Nobody really cared why the dead were walking, but only how gross their next kill would be.
Then, something changed.
This evolution gave us some truly incredible screen experiences.
Netflix
And then theres Long, Long Time the episode featuring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett that broke everyones hearts.
Its in those human moments that the show becomes something special.
The genius was how it made you invest in characters, then brutally ripped them away sometimes literally.
Shanes arc in the first two seasons remains one of the best character developments ever seen on TV.
Instead of focusing on the zombie outbreak, it picks up after a medical treatment has been developed.
The shows cancellation still stings for those who appreciated its nuanced approach.
HBO
It sounds ridiculous on paper, but theres something weirdly sweet about it.
Plus, its genuinely funny without undermining the emotional stakes.
Not an easy balance to strike.
AMC
Theres this great throughline about identity how much of ourselves remains when everything else changes?
Its a perfect blend of witty dialogue and surprisingly thoughtful commentary on what makes us who we are.
Cargo (2017)
This film-turned-limited-series makes zombieism personal.
BBC Three
No big action sequences or hordes of the undead here.
The film poses uncomfortable questions: What if humanitys time is simply over?
What if our replacement is already here?
Lionsgate
Few zombie narratives have managed to be simultaneously this disturbing and this philosophically rich.
The CW
Netflix
Warner Bros.
