Revival, on Syfy

Who misses quarantines and sheltering-at-home? Not the good citizens of Wausau, Wisconsin. They must endure another lockdown-shutdown when the dead rise from their graves. It is a very localized uncanny happening, limited only to Wausau and the newly deceased who passed away with a two-week period. They are not zombies. They seem to be the same as they ever were, with a few notable exceptions to be discovered later. Nevertheless, it all supplies plenty of grounds for fear and panic in creators Aaron B. Koontz & Luke Boyce’s Revival, based Tim Seeley & Mike Norton’s comics, which premieres tomorrow on Syfy.

Wausau Deputy Dana Cypress was about to leave town for a security job in the big city when the not-quite-zombie non-apocalypse occurred. She lost her new job, but at least her boss (and her father), Sheriff Wayne Cypress, saved her old one. He takes a hardline on Revivers, advocating for tight controls. She tends to agree with the more moderate views of Ibrahim Ramin, the CDC guy, who was almost her awkward hook-up.

Even when quarantine lifts, the Cypresses stay super-busy, especially when one Reviver starts exhibiting more traditional zombie-like behavior. So far, the crazy old lady is the only aggressive, animalistic Reviver, but she is quite a handful, especially since Revivers quickly heal back to their original state at their time of death. In addition to holding off complete anarchy, Deputy Cypress worries about her young level-headed son Cooper and her younger, not-so-level-headed sister Martha (a.k.a. “Em”).

Sheriff Cypress and Ramin clearly represent very different approaches to pandemic management, but as of the first six episodes provided for review, that clash of methods is not yet nauseatingly didactic. Wayne Cyress is definitely on the hard side of hardnoses, but he has his merits, particularly as a grandpa.

Regardless, Koontz, Boyce, and their writers’ room capitalize on many of the opportunities for intrigue offered by the Revival, like a murder victim who is suddenly back. In fact, there are four or five further complications that are embargoed for your weekly viewing pleasure, most of which successfully keep the audience hooked.

While the not-exactly-zombie premise has precedent, Revival sufficiently differentiates itself from The Returned, In the Flesh, and several other series of similar vintage. The comic started in 2012, but somehow, the pseudo-zombie drama feels fresh again today. TV vets like Melanie Scrofano (Wynona Earp) and David James Elliott (JAG) definitely keep things snappy. Andy McQueen is also appealingly nebbish as Ramin. There are several colorful villains (who they are, mum’s the word), but the presumed main antagonist, Blaine Abel, played by Steven Ogg is a rather tired messianic cliché.

In any case, viewers cannot fault the pacing maintained by directors Samir Rehem and Amanda Row, which consistently delivers timely revelations and the requisite episode-ending cliff-hanger. There is also a healthy supply of creepiness that horror fans will appreciate, especially Wausau’s first recorded encounter with a Reviver. There are weaknesses and blind-spots, but the series is undeniably grabby, thanks to the cast and several of the strange particulars of the Revival phenomenon. Recommended for fans of zombies and hard-to-define genre mysteries, Revival starts airing tomorrow (6/12) on Syfy.