Surprisingly, this has been getting relatively little coverage, but there is a fine little company, appropriately called Rising Productions, which has worked with writer/director David Sasich to create Lifeless--the first episodic TV series about a zombie apocalypse. Though popular in film for decades, especially in recent years, no one had tried adapting the concept to a weekly format, probably due in large part to the restraints imposed by TV.
But these intrepid souls put their heads together and actually filmed three episodes of the series, which were recently screened in New York at the Independent TV Festival. They also released a new full-length trailer last month. Check this out, people:
Mind-blowing, yes? The definition of must-see TV, right? Ah, but here's the catch: The show has yet to find a distributor. Meaning, not one network thus far has bellied up to the bar to greenlight the project. Sasich and company are still shopping it around, and according to a recent report on DreadCentral, they are making some promising headway. But nothing as of yet.
Mind-boggling, isn't it? Maybe it's because of the zombie over-saturation as of late. Or maybe it could just be squeamish network execs. I mean, a show like this probably wouldn't work running on FOX after House. But there are a lot of other options in today's TV landscape. Tell me this show wouldn't be a perfect fit for HBO, for example. I've long held that Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead comic book is a prime candidate for HBO adaptation, but this would certainly fit the bill as well. Maybe Sci-Fi Channel. Maybe Showtime. Maybe AMC. But someone has to come to their senses and make this thing happen. Hopefully.