Summary

Revival is a fresh, compelling zombie show set in Wausau, WI with a unique storyline.
Revival offers a thoughtful, unique take on the zombie genre compared to The Walking Dead.
Revival is based on a comic, airs on SyFy in the US, and is a short, engaging binge-watch option.

While The Walking Dead is often considered the gold standard for zombie TV shows, I think another series is even more unforgettable. When the AMC drama premiered in 2010, fans were introduced to an intense story featuring many strong-willed and interesting characters. But as much as I appreciate the long-running series, I can't help but think that other stories, like Cormac McCarthy's brutal and sad The Road, are more realistic depictions of life after the apocalypse.

While there are still a few exciting The Walking Dead spinoffs (although some are being removed from Netflix), fans of the genre are always looking for similar shows. Thankfully, a new series airing on SyFy fits the bill, and I think it's even more impressive.

The Walking Dead Timeline Explained: How And When All 7 Shows Intertwine

The Walking Dead timeline can be confusing due to the overlapping of years and months and the many spinoffs to keep track of in the franchise.

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By Oliver VanDervoort

Revival Is A Fresh Take On The Zombie Show And More Compelling Than The Walking Dead

The SyFy series Revival takes place in Wausau, Wisconsin and tells the story of a unique scenario: people who have recently died have come back to life. These zombie-like figures are referred to as "Revivers," and the main character, Deputy Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano), is tasked with solving a murder. With a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Revival is gaining popularity, and it's easy to imagine it continuing for several more seasons.

While TWD f ans want to see their favorite characters together again, they're also likely keeping an eye out for other shows about zombies. It's easy to compare Revival to The Walking Dead and to Resurrection, the short-lived 2014 series where people come back from the dead in the small town of Arcadia, Missouri. I think Revival is much more interesting and exciting than The Walking Dead, which has several high and low points throughout its 11-season run. Although the character development is strong and I enjoy watching the endlessly fascinating villain Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), I think the zombies are the weakest part of The Walking Dead. They're not all that compelling to look at, and they don't stand out when compared to the undead from other movies or TV shows.

In contrast, Revival is a thoughtful and compelling take on the zombie genre, and it grapples with themes of life in death. It's not big or flashy, and technically, the Revivers aren't actually zombies at all. You can't even tell that anything has happened to these characters as they seem to be completely themselves, and I think that's cool.

Of course, a good adaptation starts with a good story (and that's why Stephen King believes his most memorable adaptations stick to his source material). Revival is based on Mike Norton and Tim Seeley's comic of the same name. In an interview with Comicsbeat.com, Seeley talked about what it was like bringing the story to the small screen. He said:

"in the TV show, we have a special effects budget. We’ve got a limited amount of willingness for the audience to necessarily accept that we have crazy monsters in the show, especially in those first few episodes. I think the way they revealed it works better for the TV show."

Here's Where You Can Stream Revival (And It's A Short Binge-Watch)

While Revival is airing on SyFy in the U.S. And CTV in Canada, you can also find it on Peacock. Revival season 1 only has eight episodes, and episodes 9 and 10 will air on August 7th and August 14th, 2025.

Fans of the zombie genre can also check out Black Summer, the Netflix series praised by Stephen King. Since it only had two seasons, it's also a fairly quick watch. Although it has a very different tone from Revival, Black Summer also offers up a unique zombie story that isn't like all the other shows.

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