Left 4 The Dead

Promotional material released prior to cancellation.

Left 4 The Dead was an American action/horror television series about a group of survivors escaping a zombie outbreak during a government conspiracy. The show was a beloved passion project created by writer and director Joseph Kennedy, but unfortunately was cancelled on December 22nd, 2023 due to issues between AMC and Martin Bird, the man who got the show up and running. Despite only running for 12 episodes from October 2nd to December 18th, the series had a large and detailed plot lined out that was supposed to run for at least two seasons. Jason Griffith voiced the now beloved protagonist, Shadow the Hedgehog, through all 12 episodes and was intended to appear in the entirety of season one and, according to leaks, show up for three episodes in season two alongside the remaining survivors. Ella Purnell, James Earl Jones, Christopher Bellard, Hailee Steinfeld, Antony Starr, Squire Fridell and Willem Dafoe also starred in the series. Unfortunately due to the cancellation the characters intended to become the main cast of season one after episode 12 weren't given time to shine. Ella and James both only appeared in 1 episode rather than the many episodes they were set to star in.

The series premiered on October 2nd, 2023 and was exclusively broadcast on cable channel AMC in the United States and internationally. The final episode released on December 18th, 2023 and the show's abrupt cancellation was announced on December 22nd. Issues between Bird and AMC had been well documented through the show's brief run and the heated situation worsened over time, leading to the cancellation. The show won an award for capturing the hearts of audiences around the world in such a short time and despite its cancellation, made a run at the Emmy's and earned three awards in categories for writing, acting and music. Kennedy attempted to get the show back through different networks but nothing panned out. In August of 2024, Kennedy announced on social media he was likely giving up on his attempts.

### Reboot Series

On March 17th, 2025 it was announced that Netflix had bought the rights to Left 4 The Dead and were intending to create a brand new series with Kennedy on board as a director and producer. Left 4 The Dead Rising began airing in October of that year and was revealed to be a fully fledged reboot with new lore that was expanded on greatly. Although the series is a reboot with no ties to the original series, Ella Purnell makes a return as Jinx Lanes, a slightly altered version of Jinx who debuted in the final episode of Left 4 The Dead. The show has been renewed for a second season midway through its run and will likely wrap up in early 2026.

### Series Overview

Left 4 The Dead first revolves around Shadow the Hedgehog and Albert Wesker, two government agents at odds, looking to keep the president safe after an assassination attempt when a government conspiracy is seemingly brewing. During this, a zombie outbreak occurs and the pair meet survivors Gwen Stacey and Ronald McDonald in a gun store. The story revolves around Shadow trying to keep his group alive as they look for a possible safe haven to survive the apocalypse.

### Season 1 (2023)

Shadow the Hedgehog and Albert Wesker find themselves in a zombified city not long after an attempt on the president's life occurs. When they group up with other survivors and learn of a helicopter extraction on the roof of Mercy Hospital, the group fight through apartments, streets, sewers and the hospital itself until they're forced to hold off an overwhelming attack before escaping. The group unfortunately crash when their pilot turns, they luckily all survive but find themselves in an unfamiliar location. They battle through until they reach a truck depot where they hold off infected hordes to escape via an armored truck, Ronald dies and Wesker leaves the group after their escape. The group pick up Carl "CJ" Johnson and Bill Overbeck on the street while driving and not long after, find themselves stranded on a littered highway. They fight their way through until they reach a city and eventually a church, where they escape via boat. The group head on, with Bill gone. Gwen finds a sign her boyfriend is alive and leaves the group to search for him. Shadow and CJ meet Jinx and Darth Vader, who join their group.

### Cast

* Jason Griffith as Shadow the Hedgehog
* James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
* Christopher Bellard as Carl "CJ" Johnson
* Ella Purnell as Jinx
* Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacey
* Antony Starr as Albert Wesker
* Squire Fridell as Ronald McDonald
* Willem Dafoe as Bill Overbeck

### Cancelled Content/Leaks

After the show was cancelled, Kennedy was shocked, revealing on social media they had written two full seasons and casted them prior to the beginning of shooting. Because of this, over time, Kennedy released bits of info online for fans but on June 11th, 2024 scripts, art, characters and more were leaked online. It was revealed that after the 'Dead Air' plotline, the rest of season one would consist of two plotlines titled 'Blood Harvest' and 'The Sacrifice'. The final episode of season one intended to kill off Darth Vader, allowing him to sacrifice himself for the survival of the others. The entirety of the planned second season leaked as well, the plotlines were to be: 'Dead Center', a storyline taking place in Los Angeles and ending with the survivors escaping from a mall with a race car. The second plotline was 'The Passing', in which the second season's characters meet the survivors from season one, who all appear for three episodes. The survivors from the first season help lower a bridge powered by a generator for the survivors to drive through and escape. The third plotline was 'Dark Carnival', where the survivors head through a highway, a motel, a woodland and eventually, find themselves at a large amusement park, which they escape via helicopter evacuation. 'Swamp Fever' is the fourth plotline in which the survivors were to move through a swamp and locate a plantation, where a boat was to come rescue them. 'Hard Rain' is the fifth plotline and follows the survivors looking to get gas for the boat ran by a recurring character named Vergil, whilst a hurricane approaches. The survivors escape once again during the hurricane as the town is flooded. 'The Parish' was the sixth and final plotline in which the survivors arrive at their destination and are forced to fight their way through New Orleans until they reach a bridge during a bombing run where they escape via military extraction. Season two's characters were supposed to be Nick Wilde, a conman turned cop, Charles Calvin, a former military strategist, Jill Valentine, a cop and Big Smoke, CJ's best friend. The cast was to consist of Jason Bateman, Marcus Bromander, Nicole Tompkins and Clifton Powell. Apart from just The Passing plotline, there was scrapped scenes including Albert Wesker and numerous references to events in season one as well as Charles Calvin taking Vader's M4.

### Connections to Reboot Series

Although the original timeline has no real connection to the new reboot, there are plenty of references and connections to the original show. Foxy is similar to the original concepts of Nick Wilde despite having his own distinct personality, Niko Seed shares similarities with Albert Wesker, Ella Purnell returns to play Jinx Lanes in a fleshed out role and numerous episodes have call backs to the original series. The 'City of The Dead' plotline features many similarities to the very first plotline 'No Mercy' such as the apartment complex and rooftop escape sequences.