25 Best Zombie TV Shows On Netflix
Summary
- The best zombie shows on Netflix come in various flavors – from horror to comedy and sci-fi, catering to all age groups.
- Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness offers a compelling anime adaptation, bridging the gap between popular survival horror video games.
- All of Us Are Dead stands out with a unique twist on the zombie outbreak, blending high school drama with supernatural elements.
Netflix has many horror shows, and of the best zombie shows on Netflix, there is a lot to choose from. The best thing about the offerings on the streaming giant is that these shows come in different flavors. While there are pure horror zombie shows that follow the typical post-apocalyptic formula, there are just as many shows that blend horror with sci-fi and comedy. With some zombie series being teen dramas, there’s a zombie show for all age groups. With more getting made regularly, there’s likely never going to be a shortage of new Netflix zombie shows.
The Walking Dead is the most well-known zombie show, both on Netflix and generally speaking. However, as The Walking Dead ended after 11 seasons, there’s a huge gap that needs filling for many viewers. While all 11 seasons of the popular zombie series — the most successful of all time — are available on Netflix, there are plenty of other zombie shows, some of which stars the likes of Drew Barrymore, Jaime King, and Lance Reddick. With animated series, foreign shows that embrace different cultures, and historical dramas, the best zombie shows on Netflix stand out from the horde.
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25 Resident Evil (2022)
A New Version Of The Classic Zombie Videogame
Following the end of the Resident Evil blockbuster movie franchise, which turned the horror source material into an action series, Netflix attempted to make something much closer to the video game series. Netflix has attempted to adapt Resident Evil three times, first with another movie, then with an animated series, and finally with the live-action 2022 series, which only lasted for one season. Unfortunately, the planned Resident Evil season 2 was canceled, so the show never got the chance to see its story to a conclusion, but Lance Reddick’s performance makes Resident Evil worth watching among Netflix zombie shows.
The story takes place over two timelines, giving the viewers glimpses of what’s coming in the future, but also explanations for things they might recognize in the movies or video games. The series serves as an origin story for so many of the concepts used in the franchise, and it makes for a fascinating look into the action for fans who already know their lickers from their tyrants.
24 Goedam (2020)
Horror Anthology Series
Goedam is an anthology horror series about Korean myths and urban legends, with each episode focusing on a different topic, be it ghosts, zombies, or some other supernatural force. Despite having some questionable effects and CGI in places, Goedam does have some shining moments. One lingering criticism that prevents Goedam from rising higher among Netflix zombie shows, however, is the lack of a genuine fear factor. Goedam makes audiences want to research more about the interesting myths though, and it’s one of the more unique Netflix shows to feature zombies thanks to this fact.
Another point in the show’s favor is that it’s actually a very quick watch. Each story is shorter than the length of a typical sitcom episode, so those intrigued by the horror or the lore can binge it quickly or watch episodes in between other media, giving them a small sampling of the urban legends within.
23 RealityZ (2020)
A Zombie Apocalypse Interrupts A Reality TV Show
RealityZ is a Brazilian remake of the superior British horror series Dead Set. The show follows a group of contestants in a Big Brother-like reality series during a zombie apocalypse and must fight for survival. With a mix of comedy and horror and a unique exotic setting, the Brazilian series didn’t quite live up to its British counterpart. However, standing on its own as a Netflix series, RealityZ is still worthy of a watch for those wanting to browse the best zombie shows on Netflix with 10 episodes of funny zombie horror.
Reality TV fans, in particular, will likely be intrigued by the premise since it attempts to blend the horror and reality genres. It’s not that hard to believe that an apocalyptic event would be carefully followed by a camera crew encouraging people to fight to make it to another day.
22 Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021)
Netflix Brings Resident Evil As An Anime Series
The animated Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is another attempt by Netflix to turn the video game into a compelling series. And this attempt is actually much more successful than the live-action series. Fans of the franchise will likely find this one even more interesting. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness takes place between the Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 video games, which is a great decision given that the fourth game is one of the most celebrated survival horror games ever.
While some fans of the Resident Evil games felt Infinite Darknessfractured Claire and Leon’s relationship in a way some disagreed with, it still delivers the same zombie action as the game’s cutscenes. Those looking for an easy-to-watch animated Netflix zombie show definitely shouldn’t miss this addition to the Resident Evil movies.
21 Onimusha (2023)
Based On The Video Game Franchise
Onimusha is based on a video game franchise, and while video game adaptations are rarely as good as fans want them to be, this one ended up garnering great reviews. The series is set in the Edo period with Japan transitioning toward peace. However, an aging Musashi is sent out on a mission with the mythical Oni Gauntlet and his goal is to kill demons lurking around the country. This includes zombies, as several humans had risen from the dead, infected with the spirits of demons.
The series, consisting of eight episodes, has a 100% fresh rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and an equally great 83% from the audience score. At only eight episodes, it’s a short watch, and one that fans might even want to start right back over to get a better look at the animation the second time around.
20 Betaal (2020)
An Indian Zombie Series
Betaal is about a group of soldiers who must clear a village for construction work, only to find out that the village is haunted, and they must fight for survival against hundreds of undead soldiers. The show expertly mixes horror with Indian folklore, and for a web series, Betaal is incredibly cinematic and atmospheric. The show has a great cast too, all of whom do a great job at depicting a Lord of the Flies-esque narrative about power and corruption. Betaal’s pacing does create issues at points, but it remains a can’t-miss for fans of the zombie genre.
With only four episodes, the show is a quick watch, and it’s also a welcome examination of cultural differences in the zombie subgenre of horror. Many of the most famous zombie movies are from the West while many of the shows are currently K-dramas. Blending Indian history and folklore with zombie tropes makes for a breath of fresh air in the subgenre.
19 Zombieverse (2023)
A Zombie Comedy Reality Series
Netflix recently took the idea of a cult series and turned it into a reality TV show with its new Squid Games series. However, this wasn’t the first time that the streaming service did something like this. Earlier in 2023, Netflix took the idea of a zombie apocalypse and created a reality TV series based on seeing who could survive the longest in those situations in Zombieverse.
The premise behind the series is that contestants are brought together for a reality dating show when a “virus” breaks out and they must learn to survive. This is what is referred to as a “real variety” series in Korea, and it is part reality show and part competition show, with the contestants taking part in quests across South Korea. The series received positive reviews for its tongue-in-cheek humor and has a second season on the way.
18 The Last Kids On Earth (2019-2021)
Based on the Children’s Books By Max Brallier
The Last Kids on Earth is an animated series based on The Last Kids on Earth book series of the same name by Max Brallier, following 13-year-old Jack Sullivan and his friends as they fight off zombies and monsters that invade their town. There are familiar voices in the cast including some genre greats like Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, and Bruce Campbell.
Zombie movies and shows are typically made for adults, but this one is very different. The series is catered to young children just as the books are, and it certainly shows in the cartoon slapstick humor, but it’s entertaining enough for kids and faithful to the source material. The series won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020, but was unfortunately a victim of cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic as productions were shut down. A live-action project has been in development.
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17 V-Wars (2019)
Ian Somerhalder Stars In V-Wars
V-Wars is an interesting spin on the zombie show formula, and it isn’t just one of the best zombie shows on Netflix but one of the best vampire shows on Netflix too. Vampire Diaries fans who want to see Ian Somerhalder take on a very different role in a vampire story will want to tune in as he’s a scientist here instead of one of the members of the Blood faction.
The series follows a scientist during a global pandemic who sees a virus turning people into vampires, similar to I Am Legend. The 2019 release is a fun series that explores the mythology of vampires while still being a zombie apocalypse show. However, many feel that V-Wars would have made a much better 90-minute schlocky B-movie about vampire zombies than a 10-episode series. It does suffer from pacing issues and feels drawn out at points, but the concept alone makes it worth a watch.
16 Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead
Based On The Manga Series By Haro Aso & Koraro Takata
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a Japanese anime based on the popular manga series of the same name. This should not be confused with the live-action series, also released in 2023, although they are both based on the same manga. Instead, this is an anime that has nine episodes and tells the story of an office worker who hates his life who realizes that the zombie apocalypse will allow him to check things off his bucket list.
The idea gives a completely different perspective than zombie apocalypse stories typically do, and it’s refreshing. Instead of cowering and hiding, he sets out to live his best life during the end of days. There is a lot of humor and horror in this anime, and it is a fun ride with another season still to come on Netflix.
15 The Rain (2018-2020)
A Danish Zombie Epic
The Rain is a Danish series that follows survivors of a zombie apocalypse who travel through the country trying to avoid a deadly virus that’s carried in raindrops. The premise is a creative spin on the genre, as the rain element makes it almost impossible for characters not to become infected, and it makes for one of the best zombie shows on Netflix due to its intensity alone.
Outside The Rain’s virus and how it’s carried and spread, The Rain is ultimately a run-of-the-mill, yet still engaging, post-apocalyptic show that’s carried by great dramatic performances and relatable characters. One of the better aspects of the series is that it skews younger. The protagonists are not experienced adults who know exactly what to do, but kids who spend years hiding out from the virus in a bunker and are forced out of hiding when supplies run low and their father doesn’t return.
14 La Révolution (2020)
A French Zombie Murder Mystery
La Révolution has a unique concept in the zombie show landscape, as it’s a historical epic that interpolates real-life events and throws zombies into the mix similar to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. However, La Révolution is less schlocky than something like Pride & Prejudice and Zombies and takes the idea deadly seriously. The series is set during the French Revolution and explores social inequality with the contrast between the French aristocracy and the revolutionaries, and there just happens to be a zombie virus spreading across the country at the same time.
The series makes the contrast between social classes even more stark as the virus begins its spread among the aristocrats who attack the working class. La Révolution is light on scares, but the series is clearly well-researched, and the historical setting makes it one of the best zombie shows on Netflix.
13 Sweet Home (2020)
A South Korean Zombie Series Based On A Web Toon
Sweet Home is a K-drama made popular around the world by streaming access on Netflix. It might appear to be a by-the-numbers zombie apocalypse show, but it replaces the straightforward zombies with more interesting monsters. That might not be enough to hide the fact from some fans that it has the same formula as the other shows and leans into all the clichés. However, Sweet Home is one of Netflix’s most violent and gruesome shows, and with the incredible production, that alone delivers enough thrills to be considered one of the best zombie shows on Netflix.
The show has plenty of time to improve too. As the first two seasons were a huge hit for the streaming platform, with season 3 arriving in 2024, making Sweet Home a must-watch. The show also benefits from having several K-drama darlings in its cast. Song Kang has become one of the most popular leading men in South Korea, and he leads a fantastically talented ensemble here.
12 Van Helsing (2016-2021)
Based On The Graphic Novel Series
Even though the name suggests that Van Helsing is about vampires (which it is), the vampires on this show are very zombie-like. It adds some interesting new lore to the idea of zombies and vampires and borrows elements from classic stories of Van Helsing and even Dracula in a futuristic setting. Van Helsing is a dark fantasy series similar to Z-Nation in some ways.
Van Helsing revolves around Vanessa Van Helsing, who is a descendant of the legendary Abraham Van Helsing. She awakens from a coma in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where vampires have pretty much taken over the world. As a zombie show on Netflix, the Van Helsing series ticks all the boxes for those seeking the same action with a fresh twist, and it picked up several Leo nominations in Canada.
11 Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress: The Battle Of Unato (2019)
A Japanese Anime Zombie Series
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato is one of Netflix’s many great anime series. The show is a horror series that involves a gory, wild mixture of zombies and steampunk goodness. This particular anime is a sequel to the previous Kaberneri series. There are three episodes altogether, as Netflix divided up the original feature-length movie into episodes instead of one full-length film, allowing streamers the option to binge the show or savor the episodes.
The show focuses more on the action and zombie-maiming elements than the narrative arcs. Overall, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato is light on episodes and doesn’t go as deep as it could, but the anime looks great and is visually inventive. Fans of horror anime will be intrigued by the art style alone.
10 All Of Us Are Dead (2022)
Based On The South Korean Zombie Webtoon
Netflix sent the undead into a familiar location, as South Korea’s All of Us Are Dead characters are high schoolers. However, the series added something different to the genre, as it seemed there might be more to the zombie outbreak than expected. The experiment of a science teacher unleashes the virus on unsuspecting students in the confined space of their school classrooms.
With the anxiety and insecurity of high school-aged kids, All of Us Are Dead is a lot more than just another zombie show. The series is clever and emotionally engaging, and almost every episode includes an unexpected twist or shocking death. Not only is All Of Us Are Dead one of the best zombie shows on Netflix, but it’s also one of the best K-dramas overall. The show was hugely popular in its first season, logging more than 400 million hours watched in its first month on Netflix. The second season is expected in 2025.
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9 Black Summer (2019-2021)
Black Summer Is A Spinoff From Z Nation
Black Summer is based within the same universe as another popular zombie series, Z Nation. Set six weeks after the beginning of the outbreak, a group of survivors must brave the dangerous new world and try to survive it together. With Jaime King in the starring role as a mother separated from her daughter during the early phase of the zombie apocalypse, the show serves as a prequel to Z Nation.
While some Walking Dead fans might want to compare it to Fear The Walking Dead’s place in the main show’s timeline, the show’s are not the same. Outside the zombie apocalypse in the world, Black Summer had nothing to do with the original series and didn’t have to be bogged down by tie-in episodes. Nevertheless, Black Summer is almost as good as its predecessor, and in some cases better, but some felt it suffers from a lack of character development.
8 Hellbound (2021-Present)
Hellbound Is Based On The South Korean Webtoon
Stream now on NetflixHellbound is one of the many K-dramas to have a chance with a wider audience thanks to the Netflix platform. It also is the first K-drama to premiere first at the Toronto International Film Festival, causing a lot of interest before it ever became available to stream. The fascinating premise only added fuel to the fire.
It is more about monsters and demons than zombies, but it became one of those phenomenally successful shows on the streaming service that had everyone talking at the time, just like Squid Game. Hellbound isn’t just about zombies, but hell and all sorts of other supernatural goings-on too. The show follows a group of people who are visited by supernatural beings known as “Hellbound” when it’s time for their death. Given that Hellbound season 2 is confirmed, the second season could iron out some of the first season’s flaws. Kim Shin-rok won several awards for her performance.
7 Daybreak (2019)
Canadian High School Students During A Zombie Outbreak
Daybreak is a post-apocalyptic zombie show on Netflix that follows a group of teenage survivors as they try and make it out alive while being swarmed by hordes. Netflix, unfortunately, opted not to renew the show for a second season, devastating the fans the show had gathered in such a short time, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching.
The series has a lot of dark humor and snappy dialogue, as it centers on a 17-year-old who is desperate to find his girlfriend amid the apocalyptic breakout of Mad Max-style gangs of everything from zombie jocks to zombie cheerleaders. Daybreak is as much of a teen drama as it is about a zombie apocalypse full of inventive sequences. It really manages to capture what it’s like to be a teenager as the world is ending instead of forcing all of its teenagers to masquerade as successful adults in a crumbling world.
6 Glitch (2015-2019)
An Australian Zombie Series About Regular People Returning From The Dead
Similar to The Returned in some ways, Glitch is an Australian zombie show on Netflix that follows seven people who mysteriously return from the dead in perfect health. Although they’re not the flesh-eating zombies that are typical of the genre, the undead in Glitch quite literally rise from the grave and terrorize everyone in town.
After discovering his formerly dead wife walking the streets, police officer James Hayes searches for the truth behind why these seven people have returned and discovers an unexpected (and sinister) link among all of them. The show has great performances and a smart premise, and it’s totally overlooked in the genre. With three relatively short seasons at only six episodes each, the show offers a tight and satisfying story for fans of the genre. The show won the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts award for Best Drama in 2016.