TV Madness 2017: Sherlock and Z Nation square off in Round One

Throughout the CarterMatt TV Madness 2017 tournament to date, we’ve seen numerous battles between various shows to see which one generates the most votes, and in turn, gets a chance to move forward to the next round in hopes of becoming the ultimate champion! We’ve got just a handful of battles still to highlight (see the schedule above, and click on the picture to zoom in), and within this article, we’ve got the final one this year between a #1 and #8 seed.

While in the NCAA Tournament upsets within the first round for #1 seeds are rare, there’s something very interesting about the TV Madness Tournament right now — we are currently seeing one upset, or maybe two underdogs making waves and could be running to number 1 by the time the voting period ends for each show based on what the results are right now. That makes things fun entering this particular showdown between two shows we very much love in Sherlock and Z Nation.

Sherlock (#1 seed) – It’s coming off its fourth and possibly final season, and that momentum propels it to being a top seed — plus, we’ve seen the Tumblr enthusiasm of the fan base. What they bring to the table is simple: Passion, intelligence, and wit that is close to the same level as the show’s title character. We anticipate the Sherlock fans fighting hard for this, but you do have to wonder if they have one vulnerability: Is the momentum coming out of season 4 damaged by the ambiguity of the future? Given that the executive producers have already mentioned that a potential season 5 is years off, many Sherlock fans may have compartmentalized the show for now, saying that they can revisit it down the line if they so choose.

Z Nation (#8 seed) – Now, we come to the underdog, a delightful, crazy, fun, and addictive Syfy drama that doesn’t get anywhere near the publicity it should– but anyone who watches the show loves the hell out of it. What it brings is escapism through and through, but also a sense of surprise that other zombie shows just don’t deliver. You know how many shows try to claim that “nobody is safe” but really don’t mean it? Well, let’s just say that with this show, they practice what they preach and do so in gloriously shocking ways. It’ll scare the crap out of you and make you laugh at the same time. While Sherlock may be the favorite in theory, it may not work out to be that way in practice since Z Nation fans are passionate about their show, and with the fourth season hopefully coming up this year, it’s a great way to celebrate.

Now, we turn the voting over to you! Feel free to cast however many votes that you like between now and March 19 (refresh your cache or try different device to re-vote), which is when the winner will be formally announced. The victor here will face off against whoever wins between NCIS and The Fall. (Photo: BBC One)