recommended

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Fantastic!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I binged through this series in about a week, and I loved it (almost) every step of the way. The first three seasons were gifts from gods, with good and hilarious characters, a nice plot, and great mini-stories almost every episode.The first season was great. I was very disappointed in Garnett dying so soon, but Warren growing into the lead character was great. This season also had some pretty damn dark shit in just one episode (Season 1 Episode 3, Philly Feast) that it's, lack of a better term, competitor Walking Dead hasn't gone to those levels (in my opinion at least). I also liked the Sisters of Mercy (Season 1 Episode 11) in not just the episode but the community. It was serene and beautiful.Season Two was another great season. I LOVED the Red Hand. A group that punished people who wronged others... I love it! I also liked the Zeros. A post-apocalyptic drug cartel seems nice and realistic. The way it ended also really set up for Season Three.Season Three... the best of the four seasons of Z Nation. Great plot, some of the best episodes, amazing villains (The Man, and Murphy for a large chunk of it). I loved that Murphy became an antagonist and really surprised me. Personally, I didn't see him as an antagonist. He was trying to save people, but not going the best way around it (Kinda like my opinion on the Saviors in The Walking Dead). The Man was also a great antagonist. I just don't know why, but I just loved him.Season 3 also had a lot of great episodes. The Election, No Mercy, Everybody Dies In The End, and, my favorite episode of Z Nation to date, The Siege of Murphytown. ("Come to papa, you half-breed sons of bitches!") Season 4... needless to say was disappointing. Had a good ending and promising start, but just wasn't good in the end. Sergeant Lilley was just a wannabe Addy who good or funny at all. And Addy... her eye wound was never explained, and it has bugged me ever since I saw she lost it. Season 5 will hopefully bring a lot of answers and good episodes to the table. If you haven't watched this show, YOU NEED TO WATCH IT! I highly recommend it.

Having watched all 4 seasons, I can say this is way more entertaining that TWD is. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a TWD fan, but the recent seasons have been a bit of a snooze-fest. Z Nation doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's what makes it so good. Despite the sometimes gratuitous zombie-killing scenes, and the ludicrous types of zombies the group encounters, the show still manages to have compelling characters that keep it highly entertaining. It's really everything a zombie show needs!After watching the first two seasons I could say that if you're looking for a complex and compelling storyline, TWD is better. But after watching the next two seasons, I really can't remember being that entertained by TWD. They develop more of a story that befits its ScyFY channel origin (it does become more sci-fi towards season 4), and it doesn't really compare to TWD genre-wise anymore. If you're looking for an entertaining, kinda-morbid zombie fest with surprisingly compelling characters which develop really well in the later two seasons, this is the series for you. I went from hating Murphy to loving him; that's how satisfying his character progression was. It's way more nuanced than I expected without being too grim or serious. Can't wait for season 5!

Review of Season One:Z NATION is a WALKING DEAD rip-off made by The Asylum, a notorious studio responsible for churning out rip-off movies and silly creature flicks chock-full of lame CGI and the like. On that basis, you wouldn't hold out much hope for this show, but it actually turns out to be pretty likable. I think it's fair to say that the occasional episode is better than some episodes of THE WALKING DEAD itself, although it can't hope to hold a candle to that show at its best.The thing Z NATION does right is the action. The producers know that viewers are looking for zombie action, so they deliver it in spades here. There are no slow spots, no time for contemplative reflection, just onslaughts of the living dead and battles between surviving factions. The characterisation and plotting is adequate rather than good, but the special effects are acceptable and there are some fun set-pieces, like the episode with the radioactive zombies. Plus, a high level of jokey humour, and the occasional inspired piece of casting (step up, DJ Qualls) make this something of a TV gem. I'm already gearing up for season two...Review of Season Two:Well, it had to happen, I suppose. There's been a noticeable drop in quality between season one of Z NATION and season two. This time around, it feels like the writers were really running out of ideas, thus they come up with some ridiculous single-themed episodes which are among the worst of the show. The one with the aliens (too many ingredients in the pot) and the one with George R. R. Martin are the ones that spring to mind.The show is still watchable with lively action and entertaining characters, but the driving plot line feels less focused and the lack of DJ Qualls for much of the running time is another disappointment. I also felt like the writers weren't sure what to do with Murphy, who is becoming something of an annoying presence (despite the good acting of Keith Allan) and sort of gets pulled from pillar to post throughout the series. With season three to follow, I wonder if they can return to the more simple but effective heights of the first season again, or if the drop in quality will continue.Review of Season Three:The drop in quality of this series continues with Season 3 of the show. This is the first one that I actively disliked and it's only the time I've already invested with the main cast that kept me watching. Essentially this is a series of vignettes with each vignette taking up a single episode. There is a long-running story arc but it gets increasingly ridiculous and Murphy has become a caricature by now. There are too many bizarre elements in the story and the show has become fantasy rather than horror with the zombies treated as figures of fun and barely featured at times.The actors playing the main characters, such as Kellita Smith, are still reliably good, but they're given little to do other than react to stuff and go through the motions. The story in this season adds in an annoying ginger kid and some sci-fi elements which don't really fit. Possibly the worst thing about the show is the need to stretch out the thin material to way too many episodes, leaving many of them filler. Will I tune in for Season 4? Watch this space...Review of Season Four:The fourth season is a step up from the last couple and one I actually found myself enjoying. There are still a few annoying filler episodes and lots of unfunny comedy, the nadir for example being the one with the Juggalos, but otherwise this is driven and exciting. I could have done without the CGI overload in the future visions but at least there's a story that drives onward and plenty of incident to recommend this show. You get guest stars like Michael Berryman and Henry Rollins and protagonists who continue to grow on you, somewhat endearingly, as the years roll by.

Znation is very well written and the actors, especially Doc and Murphy, are great. My favorite alltime scene was when the cheese wheel of zombies came rolling through town. I think that was in season 3. It takes a really inventive mind to create something like that. I also like Murphy's relationship with Lucy and shed a tear when she kicked the bucket. You can always leave it up to Doc to drop a couple of bon mots in each show. I look forward to watching the show every week and have never missed a minute. I used to think TWD was a better show but no more. Znation is better because it runs the gamut of emotions from silliness to terror. Give the writers an A+ as well as the actors.