Z Nation 2014 – **** You can’t see it, but I’m smiling. I’ve just finished watching the first episode of “Z Nation”, a new series that begins this evening (September 12, 2014 – 10 P.M. EST) on SyFy and Space in Canada.

The series stars Harold Perrineau, who fans will remember as Michael from “Lost”, Tom Everett Scott from “Southland”, and Michael Welch from “Twilight” among others.

The setup is a familiar one, a group of disparate survivors must make it from New York to California to the last remaining CDC lab, Camp Northern Light,  while trying to avoid the multitudes of fast moving zees, as they are referred to.

The good news is that this first episode contains a smorgasbord of the kind of action that devotees require. We begin to see glimmerings of who the central characters are, and what they are about. There is a lot of zombie violence which, for the most part, is well done, and the writers throw in a few original FX gags and situations that will probably disturb some viewers. There are also some glimpses into how the government and military try to handle the initial outbreak, the depiction of which are probably closer to home than some idealistic audience members might feel comfortable with.

If I have a complaint at all, it is a technical one. The Director of Photography uses a stark, washed out look for a majority of the episode. Its unnaturalness pulled me out of the viewing a few times, especially during exterior scenes. But this is a minor quibble, no?

Why am I smiling? Because this pilot is a stark contrast to “The Walking Dead”. That series seems to focus on character development with secondary zombie violence as its focus. “Z Nation” will find an audience if it continues to focus on zombie violence with secondary character development as displayed here. This is a fine line, but an important one.

I urge all fans of the genre to tune in, set your PVRs, then sit back and enjoy this initial episode. Show some support so that this new series can find its footing. There is a lot of promise shown here, and it is clear that a lot of good people are involved in the creation of this series. You’ve captured my attention, and I’m looking forward to the payoff.