Netflix series 'better than The Walking Dead' with almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Netflix fans are recommending a hidden gem horror series that they say is "better than The Walking Dead".

The series in question is Black Summer, which debuted in 2019 and ran for two seasons before being axed. It is set within the same world as the Syfy horror show Z Nation and acts as a prequel to the series.

Jaime King stars as Rose, an apocalypse survivor desperately searching for her daughter amidst the chaos of a zombie outbreak. The show's official synopsis reads: "In the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones."

Black Summer was brought to life by Z Nation creators John Hyams and Karl Schaefer and has garnered an impressive 87 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing The Walking Dead's average score of 79 per cent.

There are currently two eight-episode seasons of Black Summer for Netflix viewers to dive into. However, fans were dealt a blow when co-creator Hyams announced on X, previously known as Twitter, in early 2023 that there would be no third season, reports the Mirror.

In response to a fan's query of a "Season 3 of Black Summer or nah?", Hyams responded with a straightforward "Sadly, nah." Despite the cancellation of a third instalment, the first two seasons continue to receive high praise from viewers.

"I lovedddd this I’ve watched it about 5 times lol," confessed one series fan, while another gushed: "Absolutely a great written show… two fantastic seasons. Walking Dead was great till Season 5 after that it was meh, plus losing Andrew was a major blow!".

One fan expressed their disappointment, saying: "Black Summer was great! I wish I would have gotten a Season 3," while another questioned why it wasn't more popular. "It actually is really good BUT I think it's been since 2021 that they made a new season. I was shocked it didn't blow up bc everyone was stuck in for Covid when it came out [sic]," they wrote.

In a 2021 interview with The Express, star of the series Jaime King admitted that although Black Summer could be "the kind of show that could go on forever", wrapping it up in a third season would be a "really powerful" move.

“I’d like to explore three different chapters,” King explained, “a perspective of three different groups of characters."

“I want to put a really beautiful bow on it, but this is the kind of show that could go on forever," adding: "I think it would be really powerful to do it in just three seasons.”

Black Summer Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream now on Netflix