'Mind blowing' Netflix series better than The Walking Dead and perfect for Last of Us fans

A 'mind blowing' Netflix series some believe is better than The Walking Dead is also recommended as a perfect show for fans of The Last of Us.

Black Summer is exclusively available on the streaming platform and should satisfy those who enjoy the post-apocalyptic / zombie genres. The series is a spin-off of the horror show Z Nation and set within the same universe. That show is currently available to stream for free on Tubi or via Amazon Prime for those who wish to catch up. However, no prior knowledge is essential to enjoy Black Summer

The story is set six weeks after the start of the zombie apocalypse, and follows Rose, played by Jaime King, who finds herself separated from her daughter, Anna. As a result, she embarks on a harrowing journey to find her.

Thrust alongside a small group of refugees in North America, she must brave a hostile new world and make brutal decisions during the most deadly summer of the apocalypse. The premise shares similarity with the first season of The Last of Us, which also saw two characters undertake a dangerous cross-country journey, battling other survivors and monsters.

Overall, the show scores an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with its second season managing a perfect 100% score. In several Reddit threads posted by fans who ask for recommendations of shows to watch if they loved The Last of Us and Black Summer is regularly mentioned.

It is also often declared to be better than The Walking Dead. As the second season of Last of Us is set to premiere, it could be ideal to help ease the wait between episodes. The only bad thing is that there are only two seasons, as it was confirmed back in 2021 that Netflix wasn't moving ahead with a third season.

One critic shared why it is still worth checking out as they wrote: "Don't be gulled by zombie apocalypse" This ain't The Walking Dead or any of its spinoffs. It's formally brilliant, politically loaded, terse and mind-blowing."

A fan also posted their opinion of the series online as they said: "The way this show was filmed and acted was insanely brilliant. They keep the audiences eyes locked on and focused without even blinking and quite frankly even taking a breath until an episode has ended."

Another added: "This is by far the best zombie show I have ever watched! If you hated The Walking Dead and stopped watching after a few seasons this show is for you. It's what The Walking Dead should have been."

Someone else put forward a similar view while also addressing criticism the show has received regarding potential plot holes. They posted: "I’m about five episodes in and I had to take a break for a minute because of the stress. So far I absolutely LOVE this show. It has an awesome mix of tension, realistic thinking and bare-bones survival. I have seen parts of The Walking Dead and The Last Of Us and this feels similar. "

They continued: "It’s very raw. Some people are saying that there are lots of plot holes/poor decisions, but I strongly disagree. The reviews that tend to say this are generally basing it on previous knowledge of zombies and how zombies are supposed to act, but this show is kind of introducing a (slightly) different type of zombie. Plus the characters in this world know nothing about them, it’s all new."

Black Summer is streaming on Netflix.