Flesh-eating baby boomers turn on teenagers in Ben Wheatley’s zombie-horror series. With a strong cast including Sue Johnston, Anita Dobson and Lewis Gribben, Generation Z aims to explore intergenerational conflict through the lens of a zombie apocalypse, though its success in doing this is debatable. Set in the fictional town of Danbury, this six-parter’s premise is deliciously absurd: an army truck overturns, spilling a mysterious liquid that turns old people in the town into zombies; a generation of boomers literally feasting on the youth they once nurtured.

The idea feels rich with potential, especially in a time when conversations about wealth inequality, climate change and political inaction pit younger generations against their elders. But it’s an opportunity lost, as characters in Generation Z are drawn with such broad strokes that they verge on caricatures of what people imagine Gen Z or boomers to be. While that might work in a daft parody, Generation Z attempts to be a biting satire as well as serious drama infused with comedy and horror.

Early on in episode three, a character says ‘they see us as monsters. Maybe it’s time for us to be monsters.’ Delivered with an attempted gravity that even the actor seems to struggle with, the line highlights a core problem as the show keeps explaining its attempts at satire. There are flashes of inspiration as the aged turn on their ungrateful offspring, but they’re buried under layers of melodrama. Generation Z tries to deliver social commentary in these moments of shock but in the process forgets to entertain. Ultimately, this is a bold but messy experiment which, if viewed in the spirit of camp, can still offer some fun through over-the-top performances and a ludicrous premise.

All episodes available now.