Z Nation is an American zombie apocalypse horror comedy-drama television series created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler that aired on Syfy from 2014 to 2018, and was produced by The Asylum. The first season of 13 episodes premiered on September 12, 2014. The series ran for five seasons and concluded on December 28, 2018. Z Nation was filmed in the Spokane, Washington area.
On June 16, 2016, Syfy announced that Z Nation third season would be preceded by a TV movie, set prior to the climax of season 2 and introducing central characters for the third season. However, the movie was instead presented as the first two episodes of the third season, the two-part "No Mercy".
On December 15, 2017, Syfy renewed the series for a fifth season, which premiered on October 5, 2018. On December 22, 2018, Syfy cancelled the series after five seasons. The 68th and final episode aired on December 28, 2018, concluding the five-season series.
A more darkly-toned, less comedic prequel series with an entirely new cast titled Black Summer, showcasing the titular events at the start of the apocalypse referenced in the main series, subsequently ran for two seasons on Netflix between 2019 and 2021.
In March 2024, The Asylum made a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that fans interpreted as suggesting a sixth season of Z Nation might be in the works. However, this may have been a reference to the series returning to multiple streaming platforms. Additionally, in a social media post in August 2025 featuring a short animated video, lead actor Keith Allan pitched an animated sequel concept titled Z Nation: Reborn with the main cast returning to voice the characters, asking fans to sign a petition and demonstrate a demand for its development.
Premise Z Nation begins three years into a zombie apocalypse caused by a virus that has already killed most humans. In the days just before society fell apart, Alvin Bernard Murphy was one of three inmates at Portsmouth Naval Prison in Kittery, Maine, who were participants in a government-approved experiment. Each inmate was given a different test vaccine, however Murphy was the only one to survive the vaccine injection. After the Prison falls to the zombies, the head of the experiment and her staff evacuate and leave Murphy behind. As such he is bitten multiple times and is the only known survivor of a zombie bite who did not turn into a zombie. His blood contains antibodies that are humankind's last and best hope for a vaccine. However, he seems to be mutating into some form of hybrid between zombie and human—his skin is shedding and his body turning blue, and he seems to be able to control and even mesmerize certain types of zombies that he encounters; yet he has not turned into a full zombie and still maintains control of himself.
The series revolves around his travels with a small group of survivors being led through the apocalypse by Lieutenant Roberta Warren and Simon "Citizen Z" Cruller, an NSA hacker with nearly unlimited radio and computer access. The group must transport Murphy from New York to the world's last known functioning Centers for Disease Control research lab in California. However, Murphy harbors a dark secret about his condition that threatens them all.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Kellita Smith as Lieutenant Roberta Warren. Lieutenant Warren is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. An ex-National Guard member activated out of Missouri, she is a member of the Westward-bound survivor group, and a former member of the Blue Sky Camp survivor group in New York. Like many other survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Warren lost nearly everything and everyone that mattered to her. She becomes the leader of the survivor group after the death of Garnett. In Season 4, she wakes up in Zona after being treated from being hit with a ricocheting bullet that passed through Murphy. After the chaos caused by the failing vaccine made from Murphy's blood among the Zona Citizens, she, along with Murphy, escapes and reunites with the group. In season 5, she becomes a talker after dying from blood loss after the drone she was trapped in crash-landed in the season 4 finale. However, unlike any of the talkers, she does not crave brains, presumably due to Murphy's blood in her system. DJ Qualls as Private First Class Simon "Citizen Z" Cruller Citizen Z, a former hacker, was working at the NSA's Northern Light listening post in the Arctic Circle. After a doomed rescue mission flight out of Northern Light, he becomes the facilities' sole surviving employee and uses his high-tech equipment to assist the group in its journey to California. He also runs a radio broadcast for other survivors, informing people to take cover when there is a threat of inescapable disaster-level weather or zombie hordes. He was slowly going insane from loneliness, until he rescued a sled dog named Pup which became his companion for the rest of the season. In the Season 1 finale, Murphy triggered a security protocol which unleashed nuclear missiles targeted at every military base and laboratory in the country, including Camp Northern Light. At the end of season 2, Citizen Z decides to leave Northern Light when he realizes that the post's computer systems and equipment have sustained too much damage for him to repair alone. He leaves on foot with Pup, pulling a dog sled, in subzero temperatures. Near death, he is rescued by Kaya, an Inuk girl, and her surviving family members. They return to Camp Northern Light for the remaining resources, and repair the equipment making it operational again. He and Kaya form a relationship, which results in her becoming pregnant. He leaves in a plane and meets the survivor group in person to inform them that Lucy had been kidnapped by The Man, but later returns. He joins the team in Newmerica in Season 5. Keith Allan as Alvin Bernard Murphy Alvin Murphy is a resentful and frail former convict who becomes the only known survivor of zombie bites after being part of a scientific experiment. The Westward-bound survivor group is tasked with transporting him to a government laboratory in California, as his apparent immunity is believed to be the sole solution to the ZN1 virus. Over time, Murphy's appearance changes, and he becomes part-zombie. He can communicate with zombies, develops feelings for them and can make them do his bidding. He also develops a special gift: after biting a person or exposing them to his saliva or blood, he can direct them using telepathy. In Season 3, after finding out the survivors at Zona want to use him only for themselves, he escapes after biting Dr. Merch and several military personnel, as well as 10K and decides to make the human race into zombie-human hybrids (known as the "Blends") which is under his control. In season 4, he is cured at Zona but loses his special abilities. He later regains his abilities when he was bitten by Lucy to save his life after being bitten by a zombie. In the series finale, he finally learns the cure for the zombie virus after eating Sun Mei's brain, but leaves it ambiguous if he'll use it for good or not. Russell Hodgkinson as Steven "Doc" Beck Doc was a wellness counselor and recovering drug addict pre-apocalypse. Prior to becoming a counselor, he served in the United States Navy and was stationed in the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay. Although not an actual medical doctor, he becomes the group's de facto medic due to his medical knowledge, which he acquired from watching ER. With his limited knowledge, he is able to treat the injured members of the group and other survivors that they meet along the way. He is a former member of the Blue Sky Camp in New York, along with Warren, Addy, and Mack. He is often the group's life of the party with his seemingly never-ending humor and optimal attitude and has been known to partake in recreational drugs, mainly marijuana. He forms an attachment with 10k as a father figure, recounting his guilt over not being a supportive father over an unrecognized son that he had when he was 19. He is also the first among the Westward-bound survivor group to befriend Murphy. He aids Serena when she gives birth to Lucy in season 2. In Season 3, Doc revealed that he has a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and was able to help the surviving patients confined in a psychiatric hospital. Nat Zang as Thomas "10K" 10K, often called "The Kid" by Doc, is the youngest member of the Westward-bound survivor group. In the season 1 finale, his real name was revealed to be "Tommy". 10K is quiet and observant. He is highly proficient with a sniper rifle and other projectiles, and is "pretty good with a knife". He loves killing zombies, and keeps track of each one he kills. His goal is 10,000 kills, hence his self-given nickname, and he has already reached 1,000 by his first appearance. His backstory reveals that 10K was forced to kill his father, making a promise to him that he would stay strong and fight. 10K harbors feelings of anger and hatred towards Murphy for turning Cassandra into a zombie-human hybrid, but does not act on those feelings, knowing that Murphy could be humanity's only chance to survive. In the season 2 finale, he is injured and taken with Murphy to the CDC submarine to be given medical attention for his wound. He escapes the submarine with Murphy, Dr. Merch and the others bitten by Murphy, and is openly opposed to following him. He is told by Dr. Merch that he was bitten after she gave him his first dose of the original cure. He stops counting during season 3, but resumes during season 4. In season 4, he is out of Murphy's control, grows a beard and lives in a tent on the top of a big tree with Red. In Season 5, his right hand is bitten by zombies and Red cuts it off. His hand is then replaced with a deer antler. Anastasia Baranova as Addison Grace "Addy" Carver Addy Carver is a former member of the Blue Sky camp in New York and is Mack's girlfriend prior to his death. She is the survivor group's communication specialist and uses her talents with radio equipment to contact Citizen Z. Broken by unresolved trauma, she is slowly being worn down by the apocalypse. At one point, she chooses to leave the group and join the Sisters of Mercy camp, but after the camp is destroyed, she reunites with Mack, who refused to leave her behind, and returns to the Westward-bound survivor group. Her weapon of choice against zombies is a customized metal bat with spikes known as the "Z-Whacker"; in season 3, her bat is upgraded by Sun Mei and her team to emit an electric charge similar to a taser. Between seasons 3 and 4, she loses her right eye after fighting The Man in the season 3 finale. It was later revealed that she became a Blend when Lucy bit her in order to save her life after falling from a cliff in the Zona base, thus sharing a telepathic bond with Lucy. She disappears early in season 4 but returns in season 5 to assist the team. Michael Welch as Mack Thompson (seasons 1–2) A former hockey player for the Tri-City Americans, Mack Thompson is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse, and Addy's boyfriend. He is a former member of the Blue Sky camp in New York, and a member of the Westward-bound survivor group. A good shot, Mack protects Addy and stays behind when she chose to join the Sisters of Mercy camp, and watches over her from afar. He is eventually reunited with Addy and returns to the survivor group. He is killed ("mercied") by Addy while being devoured by zombies.