Zombies aren’t strangers to pop culture. In a world where zombies have been increasingly popularized since the advent of The Walking Dead on television over a decade ago, the shambling undead has taken many forms across several entertainment mediums. At first glance, it might be easy to mistake Daybreak for just another zombie adventure but you’d be sorely mistaken. The allure of Daybreak hardly lies in the apocalyptic scourge that is ravenous, cannibalistic humans running amok. Instead, the human cast and the drama that encircles them in this otherwise comedic outing is the beating heart of the series.
Like any good self-referential comedy, Daybreak’s cast relates to the audience through pop culture references. What better way to be adored by the many than to share references that everyone loves?
Ferris Bueller
Okay, this one’s obvious. Not only is the man behind the ’80s high school slacker the principal of the school in this series, but the central teacher in this story is found repeating the surname of the main protagonist similar to the famous, “Bueller, Bueller, Bueller” line from the ’80s classic.
Ferris Bueller may have wanted to skip a day of school, but I’m sure he’d prefer avoiding a zombie apocalypse that’d cancel school indefinitely.
Star Wars
Who doesn’t love Star Wars? Well, the denizens of Glendale won’t discount the famed space opera, even in the apocalypse. The series frequently tips the hat to Star Wars with references.
For example, when Josh and Eli ride side-by-side in a motorcycle with a sidecar, Eli can’t help but refer to the duo as the famous smuggling companionship formed between Han Solo and Chewbacca. Even situational scenes like one involving Josh attempting to gain entry to Game Over’s secret hide mirrored C-3PO and R2’s attempt to enter Jabba’s palace.
Mad Max
It’d be a mistake to not mention the Mad Max when discussing Daybreak’s pop culture references or, perhaps, inspirations. The wasteland theme of Glendale from the barren, derelict buildings and dustbowl scenery to the outrageous Heavy Metal-esque vehicle designs, Daybreak is teeming with Mad Max designs.
The jocks have even taken to using their football gear to outfit themselves with ornamental bandit outfits one might expect from the world of Mad Max.
Breaking Bad
Angelica finds herself in a position not all that dissimilar from Walter White. The cocky 10-year-old builds herself an enterprise by exploiting her therapy visits for prescription drugs. She uses the drugs to concoct a form of ingestible slime that she turns around and sells to the high school kids of Glendale.
Many of the scenes, including her working on the finished product, easily visually recall the popular drama series. This is how Angelica ingratiates herself with teens of Glendale. Though, we get the sense that Angelica is much craftier than Heisenberg ever was.
The Lord of the Rings
J R. R. Tolkien’s mythical adventure is referenced more than once during Josh’s quest to find Sam. Wesley’s fascination with warrior culture brings him to explain that all of the best swords are the swords with names. He mentions a few famous swords in pop culture including Frodo’s sword, Sting, from The Lord of the Rings.
Later on, Turbo - the leader of the jocks - engages a communication system that acts just like the beacons of Gondor where beacons are lit in succession across the land to act as an early warning system.
Game of Thrones
The HBO series based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, was certainly recognized in Daybreak. The students of Glendale high were avid viewers of the series.
The aforementioned sword-naming scenario also referenced Arya Stark’s sword Needle. Also, the apparent superfan KJ demonstrates that she can speak fluent Dothraki. The irony is that KJ pretended like she couldn’t speak English for a long period before revealing that she actually can, alongside other nerdy languages from famous franchises.
Supernatural
The presence of the popular long-running CW series can certainly be felt in Daybreak. Fans of Supernatural will likely recognize that the actor behind Josh Wheeler, Colin Ford, actually appeared in the CW show. In fact, he played the younger version of Sam Winchester.
Aside from the actor’s connection to Supernatural, the producers offered a nod to Ford’s resume when naming the love interest of the series, Sam Dean, after the Winchester brothers. Ford confirmed that the nod wasn’t just mere coincidence in an interview with Netflix Life.
Wonder Woman
The Cheermazons - the collection of feisty cheerleaders of Glendale - is an obvious reference to Diana Prince and her sisters at Themyscira. The DC hero hails from an ancient Greek island populated by warrior women. Likewise, the Cheermazons do not allow the male gender in their territory and they test the mettle of potential new members through combat and survival scenarios.
Angelica and Ms. Crumble learned this rather quickly when they attempted to join the fierce club after Josh seemingly abandoned them.
Love Actually
An intriguing and tense love story is brewing between Wesley and the aggressive, silent leader of the jocks - Turbo. Of course, it all began before the apocalypse. Following the apocalyptic event, however, the pair attempt to reconnect, even though Turbo seeks to kill Wesley’s newfound friend Josh.
At a point near the end of this first season, Principal Burr (aka the evil Baron Triumph) detonates a bomb that rocks the town and temporarily deafens everyone within range. Turbo communicates with Wesley through large note cards just like the ones Andrew Lincoln’s character used to profess his love for Keira Knightly in Love Actually. One card even reads “say it’s carol singers” in an obvious nod to the film.
American Idol
Well, according to Turbo and crew, it’s called American Ninja Idol. However, the name isn’t subtle in its reference here. Just like the reality competition, American Ninja Idol finds bands sharing their musical talent with Turbo and crew (usually under duress). The prize? Winners can take pride in simply pleasing the murderous leader and staying alive.
What many contestants find is that it’s difficult to please Turbo and they usually end up falling into a pit of ghoulies.
