AMC's The Walking Dead doesn't return until 8 p.m. Oct. 12. Syfy hopes that's too long to wait.
Since fans still have almost a month to kill, Syfy is thinking, why not spend it with the new Z Nation? Think of it as Walking Dead Lite.
Added bonus -- the series comes from the team that brought us Sharknado! But don't expect much tongue-in-cheek campy humor with this show.
Z Nation debuts at 9 p.m. Friday and is rated TV-14 for coarse language (can't blame 'em) and lots and lots of blood-soaked violence. Gory, gut-chewing violence. Offal and entrails violence. Lots of it. You've been warned.
Don't get me wrong, just because there are plenty of similarities between this series and The Walking Dead, that doesn't make Z Nation any less entertaining for those who enjoy a good zombie survival drama.
Thanks to The Walking Dead, zombie films are going strong. Last year's World War Z blockbuster starred Brad Pitt. And Warm Bodies was oddly sweet considering half the romantic couple was dead already.
Z Nation's road trip will also bring to mind Zombie Apocalypse. The new offering is better than the 2011 film that starred Ving Rhames trying to make it to Catalina Island and safety.
One major difference between Z Nation and Walking Dead is that the zombies in Z Nation are the speedy sort. Too fast. Sprinter fast. I prefer my zombies to be Night of the Living Dead plodding and slow. It seems more ominous than the latter-day speedsters (I blame video games such as Day Z).
Also, whereas The Walking Dead has its "walkers," Z Nation calls them "puppies and kittens." You'll see why. That's the title of the first episode.
Here's the scoop.
In Z Nation, it has already been three years since the zombie virus swept America. Small bands of survivors, however, seem fairly well organized. We come across a ragtag team that must transport Murphy, the only known chewed-up survivor of a zombie attack, from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab is waiting to test his blood.
Simple enough. But although the antibodies Murphy carries are mankind's last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark, dark secret that threatens them all.
Can our intrepid heroes make it across 3,000 miles of zombie-infested countryside? The adventure begins.
Z Nation stars Harold Perrineau (Oz, Lost), Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty and the Beast), DJ Qualls (Supernatural), Michael Welch (Twilight trilogy), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), Anastasia Baranova (The Darkness II), Russell Hodgkinson (Big Fish), Keith Allan (Rise of the Zombies) Pisay Pao (The Whole Truth) and newcomer Nat Zang.
Fair warning: Just as with Walking Dead, Z Nation doesn't hesitate to kill off major characters without warning. Don't get too attached. Here are our heroes (at least in the beginning).
Lt. Mark Hammond (Perrineau). A member of the Army's elite Delta Force before the apocalypse, Hammond has orders to escort Murphy to the lab.
Charles Garnett (Scott). He's a compassionate former National Guard soldier and the leader of the survivors.
Citizen Z (Qualls). The Army private (he's a bit long in the tooth to still be a private) escaped the apocalypse at his remote NSA Arctic listening post, but now he's up there alone with tons of communication equipment. He becomes the DJ to the world.
Roberta Warren (Smith). The tough ex-National Guard warrior is a good one to have your back.
Murphy (Allan). Selfish and a real jerk, Murphy was doing prison time for a white collar crime when it all went down. He was bitten in a zombie attack and survived. Is he really humanity's salvation?
Mack Thompson (Welch). A charming all-American jock with an eye for the ladies.
Addy Carver (Baranova). A tough zombie slayer with the soul of an artist.
Doc (Hodgkinson). His real name is Steven Beck and the former addict is a self-taught medic.
Cassandra (Pao). The mysterious Cassandra has a quiet strength and a painful past she's not talking about.
10K (Zang). 10K is only a nickname, but he got it because he's very good with a rifle and plans to take out 10,000 zombies. He's keeping score.
There you have it -- the complete TV series demographic requirement. We have black, white, Asian, young, old, male and female. Enjoy.
• Biggest Loser. The series returns with a two-hour Season 16 premiere at 7 p.m. today on NBC. This season is titled The Biggest Loser: Glory Days and features 20 former athletes -- from NFL players and Olympic gold medalists to a mix of former college and high school jocks.
New trainers are Jessie Pavelka and Jennifer Widerstrom, who will be training contestants at the ranch with Dolvett Quince. Meanwhile, Bob Harper will be giving eliminated contestants a second chance at "Comeback Canyon." Alison Sweeney returns as host of the series.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
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Weekend on 09/11/2014