The Walking Dead: Dead City

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.

So, I finally binged through TWD - Dead City, and I have to admit, I'm somewhat conflicted about it. As a fan of the original series, I was eagerly looking forward to this new installment, but I can't help feeling a bit let down. I'd rate it around 6 stars out of 10, and here's why.

The series seems to be lacking that old charisma and depth that drew me into The Walking Dead universe in the first place. The character development, which used to be a hallmark of the show, feels a bit rushed and shallow this time around. I didn't find myself connecting with the new characters as strongly as I did with the original group, and that was a bit disappointing. Also the zombies are not even the main aspect of the show now, its more like a drama rather than horror!

Moreover, the storyline left me wanting more. It seemed to tread familiar ground, and even though I get that the zombie apocalypse isn't exactly a realm of endless possibilities, it still felt repetitive. I was hoping for a more unique spin on the narrative that would reignite my excitement for the series, but that didn't quite happen.

Honestly, I hate to say it, but parts of Dead City felt a bit dull and boring. There were moments when I found my attention wandering, which is a shame because I used to be fully engrossed in the world of The Walking Dead. I even found it disheartening that they introduced a couple of new characters only to kill them off without giving them much time to develop. It felt like a missed opportunity.

That said, if you're a die-hard fan of The Walking Dead series, I can see how you might find redeeming qualities in Dead City. The nostalgia factor alone might keep you engaged, and if you're heavily invested in the overall universe, you could potentially overlook some of the shortcomings.

I read an article recently that claimed 'Hollywood has a Showrunner Problem,' describing that the proliferation of all of these streaming channels trying to fill.out their catalog has led to relatively inexperienced writers and producers being placed in the 'showrunner' role of a major production, with neither the chops or the skill set to put out a quality product. This show is a textbook example.

It succeeds based upon the strength of the intellectual property of Walking Dead and the charisma of two of the original series' biggest stars. It also has the strength of quality WD effects and score. Where it falls flat is the writing. The story has far too many inexplicable turns of events and charachter decisions to excuse, and the dialogue is bad enough to occasionally make you laugh dueing what's supposed to be a dramatic moment. If they are going to keep churning out WD spin-offs, they need to get a more competent captain to steer the ship.

I need to start by saying I'm a big fan of The Walking Dead, the entire universe for that matter but especially the original. Having said that I still had my concerns for The Walking Dead: Dead City considering the last few seasons of the original were not as good. Well, I couldn't be more excited to be wrong because this was excellent. It reminded me of why I fell in love well this franchise to begin with. Jeffery Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan were as terrific as always as Negan and Maggie. I wasn't worried about that because they're both great actors, it's the writing that I was worried about and it's the writing that surprised me by how good it was. I'm glad the it was renewed for a second season and I'll be looking forward to it.

The Walking Dead: Dead City was so much better than I expected. I've watched everything from the Walking Dead Universe, the good like The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead (some seasons at least), to the mediocre like Tales of the Walking Dead, to the downright awful like The Walking Dead: World Beyond. I've seen them all and this is right up there with the best. It's not quite as good as the early seasons of The Walking Dead or Fear the Walking Dead but it's right below that. Everyone loves both of these lead characters in Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and they are as good as ever here. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is especially great as Negan. He's perfect for this role and the arc that Negan has gone through has been as good as any character on tv in a while. He went from one of the worst bad guys on a show to a guy you root for. Can't wait for next season!