'iZombie' Got A Makeover For The CW

There are a million reasons to be excited about The CW's new series iZombie, and many of them involve the fact that it's from the guy behind Veronica Mars and has some really awesome source material, too. Rob Thomas has breathed a new life into the show, while still keeping it true to its original comic book roots, too. iZombie the show is similar to the original comic, but plenty has changed from the written and drawn page to the CW screen. The same essence and basis of the story are present in both — iZombie is a story about a girl who dies and then comes back to life, as those pesky zombies tend to do. The comic book story of iZombie reads much more like a true comic book, where our heroine has to fight off evil villains of the undead nature. iZombie the TV show is more like a crime procedural with that same idea. It focuses on a crime fighting morgue worker, who doesn't appear to battle any werewolves like in the comics — well, at least not yet. That all could change.The main character in the iZombie comics is named Gwendolyn, or Gwen for short. On TV she's named Olivia, or Liv for short (GET IT? LIV? I see what you did there, Rob Thomas). And the comics are very much based on a "supernatural" element. For example, Gwen's best friend is a ghost who died in the 1960s. It does not appear that the CW is going that route quite yet. Instead, Liv just has an ex-fiancé. Already, the iZombie show is getting a lot of comparison to Veronica Mars , which is expected since it was adapted by Thomas and both shows feature a strong and sassy female protagonist who helps to solve crimes. iZombie is actually getting more comparison to Veronica Mars than to its source material. The idea of a someone coming back to life as a zombie and working is still there, but the general plot has now changed. Like I said, no ghosts on the small screen, just yet.

Even though many elements have changed, iZombie wants to stay true to its original source material. The opening title sequence of the show, below, was actually drawn by the original comic artist, Michael Allred, so that's pretty cool. Even though Thomas has clearly changed many elements around, it's nice to give a huge nod like this to its origin.

We'll figure out the rest of the changes when iZombie premieres on March 17 on The CW. Regardless of what remains the same and what's completely new, I know I'll be watching.

Image: Cate Cameron/The CW