tv zombie series

[dracenstein]

Has there ever been one?

I know there have been several vampire tv series, most Dracula or 'salem's Lot and werewolf, Wilderness and that American series, can't remember what it was called, but protaganist was trying to find a cure for his condition.

So I thought, has there been a zombie series? Not an apocalypse series, it would be too expensive, even if it's one we'd like to see. Just one where the dead walk.

I don't know if the Italians or even the Yanks have done any, which is why I'm asking.

I'm rambling. Sorry.

I can think of a relatively cheap scenario, small town America (or Britain) where voodoo priest or a scientist is resurrecting the dead for his own reasons. Or replacing the town's populace with the dead (Dead & Buried anyone?).

Just remembered, wasn't there going to be a series based on a GAR film/s? which fell through?

Well, thrill me.

[Eyebiter]

kolchak: the night stalker (the original 70's series) had a zombie episode

THE ZOMBIE Airdate: September 20, 1974
Chicago mobsters in the series' 2nd episode are terrified of the title character, a zombie controlled by a voodoo priestess. This episode marks the 1st of John Fiedler's 3 delightful appearances as Gordon "Gordy the Ghoul" Spangler, a morgue attendant who runs a lottery based on corpse statistics. It also contains 1 of the show's most chilling moments- Kolchak trying to render the sleeping zombie helpless by filling it's mouth with salt & sewing it's lips shut.

[MikePizzoff]

I really wish one would be made. Although it would probably turn out to be a piece of shiv with track-star zombies and probably eventually forget about the zombies and start focusing on relationships between people.

[Mike70]

don't know about zombie tv shows - i collect horror/scifi tv shows and i have never come across one.

the x-files did a rather excellent zombie episode entitled "millenium". it was a cross-over of sorts and featured lance hendriksen's character frank black. it revolved around a christian necromancer who reanimated 4 zombies to try and begin the apocolypse.

buffy the vampire slayer had an episode called "dead man's party" in which an african demon resurrects sunnydale's recently deceased.

there is also an episode of angel where the people killed by the beast at wolfram & hart turn into zombies.

[Adolf Kitler]

There was an episode of Sliders that had them jump into a zombiefied world...but it was made TV safe and was lame-o.

Maybe it's best that zombies are kept off tv, since the restrictions would just make them lame, or the budgets and tv quality scriptwriting would be insulting (Anyone up for watching Return of the Living Dead 4 & 5? I didn't think so.)

[Mike70]

There was an episode of Sliders that had them jump into a zombiefied world...but it was made TV safe and was lame-o.

Maybe it's best that zombies are kept off tv, since the restrictions would just make them lame, or the budgets and tv quality scriptwriting would be insulting (Anyone up for watching Return of the Living Dead 4 & 5? I didn't think so.)



aaarrgghh! thanks for mentioning this one. i was having a brain freeze trying to remember this one.

[Danny]

i didnt think it was that bad, reminded me of the stand tv series a little what with the "demon eyes".

[Cereval]

Someday, I hope to make one ... I'd call it Deadscapes.

[Cykotic]

I know that The Horror Channel in the US was making one called "DEAD", but it vanished into thin air...

[dracenstein]

Yeah, I heard, or rather, I read the thread on this board.

[JohnnyTremz]

Hey guys... I saw this tread title and had to join because of the topic. I actually am in the process of pitching a zombie series on national network TV. (which is why when I saw this topic I was in somewhat shock)

Just a little background before I give you guy a little info about the series. I have always wanted to write a "zombie movie" and have had so many ideas but I just felt that no script could justify what true zombie fans would care for without doing something thats already been done a ton of times before. Right before I was about to give up, the thought of episodic zombie writing came to me. I believe it was while I was deep into a series on ABC called "Invasion". The series later got cancelled but it put an excellent new spin on sci-fi TV. Without getting too much into the plot of Invasion, it was a basic "body snatchers" type idea... but the aliens were coming from the water. Anyways, you wont be able to appreciate it unless you have seen it, but the thing that enlightened me about the show was they did an entire series based on aliens without ever really putting one on screen. It was more about the social struggles one goes through in "real life" if something like this were to really happen.

It also dawned on me that if ABC was picking up a show like this, there was def a market for more shows. That of course is when my idea for a zombie related TV series hit. After Hero's debuted this year, I knew even more that there were new ways to spin our favorite "flesh eating" past time without using things that were typically considered too cheesy for network television. You dont see the cast of Hero's wearing super hero costumes... because its based on the whole real life ideas that make it hit home.

Well to make a long story short, as soon as the reality hit me that this was a distinct possibility, I started writing furiously and it all just hit perfectly. I'm currently pitching to both NBC and ABC and i wouldnt even be upset if a network like SPIKE TV took interest in it, but honestly i see this being a really deep emotional show that will change the way people look at the "zombie world".

I dont want to endulge too deep into the plot and ideas of the show for obvious reasons, since the show isnt bought yet, but there a few things I feel confident I can divulge to satisfy your appetites.

First of all the script takes place in NYC (where im from) and will be a lot more realistically done as far as reactions, personalities and emotions.
The "hit hard" aspects of the show will be how these people deal with tragedy, fear, and survival. The foundation for the depth of the storyline roots deep into "post 9-11" NYC. I plan to show on screen how strong the people of NY were during that time and how strong they can be during yet another tragedy, albiet this being a fictional one. The first episode (pilot) we all feel is genius. It will be very subtle, and you wont even see a death take place (however dont feel like its a disapointment based on that).

Somethings to keep in mind...

-Manhattan is an island (big part of the show)
-The main character's family does not live in Manhattan and therefore they will have separate things to deal with. The two will cut back and forth.
- The show will also follow the government, something many zombie flicks have not done. What are they doing to stop this? How are they reacting to something no one thought was possible? Is America now vulnerable to other parts of the country or is this going on everywhere?
- Lots of big social decisions will be made throughout the series that we all hope to never have to make in our lives.
- The great thing about a series that we cant do in a movie is true deep character development. You will feel like you know each and every one of the main characters... so if one were to die... its not just a gory death... it has a compelling story attached to it.


I wish I could tell you guys more, infact what I would love to do is post the pilot script on here to get your thoughts, however if theres one thing I have learned in this business its that things get stolen very quickly and that could end it all.

Well for the little info I have given you I would love to hear your comments and or questions you may have.

[Cykotic]

sounds like something I'm planning... but smaller.

[Cereval]

Hey guys... I saw this tread title and had to join because of the topic. I actually am in the process of pitching a zombie series on national network TV. (which is why when I saw this topic I was in somewhat shock)

...

Well for the little info I have given you I would love to hear your comments and or questions you may have.

So you're a writer / director? Production company? Website? Other works?

This sounds very promising and very in sync with what a lot of us have discussed many times. I wish you the best of luck. My question is, for a syndicated and ultra-commerical network such as NBC, how do you plan on using the shock value of graphic violence involved with a zombie uprising (a necessary plot detail) or do you plan on using it at all?

[JohnnyTremz]

My question is, for a syndicated and ultra-commerical network such as NBC, how do you plan on using the shock value of graphic violence involved with a zombie uprising (a necessary plot detail) or do you plan on using it at all?

This is a great question and to be honest it all depends on where we would get picked up. Right now im trying to only think about the positives of a big network. Yes, there are negatives... the gore will be far less.. well lets just say vivid. The "shock value" I believe will come in different ways. One of which being the utter catastrophe that is occuring, very much on the same level of a terror attack. Please dont be confused, there will be zombie's killing people... you can watch many network TV shows and see pretty bloddy deaths... just watch an episode of CSI, you might even catch an autopsy. But I do understand where your coming from.... and altough there may not be intestines being swallowed left and right.... I assure you the shock will still be there.

Try and visualize this...

Your at work, in a meeting all day long. Oblivious to everything going on outside... and when you leave work all you see is chaos... the first thing that pops in your head is terror attack. Its very hard to depict this image without saying too much but lets just say this... you will be SHOCKED. Again I would be lying if I said this will be similar to other zombie movies... it will not. It will focus a lot more deep into our emotionals during a time like this. What the hell would you really do? Zombies and Reality typically can never be associated with one another... however we are trying to do exactly that.

I again assure you that many of the things that made you a zombie fan to begin with will be there. It will just go alot more in depth. You will follow the main character from second 1 of the problem until the last second. Being side by side with every tough decision he and the people with him have to make. In a movie you may deal with these decisions in a 5-10 min scene. In this series we can deal with things like "my sister is one of them, but shes everything I have left", in 1 or even 2-3 episodes. Again these are just examples and Im trying to get you in my head as much as possible without giving it all away.
I hope this somewhat answered your question.

[ILoVeZoMbiE]

I have a dream: The walking dead tv serie's. This comic is amazing!

[Danny]

your not alone man.

that'd be like lost for zombie fans.

[Cereval]

I again assure you that many of the things that made you a zombie fan to begin with will be there. It will just go alot more in depth. You will follow the main character from second 1 of the problem until the last second. Being side by side with every tough decision he and the people with him have to make. In a movie you may deal with these decisions in a 5-10 min scene. In this series we can deal with things like "my sister is one of them, but shes everything I have left", in 1 or even 2-3 episodes. Again these are just examples and Im trying to get you in my head as much as possible without giving it all away.
I hope this somewhat answered your question.

This sounds very promising. You seem to be tapped into what a lot of Romero fans hold sacred at the ground level of a zombie story: people. What separates George's films from the pack is his unique ability to dissect humanity in the context of a horror scenario. Not to be too shameless, but I'm trying to do this exact thing although on a completely different level. My self-released, direct to DVD short film series Deadscapes (click here) (http://www.deadscapes.com) aims to tell the plight of man in the undead uprising and in an episodic manner. My focus, which seems similar to yours, is on a character-driven plot that happens to be in the midst of this apocalyptic event. Sadly, I don't have the pull or connections (at least currently) for something as grand as network television.

But I can dream, right?

I truly wish you the best on this. Please keep us posted on your progress.

[Chaos]

Has there ever been one?

I know there have been several vampire tv series, most Dracula or 'salem's Lot and werewolf, Wilderness and that American series, can't remember what it was called, but protaganist was trying to find a cure for his condition.

So I thought, has there been a zombie series? Not an apocalypse series, it would be too expensive, even if it's one we'd like to see. Just one where the dead walk.

I don't know if the Italians or even the Yanks have done any, which is why I'm asking.

I'm rambling. Sorry.

I can think of a relatively cheap scenario, small town America (or Britain) where voodoo priest or a scientist is resurrecting the dead for his own reasons. Or replacing the town's populace with the dead (Dead & Buried anyone?).

Just remembered, wasn't there going to be a series based on a GAR film/s? which fell through?

Well, thrill me.

The t.v. show you were talking about that had the guy seeking a cure for his lycanthropy was called, Werewolf. Salem's Lot (both old and new) was a two part mini-series. But as far as I know, there's never been a television program about zombies exclusively.

[dracenstein]

Hey guys... I saw this tread title and had to join because of the topic. I actually am in the process of pitching a zombie series on national network TV. (which is why when I saw this topic I was in somewhat shock)

Sorry to give you a cardiac. Hope you get the green light.

Will your zombies be the 'traditional' type, or will you give them extra fast speed or some form of communication?

Thanx chaos for Werewolf, I saw the pilot on dvd way back when, may have watched other episodes, but can't remember them. Didn't think much of it, tho.

:)

[JohnnyTremz]

Sorry to give you a cardiac. Hope you get the green light.

Will your zombies be the 'traditional' type, or will you give them extra fast speed or some form of communication?


:)

I had a feeling this question would come up. I'm actually thinking about trying something totally different. My zombies will not run or sprint or anything like that... it makes my storyline less realistic (how will people honestly survive thousands of zombies that can run and operate the same speed as one human?). But my zombies will also not walk at the crawling pace that they do traditionally. A zombie that takes steps slower than a baby is not something I want to portray on network TV. So i want to find a happy medium... where the zombies are walkers but they arent neccessarily in slow motion. I want you to visualize your mother coming towards you at a normal pace... and not knowing that shes actually not your mother anymore... until its too late of course.... im trying to really put a reality spin on this to the point where some people at the end of the first season will be like "wow imagine if this **** really happened?"

[Trencher]

Good luck with your tv series try JonhnyTremz, and you are right gore is not that important for apocalyptic zombie horror.
As for zombie speed you can do as they does in the first night of the living dead film where the zombies are slow but not that slow.
Or you could have them be slow and then suddenly get fast when people come close. Or you could mix and match. The important thing is that the audience can not be sure.

[Chaos]

In order for a zombie television series to work, it would almost have to get picked up by a premium cable channel (HBO, etc.) or a speciality channel (fear.net).

The audience of a network broadcast channel just wouldn't get it. It would get cancelled before the pilot was ever shown. The network brass would never put it on the air.

The reaction would be, "Oh, no. Not one of those geeky zombie programs."

Like it or not, many consider the genre to be a joke. We have the mindless gorehounds who sabotaged the genre to thank for that.

[Danny]

for once i agree with you.
i never watch zombie films, read zombie books or comics or play the games for the gore, that cheapens it in my book.
i watch/ read/whatever for plot adn such, the walking dead by image comics has been known to go issues without one zombie sighting yet its the most popular zombie comic, and yet its about people put under the stress' of there would falling apart and how they cope, the zombies are more like a blizzard a threat thats a force of nature and accepted as somethign to avoid plain and simple not just constantly zombies a go-go.
and as for how zombies go the regular moaning shambling does get boring but yeah thousands of runners that cant be killed by machine gun fire into a crowd that size is damn near unstoppable, the creepiest zombies ive seen are in the autumn novels, because they make no noise whatsoever, they just walk and walk silent as the grave, then it all turns on its head after a few days when they begin to get violent.


and if it does get picked up a prime example of what not to do is the trailer for land, zombies marching to metal music, its god aweful.
if you want it serious use the WWII film approach and when a character dies use serious music, even something semi-classical, not the endless metal beat thats a true sign of a stinker.

hows it set out, would it be a group with interchanging cast or more like the stand or the show lost with interchanging groups?

[jdog]

i cant wait for this. should be something good to watch for once

[JohnnyTremz]

To answer your question about the character groupings. It revolves around one main character for the most part... lets call him John for arguments sake.
Then there are basically 3 storylines that are happening all at once... John at work... that group will consist of a co-worker... his bus driver (who you will see as one of the most important characters), and many people from the city whether it be others that ride his bus or other strays/want to be survivors.
The secong grouping of characters revolves around John's family and home life. Obviously there is an immediate connection between these 2 groups and a common goal in mind. Common sense would say these two groups become 1 at one point during the story.
And lastly we have John's government... which will revolve around the decisions and panic that the United States power would go through during a time like this. This group may never actually interact with the other 2 although there will be a connection between them that is revealed later on.

Hope that answered your question.

Anything else guys?

[Trencher]

Tell us news when you get them :)

[Yojimbo]

Hey guys... I saw this tread title and had to join because of the topic. I actually am in the process of pitching a zombie series on national network TV. (which is why when I saw this topic I was in somewhat shock)

Just a little background before I give you guy a little info about the series. I have always wanted to write a "zombie movie" and have had so many ideas but I just felt that no script could justify what true zombie fans would care for without doing something thats already been done a ton of times before. Right before I was about to give up, the thought of episodic zombie writing came to me. I believe it was while I was deep into a series on ABC called "Invasion". The series later got cancelled but it put an excellent new spin on sci-fi TV. Without getting too much into the plot of Invasion, it was a basic "body snatchers" type idea... but the aliens were coming from the water. Anyways, you wont be able to appreciate it unless you have seen it, but the thing that enlightened me about the show was they did an entire series based on aliens without ever really putting one on screen. It was more about the social struggles one goes through in "real life" if something like this were to really happen.

It also dawned on me that if ABC was picking up a show like this, there was def a market for more shows. That of course is when my idea for a zombie related TV series hit. After Hero's debuted this year, I knew even more that there were new ways to spin our favorite "flesh eating" past time without using things that were typically considered too cheesy for network television. You dont see the cast of Hero's wearing super hero costumes... because its based on the whole real life ideas that make it hit home.

Well to make a long story short, as soon as the reality hit me that this was a distinct possibility, I started writing furiously and it all just hit perfectly. I'm currently pitching to both NBC and ABC and i wouldnt even be upset if a network like SPIKE TV took interest in it, but honestly i see this being a really deep emotional show that will change the way people look at the "zombie world".

I dont want to endulge too deep into the plot and ideas of the show for obvious reasons, since the show isnt bought yet, but there a few things I feel confident I can divulge to satisfy your appetites.

First of all the script takes place in NYC (where im from) and will be a lot more realistically done as far as reactions, personalities and emotions.
The "hit hard" aspects of the show will be how these people deal with tragedy, fear, and survival. The foundation for the depth of the storyline roots deep into "post 9-11" NYC. I plan to show on screen how strong the people of NY were during that time and how strong they can be during yet another tragedy, albiet this being a fictional one. The first episode (pilot) we all feel is genius. It will be very subtle, and you wont even see a death take place (however dont feel like its a disapointment based on that).

Somethings to keep in mind...

-Manhattan is an island (big part of the show)
-The main character's family does not live in Manhattan and therefore they will have separate things to deal with. The two will cut back and forth.
- The show will also follow the government, something many zombie flicks have not done. What are they doing to stop this? How are they reacting to something no one thought was possible? Is America now vulnerable to other parts of the country or is this going on everywhere?
- Lots of big social decisions will be made throughout the series that we all hope to never have to make in our lives.
- The great thing about a series that we cant do in a movie is true deep character development. You will feel like you know each and every one of the main characters... so if one were to die... its not just a gory death... it has a compelling story attached to it.


I wish I could tell you guys more, infact what I would love to do is post the pilot script on here to get your thoughts, however if theres one thing I have learned in this business its that things get stolen very quickly and that could end it all.

Well for the little info I have given you I would love to hear your comments and or questions you may have.

Sounds really cool. Hope it gets made, but I wouldn't put it past the suits to pass on something as neat as this.

[EvilNed]

McGyver had a zombie episode too!

[panic]

Just stumbled across this project in-development: LIFELESS. (http://www.lifelesstheseries.com/)

Looks pretty interesting.

[Danny]

it looks allright , kinda horror channel type lowish budget stuff but hey you take what you get ,as long as it takes itself seriously, another of these that got canned tried to go all sci-fi and ended up looking less like night of the living dead and more like ultra man, hence the **** canning i believe.

[Trencher]

Lifeless looks incredeble! And judging by the teaser it have enough fottage for an episode or two!
I would buy this series as a dvd set without thinking twice!

[dracenstein]

Well, we can add Dead Set now. As a one-off mini-series.

Going to see how Lifeless fared.

[dracenstein]

Lifeless is trying to get a life.

Is Ilovezombies still around? His wish is coming true, The Walking Dead is shambling closer...

[AcesandEights]

Lifeless is trying to get a life.

Really?! That's kind of good news, I suppose.

[dracenstein]

Three episodes of Lifeless are on FearNET.

Haven't watched them yet.

[Dr Tongue]

Does Lifeless have fast or slow Zombies? I can't remember.

[dracenstein]

Just tried to watch first episode of Lifeless on FearNET, but couldn't get the player to work.

And the zombies are slow.

Just watched a couple clips and the first five minutes on the Lifeless website,
looks okay, but people still do stupid things...