It’s been almost two months since The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3’s finale, and it feels like life has been moving as slowly as the walkers when it comes to whether this show will be renewed. A recent update from a TV insider can at least make fans slightly hopeful that, if season 4 happens, Lauren Cohen will most likely be back… somehow.
Recently, Matt Webb Mitovich answered several questions from readers regarding the state of current TV on Matt’s Inside Line. One fan asked Matt whether Cohan’s recent series-regular casting in Stillwater meant Dead City would ultimately get canceled. Matt answered simply with this:
“Well, Stillwater is just eight episodes, and the past two Dead City seasons have run just eight episodes, while the stars of broadcast procedurals film updates of 20+. There are no updates yet on the Walking Dead series’ future, but regardless, it seems like Cohan could juggle both, if needed.”
The news of Cohan’s recent casting in Stillwater rocked the world of The Walking Dead, as a series regular role always takes up plenty of time. Cohan even left the original series for her own show back in 2018 and 2019, only to return later. The simple fact that Stillwater is only eight episodes is a decent sign that Cohan could continue to star in this series.
It’s not like this hasn’t been done with other shows or stars before. Cohan’s co-star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, did something similar for season 3 of Dead City, where he began filming the final episodes of season 3 of Dead City while also beginning to film Sterling Point on Prime Video.
In fact, he revealed in an interview with The Seattle Times that he would use the plane rides to shift into different characters for the show:
“It was like a 45-minute flight, and I’d use that time to get into my headspace to change between characters.”
So it’s not like Cohan couldn’t also do that and film two different shows at once. However, Morgan, while a main character, didn’t have as big a role in the show as some of the other actors. He was very important, but he had plenty of time to go back and forth. That might not be the same for Cohan, who was cast alongside several other series regulars for Stillwater.
This could be the end of Maggie's story
Cohan’s casting update certainly felt like Dead City’s fate was written right then, but there are other reasons this series might not continue. The simple answer is that the series has few open questions left, and The Walking Dead is already starting to wind down with its spinoffs. Everyone is expecting the spinoffs to lead to an eventual reunion.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon ends next year, in 2027, and after that we still don’t know whether a reunion will take place, even though plenty of fans would love to see one. Even if Dead City were renewed, its timeline would throw everything off.
The show takes place several years after the main series ends, as well as Daryl Dixon, since Hershel Jr. (Logan Kim) is in his teenage years. There wouldn’t really be a real reunion because Maggie (Cohan) and Hershel Jr., as well as Negan (Morgan), are all the way in New York years later, and we don’t even know how close she is to the original group.
Cohan also revealed during season 3 press said Negan is the closest thing to family she has left aside from her son, which doesn’t feel right. So a reunion without her is possible, but only if it happens during this timeline. If it were years before, like the other shows, she could be there, but who really knows?
There’s also the fact that Morgan will most likely be back for season 2 of Sterling Point, and Kim himself has also booked a TV role recently alongside Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun (who played Glenn, Hershel Jr’s father, in the show). So it’s clear the actors are getting booked and busy, and it doesn’t really spell out a great future for the show.
Even so, Mitovich’s response at least suggests fans could film both shows, if possible. That is, if Dead City ever gets renewed. Only time will tell.
You can watch all three seasons of Dead City on AMC+.
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