Why An iZombie Revival Is Unlikely, According To Star Rose McIver

Based on the DC comic created by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred, “iZombie” wasn’t exactly a sensation on the level of the Arrowverse or “Riverdale,” but it can stand tall among its fellow comics adaptations broadcast on The CW during the 2010s. Unfortunately for fans, series star Rose McIver does not expect to return to the role any time soon … even though she likes the idea.

“I’d love to,” she said when asked if she would do an “iZombie” revival, during an appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast. “I don’t think people understand how much … I had the time of my life! We did five seasons, which is pretty good innings. Our [ratings] numbers were fine, but they weren’t insane.”

McIver played Olivia “Liv” Moore — a friendly zombie who works at the morgue and only eats brains out of dead bodies she comes across in the course of her employment. Whenever Liv scarfs down someone’s grey matter, she gains access to their memories and absorbs aspects of their personality — which is handy for solving mysteries and a perpetual challenge for an actor.   

“I had to play a different character every time I ate a brain,” McIver told Rosenbaum. “I must have done 50-something … I was running pretty low by the end, in terms of what I had left in my arsenal. I was probably down to my final few ideas.”

“iZombie” also buttoned its main storylines up nicely on the way out. Season 5 finished the story it set up in the series’ very first episode. “iZombie’s” finale, “All’s Well That Ends Well,” features a time skip where the story jumps 10 years forward, and most of the main characters get a happy ending. Rose McIver’s Liv, in particular, received solid closure in that final episode.

There are so many revival attempts in modern television that you can never completely close the door on any successful show making a comeback. But while the star of “iZombie” did say that a revival could provide an opportunity to tweak the concept, for now, the chances of seeing Liv eating more brains are relatively slim.