I just discovered Netflix canceled the most realistic zombie show I’ve ever seen – here’s why Black Summer is still worth streaming
It’s far from a summer vacation
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How have I only just found out thatNetflixhas quietly canceled the best zombie showBlack Summer?Sadly, I’m not surprised, given just how many cancelations I’ve seen these days and how few people streamed it. But it still deserves the same praise as other creature features and I’m going to celebrate this fact by re-watching it.
Funnily enough, I discovered this news after writing aboutfive shows canceled by Netflix in 2024 so far that you should still watch, so I’ll be going back to update this – make sure to bookmark the article to find out what else makes the cut.
Black Summerdebuted on thebest streaming serviceback in 2019, with season 2 of the horror series following two years later. Any news ofBlack Summer’sfuture went quiet until co-creator John Hyamstweeted in April 2023 that a third season wouldn’t be happening.Since then,What’s On Netflixhas reported that Netflix officially canceled theZ-Nationspin-off, despite having an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Unfortunately, the streaming giant is known to cancel much-loved shows andBlack Summeris another one to end up on the scrap heap, with What’s On Netflix citing low viewership figures as the reason for its axing.
It’s a shame thatBlack Summerhas completely flown under the radar compared to other undead shows likeThe Walking DeadandThe Last of Us,considering it’s frantic, heart-pounding action is probably one of the most realistic portrayals of how humans would react to a zombie apocalypse.
A Netflix gem now (un)dead and buried
Black Summeris a prequel spin-off toZ Nation,and takes places a few weeks after the start of a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of strangers from all walks of life trying to survive and find their loved ones. This group consists of Rose (Jaime King), a mother trying to reunite with her daughter, Spears (Justin Chu Cary), a criminal posing as a soldier who saved Rose’s life, and Sun (Christine Lee), a Korean woman who doesn’t speak English looking for her missing mother. During their endeavor, they meet other survivors as well as an abundance of zombies.
The characters are realistic in their desperate fight for survival, making it a convincing portrayal of what humans are capable of in terrifying life and death situations. The zombie genre often faces criticism about how people with no shooting experience can pick up a gun and miraculously hit a target while running or doing it one-handed – something that would be extremely hard for professionals to do let alone a normal person. However, this isn’t the case inBlack Summer.They can’t shoot straight or effectively and struggle to land a successful head shot on a zombie a few feet in front of them.
They also make reckless decisions that will have you shouting at your screen, but whereBlack Summerimpresses is with its camera work. The long one take sequences thrust you into the heart of the chaos, making you feel like you’re experiencing the same turmoil unfold – I mean,thatstadium scene is something else. I know some people don’t like the ‘running zombie’ trope, and there’s plenty of them in thisbest Netflix show, but it does help to evoke a sense of sheer terror from the watchers, just like the protagonists are going through.
It’s sad to see this Netflix gem now buried after two seasons, but I can only hope that it will come back from the dead if another streamer picked it up. Now that there isn’t a third season, fans won’t get any answers to the season 2 cliffhanger, but don’t let this stop you from watching this very good, but stressful series - and with Halloween around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get stuck in.
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After graduating with a degree in Writing and Film Studies, Grace dived into the world of entertainment where she started writing all about the must-watch shows and movies at What To Watch. Now Grace is on her next writing adventure at TechRadar, where she uses her expertise to help readers keep up to date on the biggest TV shows and movies in the ever-changing world of streaming. If she’s not writing about her passion for entertainment, you’ll find her watching reality shows while feasting on chocolate.
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