It’s been a weird roller coaster ride of wavering expectations as we move closer to the premiere of The CW’s iZombie, as my feelings about the show have gone from warm to cold and back to warm now that we’ve seen actual footage. The newest trailer, which you can watch below, is focused more on the main character Liv (Rose McIver) dealing with people trying to understand her secret, but I doubt anyone beyond Dr. Ravi (Rahul Kohli) would really understand. Check it out!

We’ve dedicated a lot of space here on GFR to discussing Syfy’s ambitious attempts to rehabilitate its image, not to mention networks such as HBO and AMC embracing small-screen science fiction with projects like Foundation, Westworld, and Humans. But even though it rarely gets the same attention as more “prestigious” networks, The CW has been churning out hugely entertaining genre fare for ages now and shows no signs of slowing down. Whether it’s pleasant surprises like The 100 or the small-screen DC universe unfolding in Arrow and The Flash, The CW has quietly become one of the more reliable sources of solid sci-fi and fantasy on TV. Now it’s getting ready to add another potential winner to its slate: the horror/comedy iZombie, which promises to be a lot of fun based on this first trailer:

DC Comics is making some major inroads on the small screen this year, with Gotham and Constantine headed to Fox and NBC, respectively, and The Flash spinning off of The CW’s hit series Arrow. But there’s a little sibling from the group that tends to get overshadowed by those three: The CW’s iZombie, based on the Vertigo comic book series created by writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Allred. And it shouldn’t be relegated to second-fiddle status since the comic it’s based on is good fun, and the guy running the show was responsible for the outstanding cult hit Veronica Mars. True to form, the show managed to fly under the radar during our coverage of the recent San Diego Comic-Con, but thankfully we’ve stumbled across a Con interview with Thomas where he tosses out comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Alright, sir, you have my attention…

Comic-Con 2014 is only a week away. Thousands of fans and professionals will descend on San Diego and bury it in a thick coating of nerd several feet deep. There’s really nothing else like it, but the more years pass, the more overwhelming the Con becomes. There’s so much going on, it’s a monumental task just to figure out which of the countless panels and events you want to try and see. Well, we’re here to make your life just a little bit easier. Over the next couple of days, we’ll run down all the panels that should be at the top of your to-do list. Here are our picks for the Friday events you can’t afford to miss!

TELEVISION

AMC’s The Walking Dead (12:20pm – 1:20pm, Hall H)
The first massive Hall H presentation of the day puts the spotlight on AMC’s runaway hit zombie drama. In addition to a preview of season five, the panel and Q&A session will include a good chunk of the cast and crew. You’ll be able to toss your questions at actors Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Norman Reedus (Daryl), Steven Yeun (Glen), Lauren Cohan (Maggie), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Melissa McBride (Carol), Chad Coleman (Tyreese), and Michael Cudlitz (Sgt. Ford). On the crew side, you’ll get showrunner Scott Gimple, executive producer/creator Robert Kirkman, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, executive producer Dave Alpert, and special effects makeup supervisor and executive producer Greg Nicotero. Nerdist mogul/Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick will once again moderate the proceedings.

I’m a huge Rob Thomas fan, with Veronica Mars and Party Down in my upper echelon of favorite TV series. I am, however, a little wary about his next project, the horror-tinged dramedy iZombie, due to the major changes made to the comic book source material. That said, I’m still going to feast on it like nobody’s looking, but I won’t be one of the first to see it, as Warner Bros. Television will debut the pilot/premiere episode at the San Diego Comic-Con 2014 later this month. Brainy move, Warner Bros.

iZombie will play a part in Warner’s Preview Night, set to occur on Wednesday, July 23, and also includes the pilot screenings of The CW’s The Flash, NBC’s Constantine, and Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go!. Fans will be pleased to know that Thomas and co-executive producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars) will host a Q&A session on Friday, July 25, which will also include stars Rose McIver (Once Upon a Time), Robert Buckley (One Tree Hill), Malcolm Goodwin (Breakout Kings), and Rahul Kohli. The press release says that there’s a screening before the Q&A, but the schedule only allots an hour, so maybe it’s a short Q&A presentation.

When you look back at the history of zombie fiction, the subject of couth and table manners doesn’t really command a whole lot of attention. Enter Liv Moore, the undead coroner’s office worker played by Rose McIver in The CW’s upcoming comedy/horror procedural iZombie. She’s not one of those gauche zombos who is all “brains brains brains” and goes about trying to eat from a still-living skull. She’s far from your average zombie. All Liv needs is a pair of chopsticks and a hunger to solve crime.

Loosely based on the hit Vertigo comic of the same name, iZombie is the latest trek into television for Veronica Mars and Party Down creator Rob Thomas, who traded the heavy supernatural subject matter of the comic for more humans and a case-of-the-week vibe. When Liv eats the brain of a corpse, she experiences that person’s memories, as well the events surrounding their deaths. This makes her a prime choice to pose as a psychic to assist her local police department in solving murder cases, which she does with the help of detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin).