Sneak Peak at New CBS Zombie Series

Who wouldn't want to cash in on the zombie craze? Certainly not CBS, which is why the network is bringing you a new zombie TV series called Babylon Fields. The crucial question with zombie tales, however, is what kind of undead are we talking about here? The shambling, drooling, brain-eating kind we met in Night of the Living Dead? Or the hyperactive, speedy kind from 28 Days Later and the new Dawn of the Dead? Sounds like it will be none of the above -- based on some sneak peak pictures from the pilot, as well as the words of a CBS exec:

[Babylon Fields will be a] sardonic, apocalyptic American comedy-drama where the dead are rising and as a result, lives are regained, families restored and old wounds reopened.

Oh my dears, could it be Dark Shadows with zombies? Delightful! If you look at the image above, taken by Mike from Icons of Fright, there's definitely a Victorian flavor here. Plus, it sounds like the plan is to make the zombies non-droolsacks, actual people who just happen to have risen from the dead. TV.com has a thumbnail summary of the first episode:

Shirley Wunch and her daughter Janine live a life in abuse from
Shirley's husband Jamey. When they defend themselves and kill him, they think they are free from their torment. Their relief is short lived though when they find that Jamey's corpse is reanimated and the dead once again walk the Earth.

This is a big departure from the usual sort of zombie, who is generally treated like a retarded vampire, brainless and psychotic, more dog than human. But Babylon Fields proposes somthing more: zombies as pieces of the past that won't go away, or as people who are trying (literally) to restart their lives. I must say, I'm intrigued. Watch for the show on CBS in the fall.

Sneak Peaks at Babylon Fields [via Icons of Fright]