The wait is over. Back in 2011, Vertigo released the iZOMBIE series written by Chris Roberson with art by Mike Allred. I immediately fell for the comic so with the news of a live-action television show, I had some fears and high expectations. As more information was released, it was clear it wasn't going to be an identical adaptation. Doing so could be difficult with some of the aspects and likely, it just wouldn't translate well. Basically, there are some changes.

Instead of Gwen Dylan, we get to meet Olivia 'Liv' Moore, a semi-obsessed med student that still managed to find time for her boyfriend. Right away, this is a departure from the comic. Getting to see her before she changes and actually seeing the change is fascinating in some ways. This will make it easier for viewers unfamiliar with the comic to connect to the character rather than simply be introduced to a character that is a sort of zombie.

After the incident that caused the change, we do see Liv trying to acclimate to what happened and the story jumps forward five months later. Liv gives up her chance at having a great career to work in a morgue (instead of working as a gravedigger as in the comic). This allows her to have access to brains, which she eats from time to time. Her supervisor is Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, who basically is one of the few friends Liv has.

In the comic, the main character was friends with a ghost and a were-terrier (think werewolf but more terrier-like).

If Liv doesn't eat brains, she'll become meaner and dumber. As a side effect, she gains a psychic sort of connection to the deceased. She gets flashes of memories and when a murder victim is the latest meal Liv snacks on, she inadvertently ends up helping a rookie homicide detective, looking to make his first collar.

The search for a killer takes the two to different places. It also helps to give Liv a sense of direction. Sharing the memories with a murder victim, she now has the urge to try to help the innocent.

This is a bit of a police procedural type show. We do have young actors to give it a lighter vibe. As a pilot episode, the show does have to introduce us to all the characters and set the tone and situation. It does a good job at that all around. Despite being a show centered around a zombie, it's all handled extremely well. There are some moments of cheesiness but it actually doesn't really deal with that aspect of the show. To remind us that Liv is a zombie, there is a moment of action where she does go a little into zombie mode.

By the end of the episode, you'll have fallen for Liv. You feel the plight she has to undergo. We get some moments of humor but it's not the forced sort that makes you roll your eyes. And just when you feel this could be just your typical help the victim of the week show, the ending is promising and gives a hint at a bigger direction the show could go in.

It's not a mirror image of the comic but that's fine. There is room for improvement but as this was the pilot, it's off to a pretty good start. I have to admit, I hadn't watched Veronica Mars when it aired but fans of the show will dig the fact that Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright are behind this one. There are even little bits of comic art used as the show returns from commercial breaks. Combining elements from the comic book series, the zombie genre, police dramas, and twenty-something programming, iZombie is a show many can and will enjoy. iZombie is a show you'll want to sink your teeth in.

I'll be watching Flash at 8, then Agents of SHIELD at 9. Maybe i'll check this out later.

I'm glad this comes on after Flash. Tuesday night is fun night.

@the_stegman: I don't like that it's on the same time as a certain other comic book TV show on a different network.

@g_man: DVR is your friend!

This was surprisingly good

Too busy sleeping.

the first episode has me hooked on this show,love Livs character and her abilities!

I was really surprised I enjoyed this. Excited to see where the rest of the season goes

So if this on CW at 9, what time did Supernatural get moved to?

@dcfox: Supernatural is on Wed now, after Arrow.

@dcfox: It moved to Wednesdays at 9 pm which is after Arrow.

@iceslick: @the_stegman: Thanks, I think I actually that time slot better, since it doesn't interfere with AoS.

I really loved when Liv said, "Maybe he was celebrating 'drunk cowboy style.' Pew, pew, pew.

This was a really fun episode and it got me hooked. I'm loving the whole cast

Good to see it's good. I'll catch it on Hulu after work

I loved! I agree with ya G-Man!

The tv shows got me interested in the comic now. I shall read it before watching the show. :p

You gotta love her name Liv Moore (Live More...Get it? XP)...But yeah, this was a good first episode.

@saint_sophie: Stick to the comic ^-^

At first, when I heard about this show, it was from the endless ads of it. From seeing ad rolls during the Flash or Constantine (Rest in Peace), to seeing Liv on the back of DC books, I felt like they were just shoving it down my throat and that it was going to be cheesy as hell. I will admit, those little parts of comic windows were pretty cheesy, but that was about it as far as cheesiness. After getting my heart torn from that episode of the Flash, I kinda wanted to just turn the TV off and go back to my room. Then iZombie started and was like, "Awww, flurnk it. Why not?" I gotta say, this show really grabbed my attention. From Liv's little background and her tale of woe, to how she sort of meshed with life after her 'death', I really like her character. This show did a great job of immersing you into her world and how she has to deal with being undead while not letting her family know about what happened to her. Plus, this show made me sympathize with zombies. Any show that can do that is definitely worth a view in my book. I will be looking forward to future episodes

Also, is it weird that I found her attractive? Like, even as a zombie? Am I the only one?

@hiimsmart: She's the most attractive zombie since Bill Murray.

@saint_sophie: The comic is fantastic, I have not watched the show yet so I'm hoping with all the changes it can still keep the fun goofy tone.

No you are not.

This show has potential. i like the characters.
Most importantly Liv, she's hot for a cold dead chick lol
and the shows has me wanting to buy the TPB's already ordered them on Amazon :)

this show has potential. it can get better in areas here there are alot of goofy moments that you may need to check your brain at the door watching this show(see what i did there)

but overall i liked the pilot, it's gonna be one of my regular shows to watch on tuesdays

8/10

Hope Chew gets a show

I really enjoyed this! Four stars is about right as it has some room to grow but I had quite a bit of fun watching. I'll definitely keep tuning in. Hopefully the show is able to find a following and has a long run.

I have too many awesome shows to watch on Tuesdays. Flash was amazing. AoS is amazing. This looks very promising and I loved it.

If anything she got MORE attractive after she become a Zombie.

Can somebody explain where the zombies eating brains (specifically) thing came from? I see it a lot in stories where zombies are intelligent(ish), but in most typical zombie stuff, they just go after all flesh in general.

As for the show, despite my annoyance with the brain thing, I DVRed it and now I'm glad since it seems to be well done.

Really enjoyed this pilot. I had never read the comic, but I was told that it differed from the show (different protagonist, not a grave digger) and such. I found Liv to be incredibly likable and the rest of the cast was great too. Definite add to my DVR and weekly comic show routine! CW was losing me with Arrow and Flash, but tonight's episode of Flash and iZombie have talked me off the ledge of dropping CW shows for now.

I really don't know if I can watch iZombie without any of the other characters. I hope they add them in or else I might get very bored quick. Does this even take place in Eugene, Oregon? I mean location was a huge deal for the comic book.

And here I thought it would be too non-violent and CW-like to be a good zombie TV show but I was proved so wrong. Even Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes critics love it, which means a lot especially when you had/have terrible shows like Beauty and the Beast, The Tomorrow People and Reign on the CW.

if you like veronica mars you'll like this

I liked this series until the sudden zombie attack on the boat, then it went downhill from there.

So does this make you guys necrophiliacs?? LOL

I really enjoyed this. I've not read the comic but this show has sold me. Liv is just incredibly likable (Cuteness aside). Glad there's one more thing to look forward to in the week :)

Me too :D i laughed out loud a lil when she said that.

I was unaware of the book before this, I was watching Flash and hoped this show was a nice follow up. And for the most part it was. I understand this is the pilot so some changes will be made with the new episodes...one being iu hope they change out the actor who plays the Detective, he was really good dropping the snarky comments ( Cagney and Pasty for example) but he seemed out of place when he had to carry a scene.

I think this may be my new Buffy....maybe

Yes, that was hilarious! Loved the show and great review.

I chose not to watch this out of principle. I probably couldnt enjoyed this show if I tried, i'm too biased now from years of "monster abuse". I cant stand seeing shows/movies with werewolfs,zombies, and vampires being turned into what they have no business being turned into. They are called monsters because they are supposed to be monsterous.

Here's a fun fact that I failed to mention earlier:

Rose McIver (Liv Moore) also was a Power Ranger as well, during the RPM season:

@fables87: No the show takes place in Seattle and It's decent but you really do miss characters Scott and Ellie. This is more or less Veronica Mars with a smart ass zombie.

@br_havoc: I don't get CW anyway, but if it goes on Netflix I might give it a try, but seems like they took everything I like about the comic out.

@kritikalmassx: I've seen RPM and I totally didn't make that connection. Mind blown!

I believe the red ranger from RPM is going to be a cast member on the Daredevil show too.

@ultimatesmfan: @mak13131313: Someone needs to make an animated gif out of that.

@fables87: I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I thought the pilot was entertaining but it does seem to be missing the charm the comic had.

Its funny because when you really think about it the only connection this show has to the comic is the name and the title credits as they are drawn by Mike Allred.

@br_havoc: That's cool Allred at least is part of it in some way.

@kritikalmassx: Glad I'm not the only one who remembered her from that. Lol.

It has similiar tone as Veronica Mars, but still is good and funny show.

@kritikalmassx:

Maybe it is a future joke.

The show is written pretty well I thought and the characters are very fun and likable for the most part. I really like her Coroner boss, and the cop, and her. Its fun and her character is very close to what I thought her character was like in the comics.

@g_manI think Mike Allred's intro was totally awesome! and Maybe if the show goes well it could add some juice to his Madman movie/TV series he is trying to get done.

I think Mike also mentioned, or I mentioned to him or something, that just because its not like the comic now doesn't mean it wont be. There is room for the concepts of vampires, were terriers, ghosts, and Frankensteins, to be brought into the show. They could even make already established characters into these ideas. Maybe her ex becomes the vigilante zombie who eats bad guys. Or maybe the coroner becomes the were terrier. etc. Or maybe they bring in a new character who is one of those ideas.

Can you imagine if they tried to start with all that in the first season? Too much for viewers I think.