Lauren Cohan believed a Maggie & Negan spinoff series was impossible

The Walking Dead: Dead City is the fourth spinoff within The Walking Dead universe. The franchise has ended the flagship series with plans to expand by way of spinoff series, which continues the stories of several main characters. Dead City pairs up the unlikely duo of long-time enemies, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) andNegan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). This concept is something that initially Cohan wasn’t certain could become a reality.

Dead City began airing on AMC and AMC+ in June 2023. Set in apocalyptic Manhattan, a setting that was drastically different from the main series’s wooded setting, this series opened a new world of possibilities in the storyline.

Viewers, like Cohan, were unsure how these two characters could be teamed up, resulting in a series worth watching. But the creators did a fabulous job of melding familiar elements with brand-new ideas, making Dead City a worthy addition to the universe.

The Walking Dead: Dead City – Lauren Cohan

Shortly after the premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City, Cohan was interviewed by Shondaland, where she shared some of her initial thoughts about the series.

She shared how the idea of pairing Maggie and Negan was something she couldn’t believe was possible. Maggie had long avoided Negan and the final conversation between the two in the series finale of The Walking Dead felt like they came to an empasse.

"I did not understand how it could be possible to be in a show together at first [laughs]. It sort of terrified me because I just thought, “This is a complete impasse.” And it’s weird because so much of Maggie gets wrapped up in my point of view. Avoiding him for so long has been a big part of [Maggie’s life]. – Lauren Cohan"

The idea was pitched that “What if” there was a reason the characters would be forced into a partnership and the story would be told in New York City. Cohan was interested in the idea as she was eager to work with Morgan in a different situation “where Maggie’s not a ball of tension.”

The result: Dead City. Maggie and Negan were forced together when a man from Negan’s past, a former Savior, The Croat (Željko Ivanek), kidnapped Maggie’s son Hershel (Logan Kim). His ransom? Negan.

Maggie then had to convince (and betray) Negan to assist her to trade him for her son’s release. By the end of the season, another villain, The Dama (Lisa Emery), would be introduced and prove even more vicious than The Croat.

This series has been renewed for a second season, and fans who initially weren’t sure this concept could work were pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Dead City introduced several new characters who will be vital in the story of the upcoming second season. The element of a teenage Hershel has added to Maggie’s stress, which could become a significant problem as the story progresses.

Read the entire Shondaland interview with Lauren Cohan here. 

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