Taylor Vollman is a contributor at Collider. She has long quipped, “T.V. is my name, TV is my game.” Fortuitous initials aside, at the heart of a tired joke is a simple truth — she has a lifelong passion for television. And along with it, an affinity for movies, music and pop culture.
In a childhood time capsule, she had listed Friends, PB&J Otter, and Days of Our Lives among her favorite shows. But her tastes have not narrowed with age. Her viewing habits span TV Land classics, network hits, buzzy reality shows and streamer critical darlings.
Hoping to merge this passion with her love of writing, Taylor earned a bachelor’s in media arts and design with a minor in film studies from James Madison University. After working in marketing for years, she wanted to sharpen her skills and went on to graduate with a master’s in journalism from Georgetown University. Taylor has since pursued entertainment writing and reporting.
Rose McIver is no stranger to supernatural comedies. For years before she was communing with ghosts, the New Zealand actress was a crime-solving zombie on the aptly titled iZombie. Premiering in 2015, The CW series ran for five seasons, totaling 71 episodes. It recently found a new home on Prime Video. With its easy access, familiar face, and overlapping themes, it is the perfect show for fans of Ghosts as they bide their time until it returns for its regular season.
The CBS comedy follows Samantha “Sam” Arondekar (McIver) and her husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) as they transform their recently inherited Woodstone Manor into a bed-and-breakfast in upstate New York. But a head injury leaves Sam able to see and talk with the many ghosts already residing on the property. The network has pushed Ghosts‘ upcoming Season 6 to its spring 2027 schedule, except for its holiday specials. The news comes after McIver revealed she will be absent from the start of the season, having recently welcomed her second child. But have no fear, the ghosts still have someone to talk to since Ben Feldman‘s Kyle was promoted to a series regular. Ghosts recently aired its Halloween special on October 29, finally revealing Pete Marino’s (Richie Moriarty) fate after his Season 5 cliffhanger. It will also return with a two-episode “Ghostmas” special on December 10, 2026.
What Is ‘iZombie’ About?
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Image via The CW
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Image via The CW- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
- Image via The CW
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Rowand/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
Image via The CWiZombie follows McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a Seattle-based medical resident who becomes a zombie after an unfortunate boat party and subsequently upends her life. Keeping her newfound appetite a secret from nearly everyone, including her former fiancé Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley), she goes to work in a morgue for unlimited access to brains. But a diet of brains comes with a side effect — Liv takes on the personality of the deceased and sees flashbacks to their life. Putting this newfound ability to good use, she pretends to be a psychic and partners with Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) to solve murders.
She soon finds a confidant in her boss Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli), who makes it his mission to find a cure. Liv isn’t the only zombie in town, with the outbreak’s origin an early mystery within the series. David Anders‘ Blaine DeBeers and Bryce Hodgson‘s Donald “Don E.” Eberhard run a brain-dealing syndicate to meet the dietary demands of its new population. The series manages to balance multiple genres — part comedy, part procedural, and part horror.
iZombie is based on the comic book series of the same name, created by Mike Allred and Chris Roberson. It was published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. The CW tapped Diane Ruggiero-Wright and Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas to adapt the story for the small screen. The series also stars Aly Michalka as Liv’s best friend Peyton Charles.
Rose McIver Gets in Awkward Situations Covering up Her Abilities
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Image via the CW</figure>
While a ghost-infested bed-and-breakfast and a zombie-infested Seattle don’t seem similar on paper, the series share more than just a leading lady. Ghosts and iZombie have a similar comedic sensibility, viewing subjects often seen in horror through an approachable lens and using humor to undercut their more grotesque elements. Ghosts uses crude phrases when approaching bigger afterlife themes, like getting “sucked off” to heaven or Alberta Haynes (Danielle Pinnock) declaring the evil Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh) “went down on us” when dragged to hell. Similarly, iZombie leans into its comic book origins with its character and prop design. Liv just has a jagged haircut and pale complexion rather than a deformed face and slow-moving gait. The brains she eats even have a cartoonish quality, with the series interspersing Food Network-style cooking montages as Liv tries to add some variety to her all-brain diet.
McIver has made a career of hiding her supernatural abilities, often resulting in bumbling excuses and cringey results. While she isn’t solving actual crimes in Ghosts, she is often getting to the bottom of the ghosts’ many questions and familial mysteries. In either circumstance, Liv and Sam have unexplainable knowledge and the fibs they use as cover typically cause more hijinks. Plus, Liv has the added issue of a new personality every week, sometimes at odds with her petite appearance. One week she could be a Martini-drinking snob, the next embodying a frat boy, or even bursting into song while seeing through the eyes of an actress. Luckily, both characters have at least one confidant, iZombie‘s Ravi and Ghosts‘ Jay, who help cover her tracks even if they are then dragged along with her.
But more than comedy, both Ghosts and iZombie explore themes of reinvention, mainly through McIver’s characters. In Ghosts, she leaves behind most of her journalistic dreams to open a bed-and-breakfast. And with her new powers, she also prioritizes the happiness of her dead roommates. This new move pushes her to pursue other writing ventures she can accomplish at Woodstone Manor, like writing a book or screenplay. And while their aspirations are not the same, Liv leaves behind her picture-perfect dream of being a doctor and marrying Major. She instead finds new meaning in not only solving crimes but eventually helping other zombies.
Aside from its upcoming Christmas special, Ghosts fans have at least a couple of months until the CBS comedy returns with its regularly scheduled season. So, while they try to fill their time, iZombie is the perfect replacement with adjacent subject matter, familiar comedy, and manageable length. Plus, fans will also get to see the full extent of McIver’s acting chops on iZombie, as she essentially reinvents her character each week.
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