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Syfy kills ‘Z Nation’ after five seasons; fans demand afterlife for zombie show on Netflix

“Z Nation” actors Jerry Dykeman and Brie Edwards wait to shoot a scene on Wall Street in downtown Spokane on Aug. 26, 2016. The show has been canceled after five seasons on the cable channel Syfy. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047

“Z Nation,” the zombie apocalypse show filmed in and around Spokane, won’t be renewed for a sixth season on the cable channel Syfy.

“We’re very sad, but we’re also really grateful with the opportunities that we had on this show,” executive producer David Latt said in a video posted to Twitter last week.

“Z Nation,” which premiered in 2014, follows a band of survivors who traverse the country seeking a cure for the virus and killing zombies, often in absurd, darkly humorous ways.

Created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, the low-budget series was produced by North by Northwest in Spokane, along with two other production houses in Los Angeles.

The cancellation means the final episode of the fifth season, slated to air Friday, will be the series finale.

“Z Nation” actors Jerry Dykeman and Brie Edwards wait to shoot a scene on Wall Street in downtown Spokane on Aug. 26, 2016. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
“Z Nation” actors Jerry Dykeman and Brie Edwards wait to shoot a scene on Wall Street in downtown Spokane on Aug. 26, 2016. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

That is, unless Netflix picks up production of the show, as many fans have demanded.

The streaming giant already has rights to “Z Nation” after episodes air on Syfy, and next year it plans to release eight episodes of a spinoff, “Black Summer,” created by Schaefer and John Hyams.

Many fans have lamented the cancellation of “Z Nation” on Twitter. Responding to one of them on Friday, Schaeffer wrote, “Thanks for being such a great fan and helping make Z Nation the unlikely hit that it is.”