Of course I sat down to watch the episodes one by one, as they were released, of the 2023 series "The Walking Dead: Dead City", as I am a fan of all things zombie. And I have thoroughly enjoyed the many "The Walking Dead" series and its spin-offs. So of course I had to watch this one too, especially since it had Negan as one of the main characters.
Now, the storyline in "The Walking Dead: Dead City" is fairly straightforward, though I have to admit it felt a bit rushed, and also as if the writers were playing it safe and using tropes and formulas already seen and used in other of the series. Sure, the setting was new, but the storyline and the offshoots subplots were a bit too generic. A shame really, because I had genuinely been looking forward to "The Walking Dead: Dead City", more so than "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon", as his character has grown rather stale in the original series.
"The Walking Dead: Dead City" has some good acting performances and some nicely cast actors and actresses. Of course it is nice to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and Lauren Cohan as Maggie in the series. However, I have to admit that Maggie's animosity towards Negan is starting to wear thin and I have come to foster a growing dislike towards the Maggie character. So for me, "The Walking Dead: Dead City" was all about Negan.
And season one definitely added some new layers to the Negan character, which I most certainly welcomed with open arms, as he is one of my favorites in the series.
The special effects, make-up and zombie effects in "The Walking Dead: Dead City" are good. Just as they are in the original series and the spin-offs. And that is definitely something that helps to make the franchise interesting and watchable.
Six episodes felt rather short and rushed, and definitely left the audience wanting more. And the way that the cliffhanger leaves us with Negan, well that certainly does set up something great for the Negan character, and it would be nice to see him return to his more ruffian ways.
"The Walking Dead: Dead City" is a show that caters to fans of the franchise, of course it is. Does it serve as a good introduction to the franchise for anyone unfamiliar with the original series? Not so much, as there is a lot of underlaying conflict between Negan and Maggie, which you get an understanding of through the original series.
Sure, I hope they will make more seasons for "The Walking Dead: Dead City", because it felt incomplete as season one came to a close. "The Walking Dead: Dead City" is watchable and entertaining, for sure, but there definitely is room for improvement, and for the writers to take the series into new and uncharted territory.
My rating of "The Walking Dead: Dead City" lands on a seven out of ten stars.
