger cast and their interactions.
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06jul2024: Started watching season 2. The first episode had much more action (too much?). I did not see the kind of drama, character development and tension in this first episode.

Put this series in the back burner for a little while to watch later.

1 season / 8 episodes: Ongoing Series

1 season / 9 episodes: Ongoing Series

aka: Squid Game : Season 2 will begin airing Dec/2024.

2 season / 16 episodes: Renewal unknown (17dec2023)

Produced by 'The Asylum' (the same people behind 'Z-Nation' - a great series). Black Summer more closely follows the serious tone of the original 'The Walking Dead'. Season one was top tier stuff.

Season 2: unable to finish the second episode. A disaster in storytelling. Stories are told in chopped up reverse order. Who thought this was a good idea?

Everything is anticlimactic: there is no build-up, no journey of discovery, no character development. It's a nonsensical punchline delivered first, followed by a stale joke - over and over again.

So disappointed in the "artistic" decision to editorially mangle a promising series. Listed here based solely on season 1.
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update, 17dec2023: 2.5 years later, I'm still angry about what they did with season 2.

I honestly don't feel like I could watch another season (if greenlit) since I was forced to skip season 2. I may soon remove this series from this list.

2 seasons / 12 episodes: Series complete

Belgian product w/English language dub available. New twist on what leads to an apocalypse.

A third season hasn't been confirmed yet (as of 29nov2024). Season 2 aired on September 8, 2021, so it's been 3+ years without an update. Listing this as complete

1 season / 6 episodes: Series likely complete

update, 29nov2024: IMDB no longer lists the season 2 and season 3 air dates. This series was previously expected to air on the dates given below (per IMDB).
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season 2 premiere: 15oct2023 (IMDB)
season 3 premiere: 25mar2024 (IMDB)
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Also, this series has no Wikipedia page (thru 29nov2024) making it doubly hard to get updates.

Season 1 aired on July 19, 2020.
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I understand the low-rating (4.8 by 675 as of 06sep2021 // 4.4 by 771 by 14aug2023). This is a low-budget, b-movie like TV series.

The bad: Vampires too campy, bad acting, weak story arc.

The good: Humans are actually done very well, much better acting, stronger story plot.

I find that I can put up with the vampires and the b-movie elements and still enjoy the low-budget series these guys are putting together - it's fairly rich in details.

2 seasons / 20 episodes: Series Complete

update, 21jul2024: Series cancelled after 2 seasons. Have yet to see the final season 2. I am hopeful that there is some closure.
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Season 1: Love the cast. Good story, fun to watch, nicely done (open-ended) closure.

2 seasons / 16 episodes: Season 3 pending

While categorized as a fantasy drama, it takes place in a (softer, gentler) post-apocalyptic world (and the reason it's included on this list).
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update, 22jul2023: I started watching season 2 and it feels so different. Suddenly it feels like a kid's show, kid villains, goofy.

I think I made it through the first episode but I'm not sure. My brain went numb.

On the back burner for now... maybe it'll feel like it was written for adults (too) as it continues. Maybe the first episode was an aberration. But the series will have to wait.

Once on backburner status, it tends to stay there because my expectations have rock-bottomed and there are many other options for entertainment.

2 seasons / 14 episodes: Series Complete

A hidden gem. Honestly surprised more people haven't discovered this (only 1,365 votes as of 15aug2023). Great characters, well-written story, constant tension (you sleep, you die).

High on my list of recommends since I'd like more people to see this. New take on what leads to an apocalypse.

7 seasons / 152 episodes: Series Complete

Many episodes that tackle the list criteria.

5 seasons / 156 episodes: Series Complete

Many episodes that tackle the list criteria of individual despair.

11 seasons / 177 episodes: Series Complete

Thank you, TWD! It was a good run! Those last few seasons, though...

miniseries / 6 episodes

This closure to the original Walking Dead series was very well done. It was an unexpected surprise since the original Walking Dead series coasted during the last third of its run.

Very excited that The Walking Dead franchise bounced back. I have yet to see TWD: Dead City but my interest in the franchise has been renewed.

1 season / 6 episodes: Ongoing Series

After watching and truly enjoying TWD: Daryl Dixon and TWD: The Ones That Live... I had great expectations about this series.

I was not disappointed. All three of the TWD spinoff series have been excellent!

1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete

This series has the feel of both an all-time great classic and a modern show.

While it lasted only 8 episodes (search Mark Frankel), the series felt much longer in a great way. It's been years since I last watched this and yet I can still feel the magic of this series everytime I think about it.

This one is definitely on my re-watching queue which I can't wait to get to.
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update, 24dec2023: Finished rewatching the entire 8 episode series.

What a great cast, each episode ending a story thread (no cliffhangers; respectful of the viewers), written for adults (ie, not many comedic one-liners making light of everything, destroying the drama).

It was such a treat seeing every character in this series again. Like so many, I still remain saddened about the circumstances that led to the abrupt end of this series

5 seasons / 37 episodes: Series Complete

I love the US version too but this UK version should be seen first. I found it to be better overall.
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Related: Becoming Human (2011)

4 seasons / 52 episodes: Series Complete

Solid US remake of the UK version. Recommend watching the UK series first. I thought it did a better job with the casting, characters, story and general ambience. It felt both richer and more real-world.

I'd go so far as to say that even the performances were better. This sounds like a knock on the US version - it isn't. I rate both versions very highly but even among highly rated shows - one can be better than the other.

3 seasons / 32 episodes: Series Complete

Post-apocalyptic, no guns anywhere, martial arts, great fighting scenes, blades, territories (Barons), huge cast of characters, layered story-telling within the confines of a main theme, politics led by power/control and a solidly written real-feel drama.

Didn't expect 'Into the Badlands' to be this good when I started the series. The series has both a proper and rewarding ending.

2 seasons / 12 episodes: Series Complete

Such a great series when I saw this in 2008. I especially liked that government officials were part of the story.

In too many apocalyptic worlds, those in charge during the pre-pandemic simply disappear from the storytelling. It's the elephant in the room. This series does a good job of integrating their experiences while also providing further insight into the causes (and possible solutions) of the virus.

I thought Nikki Amuka-Bird shined as a gov official trying to establish some kind of new order in the chaos and the difficult (moral) compromises she must make - as she also tries to survive.

It added an extra dimension that some other series gloss over preferring to focus on a sole leader. Many other great performances in this well rounded series.

5 seasons / 68 episodes: Series Complete

Both fun and serious. Unique characters, unique storylines. Murphy sets the tone for a series loaded with great characters