Season One (L4TDR)

Season One's Official Poster

### Summary

Season 1 of Left 4 The Dead Rising premiered on October 12th, 2025 and is currently releasing episodes weekly on Netflix. It has, so far, consisted of three major story arcs that are all marketed in the style of standalone zombie films. The series was developed for television by Joseph Kennedy with the assistance of Jonathan Barnes. Only a few people make up the writer's room: the most prominent writer being John Jameson who has assistance from Christopher Smith and Anne Hart. The series is mostly directed by Joseph Kennedy, the creator and writer of Left 4 The Dead, with Mike Hawk stepping in to direct two episodes as of now. It is produced by Perrell Brown and executive produced by Candace D. Fitinyomouth.

The season's major plotlines so far are as follows: Dark Wood, Fall In Death and City of The Dead. The major cast of characters consist of Niko Seed, Foxy the Pirate, Jinx Lanes and Tenko Chabashira with the supporting characters/former main characters being Michael Myers and Toy Chica.

### Plot

#### Dark Wood

Day One

The first episode picks up where the prologue scene left off (which introduced Niko and Fox, showing their lives and jobs as well as the reveal Fox has lost his job). After his wife Roxanne returns from a grocery run, she complains about a man biting her. Fox offers to cook for her and she happily agrees, but not long after, Fox is attacked by a zombified version of his wife and eventually he's forced to kill her in self defense, causing him to retreat into the city to head to the police station. On his way there, he finds Boston to be overrun with infected and is forced to run away. Niko meets Chica, and after she saves him, she takes him to her home for safety. Fox has barricaded himself in a gun store, where we see him filling a large bag with guns and endless supplies of ammo. When he tries calling 911 and nothing happens, he calls his co-worker Chica, who informs Fox of Niko and his intent to create a cure. Fox makes a run for it and heads to Chica's house and upon arrival, hesitantly teams up with them and Chica's neighbor Michael Myers. They stick together and fight through the woodland until Michael is injured and a bridge collapses, separating them. Niko and Fox head into a dangerous cave system where a horde of infected miners await and Chica and Michael take shelter in a shack nearby the cave system.

Better Futures

The second episode begins right where the first ended, Niko and Fox fight through a cramped and deadly cave as Chica and Michael look for a way in. Eventually, they all reunite in the underground tunnels, Niko states there's a way through that leads to the Athena Corporation's lab. The four battle through the underground, making their way upwards and maneuvering through a bizarre site until reaching a safe room to take a breather in. Fox and Chica talk about his wife, and they reminisce about their jobs as Michael confronts Niko about his involvement in the outbreak. Fox takes Michael's side but tries to lower the tension as the group argues. Niko promises he didn't create the virus with this intention, stating it was originally something much different called Solar. Fox is hesitant to believe Niko and the group moves on, fighting onwards until they reach the lab.

Samantha

The third episode begins after the ending of episode two, The Gang has finally reached the lab, only to find a bloodbath. Niko desperately searches through the lab for his research notes as well as his wife but is grief stricken when they come across a zombified Ashley Taylor. After Chica puts Ashley out of her misery, the group make their way to the lab’s main center where Niko worked. Niko finds the place to be trashed, everything destroyed, causing him to realize the virus wasn’t exactly his fault; but that someone else was responsible for turning the formula into a virus whilst he was away from work. Niko is able to make contact with his wife Samantha, who claims to be in the upper levels of the lab. Despite their earlier differences, Fox takes Niko’s side and The Gang end up moving through the lab. When they finally find Samantha they discover she’s been bitten and she tells him what happened, informing Niko that their colleagues are all dead, and she’s going to turn. Niko responds emotionally but Samantha tells him he needs to destroy the lab’s core, a power tunnel that keeps the lab up and running. She tells Niko that its the only way to keep anything inside the lab from getting out. Niko agrees to do this and they head for the main hub. When they destroy the core, an automatic message from Franklin Athena plays, informing that the lab will be decimated in 5 minutes. Shocked, the others realize what’s going on here; the founder of Athena is dirty. He’s responsible for something atrocious and the lab is secretly set to self destruct should anything happen. The Gang rushes to a main doorlock that opened up in the floor, leading into the lab’s secret depths, where they can be safe from the explosion. Niko decides he needs to head back and get his wife but Chica and Michael remain against it, stating there’s no time, but Fox tells them to go on ahead and that he’ll help Niko. With the two finally on good terms, they rush through to the upper levels only to find Samantha is now zombified. Fox volunteers to take her out for him and Niko leaves the room. Fox comes back out and he convinces Niko to escape with him, and they barely make it out of the lab and into the depths. The door-lock closes and the lab explodes, officially no more. When the group look onwards; everything seems to get worse.

Prison Break

The Gang finds themselves in the depths of the Athena Corporation’s lab, only to find out they were hiding a prison. As they head through, Niko finds the bodies of his colleagues who’d escaped down here only to find monsters awaiting them. After discovering his best friend, Ted Jacobs, strung up on a wall, The Gang decide to head into an office of sorts. In here, they find everything implicating the Athena Corporation in countless incidents involving human experimentation, torture and murder which was all looked over by Franklin Athena himself, Niko’s boss. It’s here that The Gang discovers Athena had essentially reversed what was intended to be a cure for cancer into a virus, attempting to rush the cure, which costed him his humanity. They learn that Franklin spread the virus. The Gang are forced to fight off the human experiments as they escape the prison and find a way back out onto the streets.

The Church

The Gang struggle to fight through hordes of infected and mutated creatures in a Boston neighborhood. When barricading themselves in a church, they find signs another group of survivors came here and suddenly, contact comes in through a radio. Chica answers and learns an extraction is expected in the next 30 minutes via helicopter. She tells them the other survivors are dead but her group is here and the pilot agrees to pick them up. Suddenly, the cue for the church bell happens, and they’re forced to fight off hordes and hold out until the helicopter arrives.

### Fall In Death

The Crash

After Chica's death and The Gang's lucky escape, the worst happens. The pilot is zombified and attacks them, sending the helicopter into a frenzy, the co-pilot takes him out but the helicopter crash lands nearby a small town during a storm. As the storm occurs, The Gang find themselves totally separated. Fox and Niko make their way through an overrun stretch of road leading into the town, searching for Michael and the co-pilot. When they finally reunite, she introduces herself as Jinx Lanes, stating she was doing routine work and had no idea her partner was infected. As the storm worsens, The Gang fights through hordes of infected until reaching a fenced off gas station that they sneak inside, taking a breather as the storm rages. The group talk and Jinx agrees to tag along with them, stating she's got nothing to go back to. The Gang continue on and eventually reach a tunnel system leading out into a dark forest.

Fallen Lab

The Gang makes their way through the forest as the storm calms down but the snow picks up, Niko slowly weakens due to the change in weather and Michael helps carry him through the forest, keeping Niko safe as Fox and Jinx deal with a horde of infected. When they finally reach what appears to be a military safe room, Niko begins questioning Jinx, but her answers are vague. The situation seems tense, but Michael cuts in, stating that Chica is dead and they need as much help as possible to survive. Fox agrees and Niko reluctantly agrees, The Gang heads off towards a system that leads them into a seemingly secret laboratory, belonging to Arch. Niko recognizes the company as one Franklin Athena worked for before starting Athena Corp. The Gang fights through the lab and cuts into a ventilation system before finally finding themselves back outside atop the mountain.

Ascent

As the snow picks up, the situation for The Gang grows dire as they must ascend a mountain to reach a cable car that will take them to the bottom, where they can escape. The Gang struggle but eventually, reach the top.

Fall In Death

In a desperate battle to escape, The Gang faces off hordes of infected as they repair and start up the cable car, but a sacrifice has to be made for the sake of the group.

### City Of The Dead

Road Ahead

After Michael's sacrifice, the group find a working car and took a long drive onwards. The episode begins with Fox driving before showcasing a flashback in which they escaped and discovered the car on an abandoned highway. Whilst stopping at an isolated gas station for supplies, the radio goes off, an emergency broadcast from the military plays ensuring safety in the city of Atlanta. Jinx grabs Fox a map and he finds the best route into the city. Niko is against the idea, but Fox convinces him its the best chance they have. The Gang arrives in Atlanta, but the city feels desolate, when they leave the car they suddenly find themselves attacked by a horde and barricade themselves in an apartment complex. In here, they meet the room's owner, Tenko Chabashira, who states the military was overrun and she's been hole up in her apartment since. Tenko informs The Gang the military are forced to evacuate survivors atop General Market, a large building in the middle of the city. The Gang intend to get there, and Tenko joins them, as they fight through the apartment complex and get back onto the streets.

Dead City

The Gang battles hordes of infected on the streets of Atlanta as they desperately plan to reach a sewer system which leads into Atlanta's largest mall.

No Hope

Fox and Niko lead the charge through an infested sewer system as The Gang find themselves at an unsurprisingly dangerous point in their journey.

Mall of The Dead

The Gang arrive at the West Ends Mall, where they fight through the largest infected hordes yet. The stakes are raised when their survival skills are truly put to the test.

The Great Escape

The Gang arrive at General Market and battle their way to the rooftop, where they contact the military who are performing their final evacuation sweep. As they prepare for the invasion to come, The Gang has to trust each other if they want to make it out alive.

### Out Of The Darkness, Into The Light

Secrets

Episodes

FALL IN DEATH PLOTLINE

#### Cast

Starring

* Greg Bryk as Niko Seed
* Glenn Howerton as Fox Cooper
* Ella Purnell as Jinx Lanes
* James Jude Courtney as Michael Myers
* Christoph Waltz as Franklin Athena
* Alice Braga as Janice Foster
* Christian Bale as Harry Newman

Supporting / Guests

* Lily Gao as Tenko Chabashira
* Laura Bailey as Chica Davis
* Hayden Panettiere as Samantha Seed
* Patrick Warburton as Ted Jacobs
* Marta Svetek as Roxanne Cooper

Uncredited

* Unknown actors and voice actors as zombies, monsters etc.