Co-created and executive produced by Veronica Mars' Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, iZombie premieres exclusively in Canada on shomi

TORONTO, March 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Life is pretty complicated, even for sassy heroines – and doubly so if you have this major, literally life-altering secret. Rose McIver (Masters of Sex, Once Upon a Time) stars as Olivia "Liv" Moore, a 25-year-old medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life… until she's turned into a zombie. See? Complicated, right? From the brains behind Veronica Mars (see what we did there?), and loosely based on the same-titled DC Entertainment's Vertigo comic book, the new 13-part, one-hour drama series iZombie premieres on Wednesday, March 18, exclusively to Canadian viewers on shomi™ (day after CW broadcast).

Olivia "Liv" Moore (McIver) was a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, overachieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out… until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. Liv, who is now stuck somewhere between half-alive and undead, loses all traces of her former drive and ambition. She does her best to blend in and look as human as possible, passing for Goth with her shockingly pale skin and nearly white hair, but her demeanor has gone from exuberant to exhausted. The change in Liv is baffling to her former fiancé, Major (Robert Buckley, One Tree Hill); her mother, Eva (recurring guest star Molly Hagan, The Mentalist, Longmire); and her best friend and roommate, Peyton (recurring guest star Aly Michalka – Easy A, Hellcats), who still has the high-energy, Type-A personality that Liv herself once rocked.

Despite her post-traumatic ennui, Liv has devised a clever way to resist her baser urges: She transfers her medical residency to the city morgue in order to reluctantly access the only real form of sustenance left available to her – and the only thing that allows her to maintain her humanity – human brains. She is, after all, a zombie with a conscience. There, in the Seattle coroner's office, she can secretly snack on the brains of the many Jane and John Doe corpses that wind up in the morgue. Despite taking great care to cover her covert cravings, Liv's brilliant but eccentric boss, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli, Eastenders), discovers her secret and is surprisingly excited about the scientific possibilities. Dr. Ravi even helps Liv in her search for Blaine DeBeers (David Anders, The Vampire Diaries, Alias), the zombie responsible for her new undead status. 

But, as one might expect with these morgue-specific munchies, there are side effects to Liv's new diet: With each brain Liv consumes, she experiences "visions" – flashes of the corpse's memories – including clues as to how they were killed. Dr. Ravi encourages her to embrace this gift and to work with an eager, unproven homicide detective, Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin, Breakout Kings) – who believes Liv to be psychic – to help solve these murders. In doing so, Liv finds a measure of peace, and a new sense of purpose in what her "life" has now become. It's not the same as being alive again, but at least she can find meaning in her undead existence by helping solve the murders of those who are, indeed, fully dead.

iZombie is co-created and executive produced by Veronica Mars' Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, along with executive producers Danielle Stokdyk and Dan Etheridge (also of Veronica Mars). Produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television, the series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

iZombie is based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, published by DC Entertainment's Vertigo imprint.

shomi is available now in beta first to Rogers and Shaw Internet or cable customers, while conversations continue with other BDUs. With an all-star TV content lineup of Canadian exclusives, including Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle; exclusive day-and-date releases of buzz-worthy series such as Jane the Virgin, iZombie, and The Messengers; and past-seasons of many of the hottest shows on television, featuring Sons of Anarchy, The Americans, and Vikings. Beyond TV binges, shomi offers hand-picked movie favourites and fun kids-and-family content. Canadians can enjoy shomi online and on select tablets, mobile devices, set top boxes (on Rogers Channel 300 or through the Shaw On Demand menu), and Xbox 360. shomi will also be coming soon to Chromecast.

About shomi
shomi is a brand new kind of subscription video streaming service that makes getting video entertainment nearly as enjoyable as watching it. Curated by people who love popcorn and magic, shomi combines the passion and knowledge of our entertainment experts with the power of technology to offer recommendations and Collections that help our members always find something good to watch.  We are made in Canada. shomi is a joint venture owned equally by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications. Want more information? Visit www.shomi.com.

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