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, which is set to premiere in 2025.
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.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan: 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 as Perlie Armstrong: A marshal for the New Babylon Federation, a network of survivor communities in New York, who is tasked with hunting down Negan.[1]
Željko Ivanek as "The Croat": 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.[2]
Mahina Napoleon as Ginny: 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.[2]
Recurring
Logan Kim as Hershel Rhee: Maggie and Glenn's teenage son. Kim replaces actor Kien Michael Spiller who previously played Hershel on The Walking Dead.[3]
Jonathan Higginbotham as Tommaso (season 1): The co-leader of the Tribespeople, a nomadic group of survivors based in Manhattan who are being hunted by the Burazi.[2]
Karina Ortiz as Amaia (season 1): The co-leader of the Tribespeople and Tommaso's girlfriend.[4]
Lisa Emery as "The Dama": The Croat's close ally.[5]
Guest
Michelle Hurd as Jones (season 1): The owner of the Easy Stay Motor Inn, who hides Negan from the New Babylon marshals.[6]
Trey Santiago-Hudson as Jano (season 1): A deputy marshal for New Babylon who assists Perlie in hunting down Negan.[7]
Michael Anthony as Luther (season 1): A physically imposing member of the Tribespeople who is distrustful of Maggie and Negan.[8]
Steven Ogg as Simon (season 1): The former second-in-command of the Saviors who appears in a flashback scene. Ogg reprises his role from The Walking Dead.[9]
Jasmin Walker as "The Prefect": The leader of the New Babylon Federation and Perlie's superior.
Following an attack on the new Hilltop, now called the Bricks, Maggie's son Hershel is kidnapped by the Croat, a former Savior who is living in Manhattan. Desperate to save him, Maggie reluctantly tracks down Negan for help who is on the run from New Babylon marshals led by Perlie Armstrong after supposedly murdering five people. In exchange for Maggie giving his young companion Ginny a home at the Bricks, Negan agrees to help her with the two taking young marshal Jano hostage and Maggie having to deal with hatred of Negan for Glenn's murder. In Manhattan, the trio encounter walkers falling from the buildings and a cat-and-mouse game with Perlie in a dry cleaners who accidentally kills Jano while chasing after them. Elsewhere, the Croat questions Hershel for information on Negan and sends an escaped prisoner to his death after the man refuses to answer questions about his group.
An old woman named Esther helps Maggie and Negan escape from a herd and leads them to her tribe of survivors who are hunted by the Croat and his people, the Burazi. Negan reveals that the Croat was one of the first Saviors, serving as an interrogator for Negan until he went too far with a young survivor, causing Negan to try to kill him. However, Negan only succeeded in blowing off the Croat's right ear and he escaped. The tribe comes under attack from the Burazi, killing several people, including Esther, before they manage to escape. In retaliation, Negan brutally kills one of the Burazi as an example to the rest, something that is witnessed by Maggie. After Maggie reveals their true mission to them, the tribe reveals that they can help her get to the Croat. Elsewhere, Ginny struggles to adapt to life at the Bricks, eventually stealing a motorcycle and running away. Perlie visits his brother Joel's apartment, only to find Joel dead of suicide. Falling into a trap outside, Perlie is captured by the Croat.
In flashbacks, Negan bonds with Ginny as they search for her missing toy. In the present, Ginny makes her way to Manhattan. The Croat holds Perlie prisoner in the revamped Madison Square Garden where he tests the marshal's abilities in a ring fight against walkers and questions his motives. Perlie eventually reveals that he's in Manhattan hunting for Negan, much to the Croat's shock who in turn reveals that he had lost his family to cannibals near the start of the apocalypse. The tribespeople tell Maggie and Negan about the Burazi's operation which they recognize as a twisted version of the Saviors and, using the story of Negan's defeat by the Militia, inspire the tribespeople to help them. Tommaso reveals that he had been captured and tortured, but he had managed to escape using the old framework of Penn Station and the subway system which they can use to get in. Maggie opens up to Negan about the loss of Hershel and her family and Negan in turn reveals that he had sent Annie and his son Joshua to safety in Missouri after killing five men who had robbed, beaten and raped Annie in revenge, which is why he's a wanted man. Luther discovers Negan's wanted poster, leading to a fight in which Negan gives in to his darker instincts and kills Luther. After finding Ginny's toy, Maggie contemplates burning it, secretly observed by Ginny.
In a flashback, Negan and Simon confront the Croat over his brutal murder of a young girl. In the present, Maggie and Negan lead an attack on Madison Square Garden to rescue Hershel and kill the Croat. However, the Croat anticipates their actions, and he lays a trap, evacuating his people from the arena while letting in walkers and using the sound and light systems to lead them to the tribespeople. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, most of the tribespeople are killed with only Maggie, Amaia, Tommaso and Ginny managing to escape into the sewers. Negan confronts the Croat who joyfully greets him and tries to get Negan to join him, attempting to kill Perlie as a sign of good faith. Much to the Croat's shock, Negan saves the marshal's life and escapes with him. However, Perlie holds Negan at gunpoint, threatening him with summary execution for his crimes despite Negan having just saved his life.
In flashbacks, Ginny discovers that Maggie is lying about the Bricks' grain being stolen while the Croat kidnaps Hershel and demands Negan in exchange for his return. In the present, the Croat visits the Dama who reiterates their need for Negan to protect their future. As they make their way through Manhattan, Negan and Perlie get to know each other with Negan revealing the reason for his murders. His beliefs shaken by the recent events, Perlie opens up to Negan about his brother Joel and Perlie's growing doubts about what he's doing. Maggie, who is revealed to have kept Ginny's toy rather than burning it, deduces that Tommaso had sold the tribe out, resulting in the attack on their hideout and the ambush at Madison Square Garden. Tommaso admits that he had made a deal with the Croat who had promised Tommaso a boat and a chance at a better life for his family on the mainland, horrifying Amaia, although Maggie is more sympathetic. In the sewers, Amaia and Tommaso fall victim to walkers, but Maggie and Ginny manage to escape after Maggie successfully fights a massive fused together walker. On the surface, Ginny fires a flare into the air which is spotted by Negan.
After reuniting with Ginny, Negan reveals that he was the one who had murdered her father in a harsh effort to get her to leave. Perlie transports Ginny to the Bricks before returning to New Babylon where he lies that he had killed Negan and the New Babylon leader shows interest in the methane that the Burazi are able to produce which is a better fuel source than ethanol. Maggie and Negan track the Croat to the Staten Island Ferry terminal where Negan deduces that Maggie is luring him into a trap and overpowers her. Acknowledging that Maggie should never forgive him for his actions, although disappointed as together they could've rescued Hershel for real, Negan allows Maggie to trade him to the Croat for her son who berates Maggie for caring more about her obsession with Negan than him for his whole life. After returning to the Bricks, Maggie realizes that Hershel is right, and she decides to find a way to end her feud with Negan for good so that she can finally find peace. The Croat delivers Negan to the Dama who explains that she wants Negan to unite the various communities in Manhattan to stand against the New Babylon Federation and others who would come for their natural resources. Having learned the story of Glenn's murder from Hershel, the Dama reveals that she has cut off Hershel's toe and she threatens to go after him again if Negan doesn't comply, using Negan's care for the boy as leverage against him. At the same time, Maggie discovers Hershel's drawings of the Dama, and she realizes the continuing threat to her son.
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.[13] In late August, the series title was renamed to The Walking Dead: Dead City.[14] In July 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.[15]
Casting
In April 2022, Gaius Charles was cast as Perlie Armstrong.[1] In July, Željko Ivanek, Jonathan Higginbotham, and Mahina Napoleon were cast as "The Croat", Tommaso, and Ginny respectively.[2]
In April 2024, Kim Coates was announced to have joined the cast as a series regular for the second season.[16]
In November 2022, an early look on the behind the scenes of the series was released by AMC.[22]
Release
The Walking Dead: Dead City premiered on AMC on June 18, 2023.[23][24] The series premiered early on AMC+ on June 15, with subsequent episodes available three days before their broadcast premieres.[25] The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 12, 2023.[26] The second season is set to premiere in 2025.[27]
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."[28]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29]
