Kingdom - the best zombie media since The Walking Dead
Kingdom (Netflix)
Ever since I was introduced to The Walking Dead over a decade ago, i completely fell in love with . The show turned into an obsession and profoundly changed my life. To this day, I haven't found a show better than The Walking Dead, and I doubt I ever will. The Walking Dead also set a high bar for zombie media, making it hard for me to enjoy other zombie shows or films as much as I would like to. Every other zombie show or film I've seen was decent, but none could compare, as I believe the directing of The Walking Dead was simply brilliant. I'm not the biggest fan of fast-paced zombies, and I felt other zombie media lacked standout characters. However, this all changed when I started watching Kingdom a few weeks ago. This show gave me the same feeling The Walking Dead did. In this blog, I will explore why I think this show is so excellent and why you should give it a try, even if you haven't watched The Walking Dead.
Kingdom
Kingdom is a critically acclaimed Korean zombie thriller series that has captivated audiences around the world. Directed by Kim Seong-hun for the first season and Park In-je for the second season, the show masterfully blends elements of historical drama with the gripping tension of a horror narrative. Set during Korea's Joseon Dynasty, the series intricately weaves a tale filled with political intrigue, social commentary, and the ever-present threat of the undead. The plot revolves around a young prince named Lee Chang, who embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind a mysterious disease that has afflicted his father, the king, leading to his sudden illness.
As the story unfolds, Prince Lee Chang finds himself not only battling the rising tide of the zombie plague but also navigating the treacherous waters of court politics, where betrayal and ambition lurk at every corner. His quest leads him to confront the realities of his kingdom, uncovering dark secrets that threaten the very fabric of society. The series artfully showcases the prince's transformation from a sheltered royal into a determined leader, showcasing his resilience and courage as he faces both the living and the undead.
What makes Kingdom so unique
The reason Kingdom completely stands out in the crowded horror genre is that it isn't just another show focused on mindless zombies and basic survival. It is infinitely more complex than that, shifting its main focus toward the dark depths of human nature: political corruption, brutal treason, and an absolute, blinding desperation for power. In this story, the monsters aren't just the main threat—they are routinely weaponized as a chess piece for political suspense and a tool to seize control of the throne.
Setting the series in Joseon-era Korea makes the entire narrative even more gripping. In that era, royal power, status, and bloodlines were absolutely everything. It creates a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world where the aristocracy would gladly let the country burn and sacrifice the working class just to conquer the empire.
Yet, despite how heavy and intricate the political scheming gets, the show never slacks on the horror. Whenever the infected finally appear, the execution of those scenes is masterful. Kingdom excels at building slow, agonizing suspense through its brilliant pacing and terrifying sound design. Every single time the sun goes down, or the infected pull up in overwhelming numbers, you get this immediate pit in your stomach because you know things are about to go down real bad.
The Characters
The character writing in Kingdom is absolutely genius, especially because we follow the Crown Prince, Lee Chang—one of the most important figures of that entire era. This choice gives the show a completely unique twist. Instead of watching an ordinary, everyday person just trying to survive the night, we are following a royal leader who holds immense political weight but also carries the intense hatred of rival factions. He is actively fighting to protect his starving, plagued people, even while facing a total lack of support and constant betrayal from powerful clans.
The side characters are equally spectacular and well-written, each bringing something essential to the table. You have Yeong-shin, the mysterious and skilled tiger hunter whose badass survival skills and quiet intensity heavily remind me of Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead. Then there is Lord Cho Hak-ju, an insanely cool and calculating antagonist who commands every scene he is in with pure intimidation.
We also get Moo-young, the prince’s fiercely loyal personal bodyguard whose bond with Chang provides a lot of the show's heart, and Queen Consort Cho, who is easily one of the best-written, most chillingly ambitious characters I have seen in a long time. The depth given to both the heroes and the villains makes the stakes feel so much higher.
Ashin of the North
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021)
Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a feature-length special episode that serves as a dark, tragic prequel to the main series. Set on the frigid northern borders of Joseon, it explores the backstory of Ashin, a mysterious woman from a marginalized border tribe.
After her entire village is brutally betrayed and massacred due to political scheming between warring factions, young Ashin is left as the sole survivor. Consumed by grief and a fierce desire for vengeance, she discovers the resurrection plant—the mythical flower capable of bringing the dead back to life.
Instead of a standard survival story, this prequel operates as a gritty psychological origin story. It shows how one woman's all-consuming rage ultimately acts as the catalyst for the entire zombie plague, changing the fate of the kingdom forever.
Season 3?
Unfortunately, there are still absolutely no updates on Season 3 as of right now in May 2026. The show hasn't been officially canceled by Netflix, but it also hasn't been renewed, leaving it trapped in a frustrating state of limbo. While it remains highly likely that we will eventually get a third season—given the creators' massive plans for the story—the agonizing question of when it will actually happen is a mystery that fans have been desperately asking ever since Season 2 released.
In Conclusion
I think that this show could have been way more popular globally if it had been given a more distinct, unique name. There are countless movies, anime, video games, and TV shows out there with the exact title Kingdom, which makes it a frustratingly difficult search when you're trying to recommend it to people.
Despite having only two short seasons of six episodes each, it manages to pack more punch, depth, and storytelling into those twelve episodes than most shows do in five seasons. In my opinion, this is easily the absolute best piece of zombie media we have received since the peak days of The Walking Dead. Are you going to check this show out?
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