iZombie (TV Series) Pilot (2015) User Reviews

An interesting and fresh start to a potential show

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 9/10 · 18 March 2015]

Last night, I caught the premiere of the first episode of this show because the premise itself kind of interested me. Then, it turned out to be as good as I thought. Now, I may not be a fan of the comic book this was based on, but despite that, it promised it had lots of potential to be a really good show.

The story is unique and it's well-executed along with some good writing, mixing comedy, horror, drama, and crime perfectly. Again, I'm not a fan of the comic book, but the sequences they used from the comic looked great and were well done in their transitions.

The acting is also good. Rose McIver, known for her role as Summer Landsdown (AKA the Yellow Ranger) from Power Rangers RPM and her feature film debut in The Lovely Bones, gives a superb performance, becoming part human and part zombie even after she found information to how she has the ability to absorb memories from the dead and how it would lead her and her friends to their enemies they would face. The other characters are pretty good, too and share their comedic moments as well.

If there's one problem I do have is that the ending felt pretty abrupt. I won't give much away. I just wish there could have done better with it. However, that doesn't stop it from reaching it's potential to what could be a really good show.

The Pilot episode of IZombie is a unique start with good writing, good acting, and a good concept done perfectly. Recommended!

Promising Pilot

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 17 October 2016]

In Seattle, the efficient resident in cardiology Olivia "Liv" Moore is in love with her fiancé Major Lilywhite. When her colleague invites her to go to a party in a boat, Major convinces her to go. However there is a zombie outbreak and Liv is scratched by an infected man. She turns into zombie and calls off her engagement with Major and transfers her residence to a morgue since she needs to be fed by brains. But soon her chief, the Coroner Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, discovers her secret. Liv learns that he has visions of the brain she eats and also acquires the abilities of the dead person. When she eats the brain of the corpse of a young Jane Doe, Liv discovers that she was murdered and teams up with the rookie Police Detective Clive Babineaux that believes she is psychic.

The "Pilot" of "iZombie" is a series with a story that combines and plays different genres – adventure, horror, comedy, drama and crime – and the result is a promising pilot. The situations are funny and Rose McIver is great in the role of a medical resident that becomes a zombie, affecting her entire life. The only remark is the abrupt conclusion, with the discovery of the identity of the killer. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Solid start

[GraXXoR · 9/10 · 12 June 2018]

*I'm reviewing this episode as I finish watching it*

Disclaimer: I actually found this title searching for "Police procedurals." Can you imagine that! The age of the crossover is truly here...

I'lll assume the pilot is setting the tone for the whole series. This series gets off to a rip-roaring start with a mature, genre-crossing zombie caper.

Personable zombies are somewhat under represented in the "undead" genre... There have always been lovable vampires, werewolves, ghosts and demons/angels but rarely have there been such a lovely, amiable zombie. (DO NOT MENTION 'IN THE FLESH' LOL)

The main characters are loveable and amenable without being cloying or trite. And to their credit is that it's somehow plausibly put together.

As a detective story the plot is admittedly more of a vehicle to introduce the characters than a Sherlock Holmes script, but that is par for the course for any series that intends to usher in their characters with any sense of depth.

Add this to the list of sassy, sexy, humour-forward yet plot-solid shows such as Veronica Mars, Dirk Gently, Jessica Jones and Lucifer and mix in a bit of Bones and Buffy and I think you'd be heading in the right direction.

Fans of any of those shows will probably enjoy the vibes given off here.

Fresh take on Zombies

[shadow_blade-89459 · 9/10 · 30 May 2018]

"iZombie," Season 1, Episode 1: "Pilot" (2015) is a professionally produced comedic crime drama about a medical resident, Olivia "Liv" Moore played by Rose McIver, whose dedication and life plans was derailed after attending a party that turned her into a zombie. In order to fight her urges to feed on the living, she takes on a job at the Seattle coroner's office where meals are plentiful, but she quickly realizes there is a side effect she wasn't prepared for. Through her new-found ability and assistance from her new boss, Ravi Chakrabarti played by Rahul Kohli, she helps new detective Clive Babineaux, played by Malcom Goodwin, solve murder mysteries. This episode is 42 minutes of comic relief, intrigue, and superb acting. This show can go in several directions so long as there is an underlying theme.

This pilot is interesting from a comedic and scientific stand point. It draws the viewer into the story through laughter and curiosity. This show has two storylines, one I believe that will play throughout the season and the episode storyline that concludes by the end of the show. I love how the director, Rob Thomas, portrays this show like the comic instead of just making it another TV series. It adds to the comedy of the show thus appealing to the viewer's sense of fun through conflict. I find this show refreshingly different. It eliminates the stigma associated with zombies while still allowing some of the old portrayed truths to be present. I recommend this show to anyone who can appreciate a new take on zombies.

Very tasty! Oop's have I said too much!

[mattcording · 9/10 · 14 November 2021]

Zombie genre is alive and kicking! (Well you know what I mean) it's a good twist on the whole genre, it's very entertaining, also quite humorous. As pilots go the whole thing is well put together.

A Spicy Start!

[gab-14712 · 9/10 · 11 August 2020]

If you believe that iZombie is the next Walking Dead, guess again! The show is basically a police procedural with the spiciness of zombies....and I am all here for it. The series was created by Diane Ruggiero-Wright and Rob Thomas whom created the very popular Veronica Mars. The show has a nice blend of humor, action, and drama. I really enjoy the dialogue. It seems like the head of the morgue department, Ravi will be given some juicy lines over the course of the show. The pilot episode, although it packs a lot of information, is a blast ands the proper introduction of this CW series. Zombies in the media was a mania, so I am not exactly sure if it was needed. Well, I changed my tune based on this wonderful, fun episode.

Olivia Moore (Rose McIver) had the perfect life. She was a driven doctor-to-be with the perfect boyfriend, Major Lilywhite (yes, real name and played by Robert Buckley). Everything was sailing smoothly...until she was bitten by a zombie at a boat party. Her life was changed. She dumped Major (who stays in her life) and quit her job to become a morgue assistant where she has access to brains. Her boss, Ravi (Rahul Kohli) walks in to see her eating a brain. Instead of horror, he is absolutely delighted. He is inquisitive and promises to find a cure. After eating a brain, she has these visions from the person whose brain she ate, and she also receives that person's personality.

And that brings us into the show's premise. Upon receiving her first vision, rookie detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) runs into her and believes that she is a psychic. Together, they partner up to solve cases. This week's case involves a Romanian escort who was a kleptomaniac. So that means Liv is able to speak Romanian and cannot help but steal things. Standard case, but good enough to introduce our characters to us.

The acting is really good for the most part. Rose McIver is an absolute delight. With her character displaying new personalities on a weekly basis, her acting range will be tested. Rahul Kohli will be given some killer lines and he plays off McIver very well. I am on the fence about Robert Buckley. Is his character just going to be one of those hunky guys with nothing to do? I am very interested in David Anders who plays a zombie named Blaine. He is going to be a big part of this show. Aly Michalka plays her nagging roommate, Peyton.

Overall, I really liked what I saw. The zombie situation was explained well. The zombies even have "full-on zombie mode." The case of week sounds like the perfect way to tell this story. I am not fully immersed into Liv's family and ex-finance plotlines yet, but this is a well-done pilot.

My Grade: A-

Zombie detective with a touch of spicy

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 8/10 · 8 December 2015]

Olivia is your typical medical resident from countless of TV series. She has a very handsome and nice boyfriend, a "nemesis" at her job, she works too much and is very good at what she does...

Till, at a party, there is a zombie outbreak and she ends becoming one of the undead.

Let's get a change of lifestyle. She gets depressed, leaves her boyfriend and, as she needs brains, quits her job and starts working at the morgue. She can't sleep, and she turns around on endless nights thinking that her undead life has no meaning at all.

Till some interesting things happen: her boss catches her and decides to help her finding a cure, and she starts working with a police detective because she gets visions from the life of the people whose brains she has eaten.

The first episode of iZombie is fun, interesting, presents the characters in a clear and nice way, and shows how interesting this show could become. With pilots sometimes is difficult to get the idea out, and more with a show like this one, that is not your run-of-the-mill police procedural. But we get to know the characters and to accept Olivia's situation in just a couple of scenes, with a nice touch of some drawings and short and to the point flashbacks. The direction is secure, and even if the end of the episode feels a little bit rushed, we may be in for a fun horror-comedy-romantic show.

With brains.

So disappointing

[Summadonna · 1/10 · 28 March 2015]

As a huge fan of "Veronica Mars," I had high hopes for liking this show, which were dashed about 30 seconds into watching the pilot. All the sly subtlety and sharpness of the "VMars" dialogue, and the intricacy and delicious mystery of its episodes' plots, is nowhere to be found here; it is Exposition City. Everything is just too convenient to be believable; there are huge leaps of logic that move the plot forward (way too conveniently). It is flimsy, lazy storytelling. Olivia is like a weak, undead clone of Veronica. I have seen so many positive reviews of this show and am mystified... I feel like people didn't see the same show I saw. As a writer, it was offensive to me, as it broke or disregarded SO many rules and guidelines of good TV-making, and just, like, logic. I don't understand how Rob Thomas could create "Veronica Mars" and then create this...