What The Cast Of iZombie Is Doing Today
For horror aficionados, "iZombie" was never going to be the next "The Walking Dead," though it does share a similar origin. Created as a graphic novel published under DC's Vertigo imprint in 2010, the show completely diverged from the source material, and can only be considered an adaptation in the loosest sense of the word. While that may have been a disappointment for people who loved the comics, the series still had a successful five-season run that helped launch some of its stars into recognition.
Where the comics follow a zombie gravedigger whose need for brains keeps her from deteriorating, the show puts a completely different spin on it, turning it from a supernatural horror — with werewolves and ghosts alongside its undead revenants — into a lighthearted procedural where Liv Moore, a medical examiner, helps solve murder cases by getting memory flashbacks from the brains she consumes. Despite all its differences from the source material, however, the show still showcased art from one of its original creators, Michael Allred, in the opening sequence.
Co-created and written by the same people responsible for the cult success "Veronica Mars," Diane Ruggiero-Wright and Rob Thomas, "iZombie" saw the return of some of the pair's favorite former co-workers throughout, including Jason Dohring (of Logan Echolls fame). Fans who happen to have watched both can also find many easter eggs peppered in by the showrunners as a fun nod of acknowledgement to their continued patronage, no doubt.
Rose McIver is starting a family
Born and raised in New Zealand, kiwi actor Rose McIver's first notable role on this side of the pond was likely her recurring appearance in ABC's "Once Upon A Time" as Peter Pan's long-time friend and confidante, Tinker Bell, or her role as Vivian Scully in Showtime's "Masters of Sex" alongside Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. Though these were smaller parts, totaling fewer than 10 episodes each over multiple seasons, McIver didn't have to wait long before getting her big break. In 2015, she was cast in the lead role for "iZombie," where she stayed for all of the series' five seasons.
Afterwards, she went on to star as Amber in Netflix's Christmas film "A Christmas Prince" and its sequels, as well as one of the spinoffs set in the same universe, "The Princess Switch." As of publishing, she most recently got to act opposite former co-star Rahul Kohli again in Mali Elfman's debut feature, "Next Exit," as well as continuing to reprise her role as Samantha in CBS' comedy show "Ghosts." In an interview with TV Insider, she said, speaking of her big television parts, "Both these shows are so heightened and have these very extraordinary circumstances and a lot of funny writing. So to me, it's just like, how do we give an audience something to anchor onto that they can believe?"
In her personal life, McIver showcased her new baby bump while walking the 2024 Golden Globes red carpet. This is the actor's first child with her husband, photographer George Byrne, whom she married in January 2023 (via People).
Malcolm Goodwin's star is rising
While "iZombie" may not have been Malcolm Goodwin's first recurring television role — that title belongs to "Breakout Kings" — it was certainly the longest, and likely what he is best known for. Though he has continued to act since the show wrapped its final season in 2019, appearing in smaller TV series and movies, 2023 was Goodwin's biggest year yet. The actor had the opportunity to reprise his role as Oscar Finlay in Prime's "Reacher," opposite "Breakout Kings" co-star Serinda Swan, as well as appearing in Mike Flanagan's "The Fall of the House of Usher" as a young detective Dupin.
Following his cameo in the second season of "Reacher," he took to social media to voice his support for a "Breakout Kings" reunion, saying, "Been seeing all the Breakout Kings love! I agree, would be fun to get the entire gang back together." As of yet, there are no official plans to make this sentiment a reality, though half the show's cast has already appeared in "Reacher," prompting Swan to joke about it being a "secret reunion" in the meantime (via TVLine).
Aside from acting, Goodwin also boasts an impressive 17 directorial credits and even more as a producer, serving as a good indicator of his passion for the craft as a whole. In 2020, he welcomed a son, Apollo, with his wife of nearly two decades, writer and producer Vanessa Goodwin.
Rahul Kohli is a Hollywood heartthrob
After getting his breakout role as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti in "iZombie," Rahul Kohli got to have a reprising part in The CW's "Supergirl," lent his voice acting talents to both animated shows and video games — including playing Scarecrow in Max's "Harley Quinn — and, most famously, has become a fixture of Netflix's "Flanaverse." After charming audiences in Mike Flanagan's "The Haunting of Bly Manor" as Owen, he was asked to keep on working with the director in "Midnight Mass." There, he played Sheriff Hassan, and told Variety in an interview, that he "just wanted to give young brown kids, and particularly Muslim kids, something to watch that they'd feel proud watching."
Their partnership has continued since, with Kohli making appearances in "The Midnight Club" and, most recently, as Leo in "The Fall of the House of Usher." In it, he got to reunite with co-star Malcolm Goodwin, though the two did not have the opportunity to act opposite each other, as their characters were a part of different timelines. When discussing his work with Flanagan in a Collider interview, he told them, "Mike enjoys kind of not auditioning you and seeing if you can do it, but believing you can and just setting you off to work."
The director is not the only person to recognize Kohli's charm, however, as he has garnered quite the following on TikTok, sometimes even responding to users' flirty comments. With that accent, who can blame them?
Robert Buckley is Hallmark's golden boy
As a leading man, Robert Buckley oozes confidence and charm, which made him the perfect choice to portray Major Lilywhite in "iZombie," Liv's on-again, off-again long-term partner. "I had such a great time doing 'iZombie,' but with Major's storyline the stakes were incredibly high all of the time," he told Media Village in 2020 when discussing his first Hallmark movie role. "To come in and be able to do a film where I was a guy simply responsible for his feelings [...] I welcomed that change so much," he continued.
Since then, Buckley has grown into one of the Hallmark Channel darlings, appearing in several other films as well as a recurring role in "Chesapeake Shores." His next one, "Blind Date Book Club," is currently in pre-production and has yet to receive a release date. The actor has also dipped his toes into scriptwriting and producing for two of the movies he acted in for the network.
In 2023, he was cast in the pilot for NBC's "Non-Evil Twin," though the network opted to not move forward with the show (via Deadline). Buckley, who is otherwise best known as Clay Evans in "One Tree Hill," married his then-girlfriend, actor Jenny Wade, in 2018. The pair have since had one child.
David Anders has slowed down
For a while, it felt like David Anders was everywhere. After getting his start playing British antagonist Julian Sark in "Alias" alongside Jennifer Garner, he kept being cast in other (often villainous) roles for all of your favorite TV shows — including "House," "Criminal Minds," "Once Upon a Time," "The Vampire Diaries," and even "The Magicians." When asked about getting typecast, he told Complex, "We either have J.J. Abrams to thank or to blame for me forever being pigeonholed. You know what? I love to do it. It's a lot of fun. I think everybody has a villain in them."
In that same interview, Anders explained that what attracted him to "iZombie" and, specifically, the role of Blaine DeBeers was the show's more fun aspects, saying, "I've played the bad guy, I've played the heavy, but I haven't been allowed to play the humor to this point. I've been sarcastic in past work, but there's a lot of great funny lines that I get to say." Since the show wrapped, however, the actor seems to have slowed down, with less than a handful of single-episode appearances.
Despite that fact, Anders has kept busy, having continued to attend fan conventions and sharing other snippets of his life on his X account, which he has claimed is a way of sharing his personality with fans of his work.
Aly Michalka is back on the road
Millennials who grew up fans of the Disney Channel are probably quick to recognize Aly Michalka from her "Phil of the Future" days, her music career with sister AJ Michalka, her role in "Easy A," or perhaps her short-lived show "Hellcats" on The CW, where she starred opposite other mouse house alum, "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale. In "iZombie", Michalka showed up onscreen with a completely different look, ditching the iconic blonde curls for a short, wavy, dark bob — but no less stunning.
She became a series regular as Liv's best friend and roommate, Peyton Charles, and appeared in all five seasons. After deciding to take a break from making music to lean into her acting career, Michalka spent several years away from the microphone before rejoining her sister and launching a new single, "Take Me," in 2017. Six years later, they have dropped five new albums and multiple singles, including an explicit re-release of their most famous track, "Potential Breakup Song."
"I have regrets about not touring all those years because I'm sure we'd be further ahead of the rooms we're playing now, but we wouldn't have found our current sound otherwise," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, adding, "And it saved us, in terms of our own sanity and our friendship." Since 2021, the actor has taken a few television roles in between touring.
Bryce Hodgson got into filmmaking
Bryce Hodgson first appeared in "iZombie" towards the end of Season 1, but eventually got promoted to series regular in one of the later seasons as Blaine's oddly charismatic sidekick, Don E. Since then, the actor has been in multiple TV and film projects, and turned to filmmaking in 2022 with the release of a short titled "Blackbear." As of October 2023, he got the opportunity to write and direct his first feature film, "Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants."
Hodgson's body of work includes everything from comedies to dramas, and even indie productions, showcasing the full spectrum of his acting range. Though he has yet to have a big break, his passion for the craft is clear in the moves the actor has made within the industry. He doesn't often post on social media, but he has used his platform to share his political opinions in the past, as well as promote the projects he's been up to.
Jessica Harmon prefers directing these days
By the time she was cast in "iZombie" as Detective Dale Bozzio in the show's second season, Jessica Harmon already had a lot of credits to her name, but this was her first consistent role to span over multiple seasons. Then, shortly after, she joined the ensemble of The CW's "The 100" alongside her younger brother, actor Richard Harmon.
She married actor Lenny Jacobson in 2019, though the pair appears to have separated as, according to the actor's Instagram, she is expecting her first child with someone else — Jacobson did comment a heart emoji under the post, however, implying things seem to have ended in good terms between them.
Since the show's finale, Harmon hasn't done much acting, but pivoted her career towards directing, including the Hallmark Channel's "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New," which was released in 2023. The actor has remained friends with her "iZombie" co-stars, with David Anders even making a few appearances on her social media in the past few years.
Jason Dohring has taken a step back from the spotlight
Jason Dohring's claim to fame is his portrayal of rich bad boy Logan Echolls in "iZombie's" showrunners' first huge hit, Kristen Bell's "Veronica Mars," a role he reprised in the 2014 crowdfunded movie of the same name. In his work life, the actor has taken a few other roles since wrapping up his arc as Chase Graves in the series' fourth season — which followed a recurring appearance in "The Originals" — the last of which was in 2021 when he was cast in CBS' military drama "SEAL Team."
He seems to have taken an acting sabbatical, though that does not mean he hasn't been working at all. As a matter of fact, he lent his voice to a second Cassandra Clare audiobook that was released in early 2023. Dohring doesn't share much of his personal life on social media, so it's difficult to know what else he's been up to, though he has shared snippets of his interests in things like urban farming and motorcycles.
The actor has been married to painter Lauren Kutner since 2004, with whom he shares four children, and he and his family are practicing Scientologists. "[F]or me, it saved my acting career," Dohring told Portrait Magazine in a 2008 interview, adding, "I understand acting better because Scientology is the study of life."