‘iZombie’ News Teases A ‘Veronica Mars’ Love Interest For The 2017 Season

News about the upcoming third season for iZombie is coming together, and it seems the 2017 season will again give fans a romantic story arc for series lead, Liv Moore, played by Rose McIver. Any hope iZombie fans might have had for a Liv Moore and Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley) rekindling will apparently have to be put on the back burner again because iZombie showrunners are bringing in an entirely new character to light Liv’s heart on fire.

iZombie Introduces Another Veronica Mars Actor And He Wants To Liv Moore

iZombie showrunner Rob Thomas was also behind the highly successful Veronica Mars, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his current hit is filled with Veronica Mars references and cameos. In the past, many of those Easter eggs have been brief and subtly presented, but Season 3 of iZombie won’t be beating around the bush when Veronica Mars‘ star Jason Dohring is introduced in the new iZombie installment.

Dohring will play Chase Grave, the brother-in-law to Vivian Stoll, but won’t make his debut on iZombie until the eighth episode of Season 3, entitled “Eat a Kinevel.” Early rumors suggest that Dohring’s iZombie character will be a zombie, using Liv Moore’s preference for dating only undead men as further proof that Chase Grave will be among the zombie kind.

In addition to having been involved with Veronica Mars, Jason Dohring was introduced as Detective Will Kinney in Season 3 of The Originals, which also airs on the CW network. With shooting on iZombie and The Originals running simultaneously, Dohring may have his work cut out for him, pulling double duty on the two hit shows.

Previously, Rose McIver has revealed that her character will have a new love interest in Season 3 of iZombie but added that the romance will be short lived. Details weren’t revealed, so it’s difficult to know whether Chase gets killed off down the line or if something else interferes with the relationship. Being associated with the season’s primary villain, Grave may have ulterior motives for dating Liv, or he may just be a bad guy.

iZombie Villains Will Go From Bad To Worse

It seems Vivian Stoll (and possibly Chase Grave) will just be one branch of a greater threat in the 2017 season of iZombie, because Fillmore Grave is still in the mix, as well. The Graves seem to be set up to take the place of Vaughn Du Clark, which is unfortunate, because Steven Weber excelled in the role, creating a villain that perfectly blended dark humor with sinister devilry. The iZombie actor also had great chemistry with McIver, playing the perfect nemesis to her iZombie heroine.

Weber will be missed if his iZombie return isn’t to be.

As for the Grave family, Fillmore has already revealed his intention to turn all of Seattle into a zombie mecca, so it makes sense that he would become the greatest threat in the new installment, aided by Vivian. It would also add further credence to the suggestion that Chase Grave is a zombie and a villain in disguise.

The Season 2 finale of iZombie introduced Vivian Stoll, played by Andrea Savage, and her exact nature was ambiguous, though she clearly possessed a position of power, as she was seen negotiating for the purchase of Max Rager from Vaughn Du Clark. Additionally, her armed militia saved Liv and company from a hoard of zombies, suggesting, at least temporarily, that she was an ally and not a villain.

Of course, earlier scenes had already revealed her sinister intentions to viewers, though Liv and Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) may take time to discover Vivian’s true nature.

The CW network hasn’t yet released an exact date for the Season 3 premiere of iZombie, but it will air sometime in 2017.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]