8. In The Flesh (BBC, March 17th March 31st)
Apparently much more than merely another network hopping on the zombie bandwagon, In the Flesh intrigued me when I first heard of it for its emphasis not so much on the bleak examination of the human spirit in light of society's annihilation a la The Walking Dead, but something closer to Max Brooks' World War Z (not to be confused with the ill-titled Brad Pitt blockbuster); a work which takes a post-zombie invasion perspective to explore what it is that defines humanity. Supernatural creatures have long served as metaphors for the proverbial Other of society, and such metaphors usually facilitate explorations which conclude that the mainstream's treatment of said Other reflects how we should assess ourselves as a civilization. From the looks of the series' premise of zombies reintegrating into human society there will be a focus on those who enter into some kind of rehabilitation process. This is a particularly spiky sect of the Other as the first types that spring to mind are criminals of various sorts anything from the average scrappy car thief to utterly contemptible sexual predators and addicts, neither of whom most people are especially quick to forgive. A zombie series which examines forgiving actual monsters sounds like a delightful mix of truly challenging material and the upending of conventions and tropes of the zombie genre. I can't help but have my interest piqued by such a humanistic discussion approached using the undead.