Are Black Summer and Z Nation connected?
By Renee Hansen
The zombie genre is a hot commodity on Netflix. There are many zombie-themed choices, and within that genre, there are many categories. Two top-rated series are Black Summer and Z Nation. The question that comes up is: Are these two series connected?
Z Nation originally started airing on Syfy in 2014 and was created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler and was produced by The Asylum. This series started three years into the apocalypse, and most of humanity has been wiped out by the virus or the undead the virus created.
In 2018, Netflix ordered a spin-off to Z Nation called Black Summer. This series also saw Karl Schaefer as a creator along with John Hyams, and The Asylum also produces this series. As this was ordered as a prequel, the start date for this series is about six weeks after the outbreak.
Are Black Summer and Z Nation connected?
This is a question asked by many. If you do some research, the answer is still unclear. When first announced, it was stated that Netflix ordered Black Summer as a spin-off prequel to Z Nation. Syfy canceled the original series after five seasons, and fans wanted more. The hope was that Netflix could come in and save the series, but their answer was to create something new but in the same universe.
The term Black Summer refers to the first summer in Z Nation, which is the first summer after the world went to hell and the scary, uncertain times it brought. Where Z Nation takes a dark-humored tongue-in-cheek approach to the world around it, Black Summer is more serious, and the zombies are definitely some of the scarier in the genre. But, as far as crossovers or anything like it, it doesn’t sound like that is in the plans for the series.
Both of these series have been well received by fans as they are a different approach to the genre. Black Summer is the grittier of the two series, making one fast-moving, blood from the eyes zombie, scarier than a whole herd of slower moving ones.
In Z Nation, years have passed since the beginning of the outbreak, and the main character is the only known zombie bite survivor. This is due to some government-approved experiments whose blood contains antibodies that are the only hope for a vaccine for the virus.
So, in answer to the question: Are Black Summer and Z Nation connected? They take place in the same universe, and that is really the only connection.
One cool side note about Black Summer is that among its fans is a man who really knows horror: Stephen King.
If the zombie genre is your thing, be sure to check out both Black Summer and Z Nation on Netflix.