‘iZombie’ Pilot: Season One (2015): From the Creator of ‘Veronica Mars,’ Rob Thomas’ Sassy New Series

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It’s no secret that I am not a fan of certain culturally popular elements in storytelling. Vampires and zombies are not my idea of entertainment. So why then am I blogging about a new TV show that is, clearly about zombies? iZombie Pilot: Season One

iZombie Pilot: Season One (2015) CW Review

This iZombie pilot follows the life of Liv Moore (Rose McIver), a promising doctor who’s not only showing promise in the medical field, she is also happily engaged to the love of her life, Major. Then, one fateful night, Liv is the victim of a zombie attack – no joke, turning her into one of the “undead.” This changes her life drastically. She lets Major go, becomes a couch potato – according to her bestie Peyton (Aly Michalka) and mother, Eva (Molly Hagan), and switches careers: now she’s a medical examiner. With the help of her co-worker Ravi (Rahul Kohli) and teaming up with homicide Detective Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin), Liv becomes a very unique kind of crime fighter.

‘iZombie’ Pilot: Season One (2015) - From the Creator of ‘Veronica Mars,’ Rob Thomas’ Sassy New Series. All text is © Rissi JC / RissiWrites.com

There was a pair of reasons I decided to watch this. The main being it was created (adapted) by Rob Thomas, the creative genius behind Veronica Mars. There are a lot of similarities to the shows excepting of course, the interesting heroine. Like his previous show, this one features Liv’s internal monologue and a cast of characters we cannot help but like. Another primary reason to try this is my fangirl enjoyment of the film Warm Bodies; which is really darling in a quirky, unexpected kind of way. Like its hero, R (who’s internal monologue is hilarious by the way), Liv is one of the “good guys.” She’s conflicted about her new normal, yet doesn’t want to give in to the stereotype attached to zombies.  

That being said, Liv, like Veronica is another kick-butt, smart kind of heroine who I think will go have lots of character development in future installments. She’s funny in her own way and has a kind streak that she hasn’t let her… um, condition stifle. Helping the people who end up on her morgue table is what gives her hope – that and the promise of having her life back again, that she and Ravi might discover a cure. Speaking of Ravi, I really liked him! I’m not sure if he’ll be Liv’s “Wallace” (Veronica Mars) or a potential would-be love, but either way, he’s a really cool dude. Liv’s mother is hilarious and I’m hoping Peyton is more than a one-time character. 

RELATED FILM REVIEW | ‘Warm Bodies’ (2013) – A Zombie RomCom Adaptation
‘iZombie’ Pilot: Season One (2015): From the Creator of ‘Veronica Mars,’ Rob Thomas’ Sassy New Series Click To Tweet
‘iZombie’ Pilot: Season One (2015) - From the Creator of ‘Veronica Mars,’ Rob Thomas’ Sassy New Series. All text is © Rissi JC / RissiWrites.com

Since this is a show about zombies, there does have to be an “ew” factor, right!? Yes, indeed there is. In order to survive, Liv uses her job as a perk and takes pieces of the victim’s brains… which can be a little, um, gross for lack of a better word. But I also did appreciate that the writer’s don’t overplay Liv’s zombie-ness – or in terms of the whole eating brains. In many ways that is the premise of the show since by consuming the brain of the victim this is how Liv determines how they die; but the visualization isn’t gross or full of bloody images.  

At the end of the forty-minutes, I will confess to enjoying this way more than I gave it credit for. It has some of the same smart one-liners and of course is as entertaining as it could be. I will confess, I didn’t love the story of how Liv become a zombie – it wandered too much into… a “weird” zone, but then again this entire show is offbeat, so the backstory has to match that. Fun fact, this is a DC Comics (The Flash, Arrow, Superman) character, which means that this should be a good fit for CW. The cast is fantastic, the story really good and a mystery sets up about a shady dude in Liv’s past. Sounds a lot like a certain girl detective who, once upon a time inspired an entire fan base of “Marshmallows.”  

Did you watch this? Share any thoughts you have down below.

Content: there are a few minor innuendoes and perhaps a profanity or two. This case deals with escorts, their “Johns” and the like though nothing ever becomes too informative. The show is TV14.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

11 comments

    1. Watched it, it was hilarious and great. Added to my dvr to record the whole series. Have you seen previews for the CW show the Messengers? that looks so good.

    2. Awesome, I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Shannon! I thought it was really "cute," yet went against the norm of "zombie entertainment." Not sure if I'll keep up with it or not, but I did enjoy the pilot.

      I haven't seen Secrets and Lies, but did see the trailer for The Messengers. I'll have to read up on that one. :)

      You too. Hope you had a great weekend.

  1. Lately I've been reading all your posts via email, so I always forget to comment later. *smacks forehead* I saw this pilot around the time you posted and had a lot of the same feelings as you! I usually stay far away from zombies and such, but it's Rob Thomas! So of *course* I had to try. ;) Surprisingly the zombie stuff didn't really bother me and, like you, I really enjoyed Liv's quirky, cute personality.

    Wait up!! She's a DC Comics character?! Well, that just makes me like it even more. Haha! Anyways, I will definitely keep watching this one. Thanks for this perfect review, Rissi!

    1. That's okay. You're always welcome but I totally understand that. I binge-visited favorite blogs one day earlier this week, and when I was done, I was kind of shocked how many places I visited. I definitely had a lot of catching up to do! :)

      I'm not a vampire/zombie kind of girl, however this one looked cute, so I gave the pilot a shot. I'm really glad I did! It was clever, fun and of course, we had to try it because Rob Thomas! :) Same for me. I thought the zombie aspect never become "gross" like it can in Warm Bodies, which I appreciated. I haven't watched more, but maybe I will soon. :D

      Yes! That's what I read anyway… how cool is that!? Just another reason to love Liv and her quirky personality. :)

  2. So I hadn't heard of this one, but my husband (who I just asked if he'd seen anything about it) has and said he even watched part of it when I was gone (Tuesday nights are volleyball nights) and didn't say anything to me. For him it was just alright, but he is a guy and watches The Flash on the CW, which is how he caught this. I'll have to see what I think. I'm like you and don't really like zombies, but this one I might work for me.

    1. If a person isn't really into zombies, I totally see where this wouldn't appeal. And I get why your husband didn't find this great. It probably is more geared towards women, though. I liked that the pilot didn't totally go all zombie-crazy, though suspect some episodes might. Its heroine is still very much human in her emotions and desire to not hurt anyone she loves, which I appreciate.

      Three cheers for The Flash. I am fan-girling so much for that one. ;)

      If you do ever try this, hope you enjoy, Tressa. :)

    1. I don't either… but the pilot was really cute. Again, I've not gone back and watched more, but Liv… she was pretty epic, plus Rob Thomas. :)

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