The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023)

If you stopped watching The Walking Dead after season 7’s big death, then Dead City might confuse you. Maggie and Negan working together? Yeah, it’s about as wild as it sounds. Despite this, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohen’s chemistry carries a series that isn’t always perfect but still entertaining. Together, they become the ultimate butt-kicking, frenemy duo. The action and gore match what’s expected of TWD. However, it’s the messy, complicated emotions between the leads that make Dead City a worthwhile watch for longtime fans (mostly) caught up on TWD’s later seasons.

The Walking Dead: Dead City will appeal to franchise fans, though it also works well as a standalone series for newcomers. It benefits from a smaller cast and a new location in New York, which will be a breath of fresh air for viewers who saw the original series through to the end. The smaller cast allows Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan to shine as the mismatched duo Negan and Maggie, while the location makes it a tighter, more self-contained series. Ultimately, Dead City ramps up the emotion and grit of the original while differentiating itself in small but refreshing ways.