It's an unusual time to be a fan of The Walking Dead Universe. The original show is no longer on the air (and hasn't been since 2022) while its very first spinoff ended after nearly as long of a run, too. And yet, the story of this undying franchise continues through some unique and innovative spinoffs that have offered up more of that epic walker action, those typical frights and chills, and the compelling drama that The Walking Dead used to give us on a weekly basis.
Since 2022, the world of the legendary AMC franchise has continued on via The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The first of those three was actually the first of the new spinoffs to premiere (arriving on AMC and AMC+ in summer of 2023) and it set a viewership record for the AMC+ service. Ironically, the first season of each TWD show would ultimately break that record.
Speaking of Dead City, there has been some speculation about its future in recent weeks, particularly because its second season just wrapped up without any confirmation as to whether the show would continue. Now, that announcement has finally been made.
The Walking Dead: Dead City renewed for a third season (but with a twist)
AMC has officially renewed The Walking Dead: Dead City for a third season, meaning that Maggie and Negan's trip to New York City isn't over yet. However, the announcement does come with a bit of a twist, as Variety reports that showrunner Eli Jorné is stepping down from the role, with TWD veteran Seth Hoffman set to take over from season 3 onwards.
Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, thanked Jorné for his work on the show over the past two seasons, saying that he took the story of these two characters in "exciting new directions" and broadened the horizons for the franchise beyond the original show. He also said that they are all delighted to welcome a seasoned TWD veteran like Hoffman to the fray (Hoffman previously executive produced three seasons of The Walking Dead, writing multiple episodes too - including the game-changing "Too Far Gone").
Dead City just recently completed its second season and fans had been somewhat concerned about its fate. Although still an extremely steady performer for AMC and AMC+, its viewership was down significantly from the first season. The likely reasoning for that was the long two-year break between seasons 1 and 2; fellow TWD spinoff Daryl Dixon has fared better as it has been releasing seasons annually, meaning that there is never too long of a break between them. It also didn't help that Dead City had to compete with fellow zombie series The Last of Us, which generated a lot of buzz throughout its second season.
It was also the first time that one of the ongoing TWD spinoffs aired one of its seasons without knowing if another would come (with the exception of Dead City's first season). For both of Daryl Dixon's seasons thus far, we have known that there would be more episodes when their finales aired; the same can be said this time around with season 3 because, although AMC hasn't officially announced a fourth season, it has already begun production.
Meanwhile, Dead City will continue to place the focus on the uneasy alliance between Maggie Rhee and Negan. The two have been feuding since the original series when Negan hideously killed Maggie's beloved husband Glenn, breaking the hearts of all TWD fans all over the world. Maggie has since tried to kill him on multiple occasions - that is, until she ultimately decided to move on in the series finale, acknowledging the changes he made but also adding that she could never forgive him. Crossing paths with him again in Dead City has repeatedly stirred up old wounds to the point that she has been faced with all of those questions all over again - something that was a real focus of season 2.
It's also worth pointing out that Dead City's third season renewal didn't come with the "final season" moniker, so this show could also carry on for multiple seasons if the cast, crew, and network wish for it to. And based on the tease from McDermott, who says that season 3 will "bring new adversaries and alliances and push the boundaries of Maggie and Negan’s conflicted relationship", the story of the two bitter enemies turned uneasy allies is far from over.
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