'Day Of The Dead' TV Series Invades TV Screens This October

George A. Romero's Day of the Dead is now a TV series headed to SYFY, and it finally has a premiere date set for October. Despite its title, the show appears to have very little to do with Romero's movie, and is instead simply using that branding with the hopes that it'll convince Romero fans to watch. Maybe it will. The series follows "six strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion," and based on the previously released trailer, you can expect the Day of the Dead TV series to lean into comedy. Lots and lots of comedy.

Day of the Dead Trailer

The Day of the Dead trailer above isn't new, but it might be new to you! And if it is, I'm very sorry, because it looks rather bad. Trailers can often be deceiving, but I'm not at all on board with the "funny" tone they're going for here. To be fair, there was plenty of dark humor running through George Romero's movies — and even some silly humor, too (there's a full-blown pie fight in Dawn of the Dead). But the comedy on display here is just ... awkward.

In any case, Day of the Dead now has a premiere date: October 15, 2021. While Romero's name is bandied about that trailer, and the show bears the title of one of his movies, it's clear the Day of the Dead TV series has very little to do with its cinematic counterpart. Romero's movie was set sometime after the zombie apocalypse had already happened, resulting in survivors living underground while the walking dead roam the earth. But the show is going to take a much different approach.

Day of the Dead TV Series Synopsis

How different? See for yourself:

DAY OF THE DEAD is the intense story of six strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion. This ode to George A. Romero's famous flesh-eaters reminds us that sometimes all it takes to bring people together is a horde of hungry zombies trying to rip them apart.

Sure! Whatever! The cast includes:

  • Keenan Tracey as Cam McDermott, "a high school senior and son of a local police detective who spends his free time working odd jobs to get out of his small Pennsylvania hometown."
  • Daniel Doheny as Luke Bowman, "the son of town mayor, Paula Bowman."
  • Natalie Malaika as Lauren Howell, "a sarcastic assistant mortician at the local mortuary."
  • Morgan Holmstrom as Sarah Blackwood, "former Special Forces now working on a fracking crew outside of town. She discovers a mysterious body which plunges her into the middle of a zombie invasion."
  • Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amy, a" life coach and daughter of the town doctor. When the dead start to rise, she begins a transformation as she fights for survival."
  • Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas are on board as writers and showrunners.