Netflix's 10/10 Zombie Series Is So Good, It Got 2 Seasons And A Movie

Published Aug 17, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering everything from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi epics.

Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the TV and movies team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.

Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.

Netflix has always understood the appeal of zombie TV shows, with several of the streamer's original series catering to fans of hordes of shambling infected and undead. From Black Summer to Santa Clarita Diet to All of Us Are Dead, Netflix has gifted fans of zombies with some of the best modern shows of the genre.

However, hidden among Netflix's most well-known zombie TV shows is a historical drama that brings the genre's best tropes and staples to a truly unique setting. What's more, it's not just one of the best zombie series on Netflix, it's one of the best in the genre, period. That show is Kingdom, which arrived in 2019 to such acclaim that it spawned not only a second season, but also Kingdom: Ashin of the North, a feature-length special that expanded the story and explored the origins of its mysterious plague.

Set in Korea's 17th-century Joseon Dynasty, Kingdom primarily centers on Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), a crown prince caught between a deadly political conspiracy and a rapidly spreading plague that causes the dead to rise with a ravenous appetite for the living. The result is a series that combines historical intrigue and gruesome zombie horror into something remarkably distinctive. For fans of zombie TV shows who think they've seen it all, Kingdom isn't just a breath of fresh air. It's a viewing experience that will turn everything even the most schooled in zombie media thought they knew completely on its head.

Kingdom Put A Unique Spin On The Zombie TV Show Formula

If there's one criticism of zombie TV shows and movies that definitely holds weight, it's that they can be formulaic. Hits like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us proved that when zombie stories expand beyond theatrical runtimes, they still end up heavily focusing on groups of survivors moving through dangerous territory while attempting to stay alive amid hordes of the undead. Kingdom, on the other hand, takes the zombie formula and applies it to somewhere truly unique: the royal court and countryside of Joseon-era Korea.

However, simply dismissing Kingdom as yet another zombie TV show that simply has a historic backdrop is a huge mistake. The 17th-century setting is a canvas upon which the Netflix show paints a truly unique picture. The story begins with Crown Prince Lee Chang investigating rumors surrounding his supposedly dying father, only to discover that a mysterious plague is resurrecting the dead. From there, the story escalates into a tale of an entire nation fighting for its existence against not only the undead, but decision-makers within its own government who simply refuse to believe the true extent of the danger.

The journeys of Chang and other characters in Kingdom are about far more than simply surviving zombies. They must contend with political enemies, a succession crisis and a ruling class willing to sacrifice ordinary people to protect its power. The zombies become a means of exploring corruption, class divisions and the consequences of political decisions made far above the people suffering from them.

The tension and danger in Kingdom comes from many sources beyond its terrifying undead, but it also never forgets why zombie stories are entertaining. Its creatures are frighteningly aggressive, the action brutally visceral, and the horror frequently erupts with little warning. The result is a rare zombie TV show that manages to function just as well as a political thriller and historical epic as it does a horror experience. Still, no matter how many additional layers it adds, Kingdom still delivers the gore and relentless adrenaline that audiences expect from a solid zombie series.

The Appeal Of Kingdom Is Much Deeper Than Its Zombies

Kingdom holds an impressive 98% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, and is inarguably one of Netflix's most acclaimed zombie TV shows. However, its reputation isn’t solely built on how effectively it depicts the undead. There are a lot of other aspects of Kingdom that it delivers masterfully that have nothing to do with horrific hordes of walking corpses.

The political intrigue in Kingdom is just as compelling as its zombie action. Characters like Cho Hak-ju (Ryu Seung-ryong), Chang's main rival in the succession struggle, represent ruthless political forces attempting to manipulate the ongoing outbreak of undead to serve their own ends. Lord Hak-ju and his supporters give the story of Kingdom weight beyond its horror, and ensure the escalating zombie crisis never overwhelms the human drama at the show's center.

Visually, Kingdom is incredibly impressive too. Its elaborate period setting, sweeping landscapes, and meticulously designed costumes make Joseon feel like a fully realized world. What’s more, the cinematography transforms what could easily be all-too-familiar zombie moments into truly unforgettable sequences. More importantly, the series uses its setting to examine social inequality, showing how desperation and institutional failure can push an already divided population toward total anarchy. The horror consequently comes as much from society itself as it does the monsters threatening to engulf it.

That combination of visual spectacle and thematic depth is ultimately why Kingdom deserves its 10/10 reputation. It has superb zombie action, but it also has political intrigue, memorable characters with solid and rewarding arcs, exceptional production design, and something meaningful to say about power and inequality. All in all, Kingdom isn't just one of the best zombie TV shows on Netflix. It's one of Netflix's best series of any genre (one that, almost coincidentally, happens to have loads of zombies in it).