5 Reasons To Watch Z Nation

Here’s today’s challenge: write about Z Nation without mentioning The Walking Dead (TWD)… shit! Already? Well, there goes that idea.

So, let me ask you, how many of you are watching Z Nation or have tuned in at least once? Here’s another question; if you haven’t watched, is it because you’re a dye-in-the-wool fan of TWD? Would you feel like you’d be betraying your true love if you did? If you answered yes to the latter two, you have reason, especially since Z Nation’s overall plot in Season 1 seems to parallel that of what we will see in Season 5 of TWD. The commonality between the two shows’ plot has to do with a group of survivors attempting to cross the country in order to deliver someone who could hopefully hold the key to the cure.

I’d like to say that the similarities between the two shows begin and end there, but that’s just not the case. Fact is, there’s a lot of overlap. Is Z Nation a ripoff? It could be, but rest assured this is a very different show, which bodes well for you if you’re like George A. Romero, and really dislike TWD. And this point is a nice segue into our list of 5 Reasons to Watch Z Nation.

No.5 It’s Not The Walking Dead

We here at Yell! Magazine love TWD, but we can admit that it can get really drawn out and a bit too melodramatic. Yes, what they do builds tension, but sometimes we often want more action. Z Nation, so far, has delivered a ton of action while developing the characters in the first three episodes. Once the characters are fully developed, however, perhaps the show will take a turn toward the dramatic. But that’s unlikely since the show has a comic element to it (more on that later).

Another difference is that Z Nation has a very real and tangible sense of some remnants of an infrastructure. Albeit it’s a military/governmental infrastructure that’s all but dissolved, leaving us with one person guiding us through the chaos. We know there are others like him since there was an evacuation of outpost in the extreme north, but for now DJ Qualls is the awesome Citizen Z at the Northern Lights base. And it’s pretty awesome that he has access to satellites and other such surveillance equipment so that he can track our group of survivors as he guides them to California.

Additionally, Z Nation, while it maintains its general storyline, feels more episodic, giving it a vibe that’s attuned to the video game culture.

No.4 There’s An Abundance Of Humor

As mentioned, Z Nation gives us quite a bit to laugh about, and why shouldn’t it? We’ve all grown so accustomed to zombie apocalypse stories that we have tended to take them way too seriously, lest we forget that this is a genre of fun fiction. So let’s have ridiculous kills, quick and cheesy one-liners, and an eye-in-the-sky who broadcasts like a color commentator from his isolated box in the north.

The top 3 reasons to watch Z Nation after the jump…