# Black Summer (2019)

> Strangers in the early days of a zombie apocalypse band together and fight to survive and reach their loved ones.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/74753

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: horror, action, drama
- Created by: Karl Schaefer, John Hyams
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Jaime King, Christine Lee, Sal Velez Jr., Zoe Marlett, Justin Chu Cary, Kelsey Flower, Brianna Johnston, Megan Reneau
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8923854/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: tense, bleak, frantic, gritty, harrowing

## What critics say

Viewers find the zombie survival drama tense and action-packed, with fast zombies and well-developed characters, though its nonlinear structure divides opinion.

## Synopsis

Black Summer (2019-2021) is an American zombie apocalypse survival series created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams for Netflix. Set in the chaotic early days of an outbreak, it follows Rose (Jaime King) and Kyungsun (Christine Lee) as they search for loved ones while strangers they meet along the way are forced into fragile alliances. Characters including William Velez (Sal Velez Jr.) and Anna (Zoe Marlett) share the burden of scavenging, fleeing and fighting through collapsed towns where the infected turn quickly and no one is safe. The engine is simple and relentless: reach family before the world finishes falling apart. Across two seasons of eight episodes each, the story unfolds in short, action packed chapters, with backstories revealed in fragments and a timeline that jumps around rather than moving in order. The mood is tense, bleak and frantic, with scary sound design and gritty cinematography. Fans of The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later and Z Nation will find familiar apocalyptic dread here, though the series is more intense and less sentimental. It was canceled before its story was finished, leaving the central search open.

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