The universe of the CW’s excellent new “iZombie” is a slightly complex one.
During a boat party, hot twentysomething med student Liv Moore (get it? get it?) somehow got infected by a zombie, and now she is one.
But “iZombie” isn’t “The Walking Dead.” She’s not a component of a zombie apocalypse; nobody she knows has any idea zombies exist.
And Liv (Rose McIver) can speak and joke and hold down a job as a medical examiner – as long as she eats the brains of her cadavers. If she stops eating brains she begins to turn into a mindless grrrrr/arrggh-type zombie.
But there’s a side effect to all this brain eating. When Liv snacks on a fellow’s grey matter she temporarily gets his memory, personality and talents mixed in with her own.
Liv is kind of like the X-Men’s Rogue, only with more chewing.
And Liv’s ability to inherit the memories of the dead proves exceedingly useful to the local homicide detectives (who assume she’s merely psychic.
The series comes to us from writer-producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, who also masterminded the CW’s “Veronica Mars” -- and there’s a lot of “Mars” DNA in this tale of a comely, quippy blonde crimesolver.
Once upon a time “Mars” was identified by fans as “The New Buffy,” but “iZombie” hits even closer to the “Buffy” mark by overlaying the supernatural element.
“iZombie” gets even better when it introduces the more evil male zombie (David Anders), whose sharp wit and plantinum locks make him a sort-of Spike to Liv’s Buffy.
... This ridiculously likable show is called “iZombie,” and it carves out a space in the crowded landscape of Undead Entertainment by lightening up. … generally pretty smart, witty and well acted, and not afraid to turn dark on occasion. If it delves deeper into the stresses of being a law-abiding zombie as it goes along, while keeping its sense of humor, the ride will be pretty enjoyable. …
... Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero are behind this snappy supernatural detective series, made as much in the model of Thomas' "Veronica Mars" as any show about zombies possibly could be; and you are to take that as an endorsement. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... There’s a cleverness to “iZombie” – a scene of Liv buying bottle after bottle of bronzer offers just one example – that makes it hard to dislike the show, even when it spends too much time on the lame crime-of-the-week story or Liv’s Ally McZombie-style narration …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... entertaining, mostly because of the appeal of the three leads. …
… superbly cast and displays wit and surprises you don’t often find in the comics-to-TV genre …
saves itself from cliché-mageddon with an atmosphere of levity and a script that never takes itself too seriously. ... a friendly, easy-going hour, and one that will definitely not put you in the mood for chewy snacks. …
... injects fresh life into the increasingly staid genre of supernatural TV. …
... As deadpan as it is high-concept, iZombie is genre-bending and beguiling hoot. …
... Despite the brain eating, producers have imbued the opening episodes with a sly sense of humor, a blend of sarcasm and bemusement, that McIver sells well. And they've avoided the sense of hopelessness the concept could have provoked by dangling the promise of a cure and by allowing Liv to find a new purpose for her life. May it be a long and entertaining one. …
... quickly starts to stumble from promising toward stale, basically turning its undead heroine into a youthful crime-solver — “Veronica Mars” with an inordinately pale complexion. …
9 p.m. Tuesday. The CW.
