| This article is about Dead City. For other pages with the same name, see: The Walking Dead Television Universe |
The Walking Dead: Dead City is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series created by Scott Gimple and Eli Jorné for AMC, based on The Walking Dead characters Maggie and Negan. It is the first sequel to The Walking Dead television series, and the fifth series in The Walking Dead television universe, sharing continuity with the other television series. Jorné serves as showrunner.
Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprise their roles as Maggie and Negan from the original television series, with Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, and Mahina Napoleon also starring. Development of the series began in March 2022, with its title revealed that month and renamed in August. Additional castings were announced in October and November 2022. Principal photography began in July 2022 in New Jersey and concluded in October 2022.
The first season of the series premiered on June 18, 2023, and consisted of six episodes. In July 2023, it was renewed for a second season.[1]
Premise[]
The series follows Maggie and Negan traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan cut off from the mainland in search of Maggie's kidnapped son, Hershel. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
Series Overview[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 6 | June 18, 2023 | July 23, 2023 | |
Episodes[]
As of July 23, 2023, 6 episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City have aired.
| Title | Writer(s) | Director(s) | Original Air Date | U.S. Viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Old Acquaintances" | Eli Jorné | Loren Yaconelli | June 18, 2023 | 0.70 million |
| 2. | "Who's There?" | Eli Jorné | Loren Yaconelli | June 25, 2023 | 0.71 million |
| 3. | "People Are a Resource" | Keith Staskiewicz | Kevin Dowling | July 2, 2023 | 0.68 million |
| 4. | "Everybody Wins a Prize" | Eli Jorné | Kevin Dowling | July 9, 2023 | 0.70 million |
| 5. | "Stories We Tell Ourselves" | Brenna Kouf | Gandja Monteiro | July 16, 2023 | 0.70 million |
| 6. | "Doma Smo" | Eli Jorné | Gandja Monteiro | July 23, 2023 | 0.62 million |
Title Screen[]
- Main article: Title Screens (Dead City)
Cast and Characters[]
| The Walking Dead: Dead City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actor | Character | Appeared Seasons | Status | Background |
| Lauren Cohan | Maggie Rhee | 1, 2 | Alive | Glenn's widow, formerly a part of Rick Grimes' group on The Walking Dead. She is also the leader of the Hilltop Colony, a community of survivors that relocated from Virginia to New York. |
| Jeffrey Dean Morgan | Negan Smith | 1, 2 | Alive | The reformed former leader of the Saviors who left the Commonwealth with his pregnant wife to build a life together at the end of The Walking Dead. |
| Gaius Charles | Perlie Armstrong | 1, 2 | Alive | A marshal for the New Babylon Federation, a network of survivor communities in New York, who is tasked with hunting down Negan. |
| Željko Ivanek | The Croat | 1, 2 | Alive | Originally from Croatia, hence his name, the Croat is a sadistic former member of the Saviors who has kidnapped Maggie's son, Hershel. He is also the leader of the Burazi, a group of hostile survivors who have taken control of Manhattan. |
| Mahina Napoleon | Ginny | 1, 2 | Alive | A young girl under Negan's care who is selectively mute following the traumatic death of her father. It's later revealed that her father is one of the men that Negan is wanted for killing. |
Production[]
Development[]
In March 2022, AMC reported that they were developing a fourth spin-off of The Walking Dead titled Isle of the Dead revolving around Maggie and Negan with Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprising their respective roles from the original series and Eli Jorné, a writer and co-executive producer on The Walking Dead, attached as showrunner alongside Cohan and Morgan as executive producers.[2] In late August, the series title was renamed to The Walking Dead: Dead City.[3] In July 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.[1]
Casting[]
In April 2022, Gaius Charles was cast as Perlie Armstrong.[4] In July, Željko Ivanek, Jonathan Higginbotham, and Mahina Napoleon were cast as "The Croat", Tommaso, and Ginny respectively.[5]
Filming[]
Principal photography began on July 19 in New Jersey and wrapped on October 24, 2022.[6][7] Locations include the Meadowlands Arena, Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve, Port Newark, National Newark Building, Newark Symphony Hall, Hoboken Terminal, Liberty State Park and Shades of Death Road.[8]
Marketing[]
In November 2022, an early look on the behind the scenes of the series was released by AMC.[9]
Release[]
The Walking Dead: Dead City premiered on AMC on June 18, 2023.[10][11] The series premiered early on AMC+ on June 15, with subsequent episodes available three days before their broadcast premieres.[12] The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 12, 2023.[13]
Reception[]
Critical Reception[]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 80% approval rating with an average rating of 7.2/10, based on 54 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While Dead City still creaks under the constraints of being an umpteenth spinoff, it ultimately shakes off the franchise's rigor mortis thanks to a change of scenery and a focus on two fan favorites."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]
Awards and Nominations[]
Saturn Awards[]
| Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Best New Genre Television Series | The Walking Dead: Dead City | Nominated |
| Best Actress in a Television Series | Lauren Cohan | Nominated |
Promotional Material[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
- It is the fourth spin-off series of The Walking Dead television series, after Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and Tales of the Walking Dead.
- It is the first direct sequel to the television series, followed by Daryl Dixon and the The Ones Who Live.
- Shortly after Alycia Debnam-Carey (Alicia Clark) exited Fear the Walking Dead, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) posted a tweet, teasing a possible appearance by Alicia on Dead City.[16]
- This series was originally titled Isle of the Dead, however it was later changed to The Walking Dead: Dead City as the former title was "no longer working".[17]
- It was revealed in a synopsis that the series will take place years after the finale of The Walking Dead.
- Lauren Cohan stated that the show takes place at least "five, six years" after "Rest in Peace".[18]
- During AMC's TCA (Television Critics Association) panel, it was revealed the series' plot will involve Maggie and Negan teaming up to rescue a kidnapped Hershel.[19]
- According to Lauren Cohan (Executive Producer/Maggie), the show is "definitely set up to go beyond it's first season". She hopes the show can go as far as a fourth or fifth season.[20]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ‘Walking Dead’ Spinoffs ‘Dead City,’ ‘Daryl Dixon’ Renewed at AMC on hollywoodreporter.com
- ↑ Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan to star in NYC-set Walking Dead spin-off on EW.com
- ↑ Why Did ‘Isle Of The Dead’ Change Its Name To ‘Dead City’ For The Maggie-Negan Spin-Off? on forbes.com
- ↑ ‘Isle Of The Dead’: Gaius Charles Joins Lauren Cohan & Jeffrey Dean Morgan In ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff on deadline.com
- ↑ Isle of the Dead Announces New Cast Members on comicbook.com
- ↑ Jeffrey Dean Morgan Shared a Major Update on The Walking Dead Spin-Off The Isle of the Dead on eonline.com
- ↑ Jeffrey Dean Morgan Seemingly Confirms TWD Spinoff Filming Wrap on screenrant.com
- ↑ Another ‘Walking Dead’ spinoff is filming in N.J., because zombies love it here on nj.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City Reveals First Footage on comicbook.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City: Trailer, Release Date, Cast, Storyline, and Everything Else to Know on tvguide.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City Premiere Date & New Logo Revealed on comingsoon.net
- ↑ ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Is Set to Arrive Early for AMC+ Subscribers on collider.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City - Season One Blu-ray on blu-ray.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 on rottentomatoes.com
- ↑ The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 on metacritic.com
- ↑ Tweet by Jeffrey Dean Morgan: "…Walking Dead world will miss you… and patiently await your return. How do you feel about New York?…"
- ↑ Maggie and Negan Walking Dead spin-off gets new title on EW.com
- ↑ Ouch! Magazine® Lauren Cohan on YouTube (at 0:17)
- ↑ Tweet by Kirsten Acuna: "As I predicted, it was announced at AMC's TCA panel today that #TWD #DeadCity will center around Maggie's kidnapped son, Hershel..."
- ↑ Lauren Cohan on her new show, ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ on nypost.com
The Walking Dead Television Universe
| |
|---|---|
| Shows | TV Series • Fear • World Beyond • Tales • Dead City • Daryl Dixon • The Ones Who Live • More Tales |
| Webisodes | Torn Apart • Cold Storage • The Oath • Flight 462 • Passage • Red Machete • The Althea Tapes • Dead in the Water |
| Games | Dead Reckoning • Survival Instinct • Onslaught • Pathways |
| Podcasts | Radio Waves |
| Shorts | 360 Experience |