Though it had a pretty good run, SYFY’s zombie apocalypse drama/comedy Z Nation has told its final story, as the cable network announces the show has ended after five seasons. Picked up by the NBCUniversal channel in 2014, the series began several years after the zombie virus destroyed much of civilization. While that sounds like every other zombie apocalypse series (or movie) out there, Z Nation did the genre one better: providing a sense of hope. Unlike The Walking Dead, which focuses on a ruined world trying (and mostly failing) to rebuild itself, SYFY’s five-season off-kilter drama focused much of its storytelling efforts on a group of survivors and their efforts to get across the country to a lab that may hold hopes of a cure. 

With a clear endpoint in mind, Z Nation was seemingly unique among its undead brethren. That was furthered by the show’s tone, which was decidedly less serious than, say, The Walking Dead or its spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead. Whereas AMC’s zombie series were often somber affairs, Z Nation blended its gritty violence with a clear sense of humor about itself and its subject matter. That’s not to say it didn’t take the concept of the end of the world seriously, it just didn’t mind having a laugh about it every now and then. 

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Unfortunately for fans the genre, Z Nation will not be moving on to a sixth season, as reported by THR. The publication notes that the upcoming season 5 finale, which is scheduled to air on December 28, will serve as the series finale. Whether or not that leaves fans in the lurch or if it will make for a satisfying conclusion to the series remains to be seen, but, as noted by the report, showrunner David Michael Latt believed the finale to be the “beginning of a lot of things.” 

Russell Hodgkinson and Keith Allan in Z Nation SYFY

Latt’s comments suggest that though the finale carries the appropriate title of ‘The End of Everything,’ it’s certainly not what the writers had in mind in terms of bringing their story to an end. Though it ran for five seasons, it seems unlikely that Z Nation will earn a Timeless-like shot at a wrap-up movie, which is too bad. However, there may still be a chance for fans to get some closure, albeit through Netflix, as the Z Nation prequel series, Black Summer, is expected in 2019. 

Perhaps, then, there’s a chance that Black Summer can somehow incorporate details of Z Nation into its storyline at some point down the road. That’s a big question right now, but it might be enough to keep Z Nation fans happy despite the bad news of the show’s cancelation. 

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Z Nation will end this Friday with ‘The End of Everything’ @9pm on SYFY. 

Source: THR