Zombie Chris

Zombie Chris, an early 2009 addition to the Faux Network Wednesday night lineup, is a spin-off of an unsuccessful Faux comedy, Doctor Esquire. One of Doctor Esquire's smaller recurring characters was a hyperactive Legal Aid attorney named Chris, who frequently passed the show's main character, Hunter McGather, Esq. M.D. in the court hallways or at the bar around the corner from the courthouse. After Doctor Esquire's 3 episode season, the character became the focus of an entirely new series on Faux. The show centered around the undead adventures of Chris Reid, Esq., a man so argumentative and hell-bent on making his point that he cannot remain dead.

Episodes

In episode one, Chris successfully represents a client in housing court, only to be simultaneously struck by lightening and set on fire shortly thereafter. At his funeral, his friends Peng Zu and Timothy Dea get into an argument about what lines of Battlestar Gallactica dialogue would be best to read in Chris's memory - somehow sensing that an argument is taking place in his vicinity, Chris rises from the grave to "lawyer" them both and settle the disagreement. He yells at the crowd for seven minutes then walks off before realizing he has just risen from the grave.

Subsequent episodes deal with Undead Chris's struggles to adapt in the real world, such as "Zombie Oath," in which Chris deals with maintaining his admittance to the bar despite being dead, "Brains and other Snacks," in which Chris faces his new dietary issues, and "Death and Taxes," in which Chris takes on the feds.

A number of episodes, particularly episode three, "Zombie in Love," deal with Zombie Chris's long-suffering girlfriend and the development of their relationship. The relationship serves as the point of humanity and normalcy in the series, as Zombie Chris deals with being a dead man among the living. Frequently, the issues within the relationship stem more from Zombie Chris's actual human characteristics, and less from his status as a zombie.

Awards

Despite its somewhat campy premise, Zombie Chris has been recognized as having some of the best writing on television, featuring the work of writers Geraldine "Gerri" Glassman and Homer Klink. When asked about their work, Glassman said "The science fiction genre is the last place for decent writing in television. And if you bury it in enough super campy crap, you might even stay alive on the Faux network for a whole season. Too much quality makes them nervous, though."

The series was nominated for a Golden Stylus for best drama in September 2009. Glassman and Klink were recognized for their work on the fourth episode, "Zombie See, Zombie Do," which explores peer pressure and loneliness, with a Golden Globe nomination, an Emmy nomination, and the prestigious Wheed award.