Apart from sparking fear and social commentary, the undead have always been good for a laugh. At least, this is what the CW Television Network is banking on as it readies the debut of iZombie, a new show that promises a darkly comedic take on the ever-hungry genre.

Debuting March 17, iZombie follows an overachieving medical student named Liv (get it?!) who joins the zombie ranks after surviving a hellish night of partying. Determined to make the best of her situation, Rose McIver’s character takes a job at the local coroner’s department in order to gain access to dead brains, only to discover that each bite contains fragments of their hosts’ memories, thoughts, and skills. Thus, a new brain-munching, wise-cracking, crime-solver is born.

Say what? Maybe the CW’s “first look” trailer can provide some clarity:

There’s plenty of reasons to start drooling over iZombie. It’s based on the popular DC Comic of the same name, for one, meaning it is has a successful and established universe to draw from. It’s also being helmed by exec producer Rob Thomas who knows a thing or two about making hit shows out of smart and likeable heroines (see Veronica Mars).

Discussing his small screen adaptation of iZombie with Deadline, Thomas said that while the comic includes a number of supernatural elements, the show will “stay strictly zombie” for a more focused narrative. As for the student-turned-zombie herself, Liv is described as a “Raymond Chandler-esque” character with a “hard-boiled cynical world view”. To be fair, if we had our promising career in medicine cut short by a zombie horde, we’d be pretty cynical too.

How will CW’s new show fare? Considering its source and the pedigree of its creators (including former Veronica Mars writers), the odds are in Liv’s favour. Check out the premier this March and let us know what you think.