The Walking Dead: Dead City – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Walking Dead: Dead City

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show2023

22%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Maggie and Negan take their trauma to zombie Manhattan—because apparently the franchise needed another spin-off.

71%

8.0

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The Walking Dead: Dead City

show

2023

22%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Maggie and Negan take their trauma to zombie Manhattan—because apparently the franchise needed another spin-off.

71%

8.0

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71%

8.0

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, if you're a Walking Dead completist who's still hanging on after 13 years of zombies, this will scratch that itch. The Maggie-Negan dynamic is legitimately interesting, and Manhattan as a zombie wasteland has visual appeal.

But let's be real: this is spin-off number... what, five? Six? The zombie genre is oversaturated, and unless you're deeply invested in these specific characters, there's not much here you haven't seen before. It's competently made (that TMDB score isn't lying), but it's also more of the same bleak survival horror.

For parents: this is absolutely, unequivocally not for kids or teens. The violence is graphic, the tone is relentlessly dark, and there's zero educational or developmental value for young viewers. This is grown-up horror entertainment, period.

If you want quality post-apocalyptic TV, The Last of Us exists. If you're a Walking Dead die-hard, you're probably already watching this anyway. Everyone else can safely skip it.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults 17+ who enjoy horror and are already fans of The Walking Dead franchise. The graphic violence, gore, and dark themes make it completely inappropriate for teens and younger viewers. Even mature 16-year-olds should probably wait.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a post-apocalyptic zombie horror series featuring graphic violence, death, and a world built on anarchy and terror. The tone is dark, bleak, and survival-focused with minimal modeling of kindness or cooperation beyond temporary alliances. Characters include Negan, a former villain known for brutal murders in the original series. Not emotionally healthy viewing.

Imaginative

The setting of a post-apocalyptic Manhattan cut off from the mainland is visually creative and offers interesting world-building. The premise of exploring a zombie-filled urban wasteland has imaginative potential, though it's largely derivative of the broader Walking Dead franchise. The crumbling city aesthetic and survival scenarios invite some creative problem-solving, but this is well-trodden zombie territory at this point.

Safe

Absolutely not safe for children or even most teens. This is a mature horror series with graphic zombie violence, gore, likely human-on-human violence, death, terror, and potentially disturbing imagery. The Walking Dead franchise is known for brutal walker kills, human executions, and psychological horror. No content rating provided but this is clearly TV-MA territory. Completely inappropriate for unexpected viewing by anyone under 17.

Enriching

Offers some exploration of survival ethics, moral complexity (especially with Negan's redemption arc), and human resilience in extreme circumstances. The Maggie-Negan dynamic could provide interesting character study about forgiveness and working with enemies. However, the enrichment is limited by relentless bleakness and violence. TMDB rating of 7.961 suggests decent quality execution, but this is primarily entertainment through tension and horror rather than meaningful growth opportunities.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

The Maggie-Negan relationship is genuinely complex—she's working with the man who murdered her husband, which creates real dramatic tension
Post-apocalyptic Manhattan is a fresh setting with interesting visual potential (crumbling skyscrapers, isolated urban wasteland)
For Walking Dead fans who aren't burned out yet, this offers more of the survival horror they love
TMDB rating of 7.961 suggests fans are enjoying it—the execution seems solid even if the concept is tired

⚠

What to Watch For

Graphic zombie violence and gore—this is not The Last of Us TV show levels of restraint, this is Walking Dead brutality
Dark, bleak tone throughout with minimal hope or lightness
Assumes familiarity with The Walking Dead universe and the Maggie/Negan backstory
Franchise fatigue is real—if you're tired of zombies and the same survival tropes, skip it

Conversation Starters

"Could you ever work with someone who hurt your family if survival depended on it?"
"What would a city like New York actually look like years after being abandoned?"
"Do you think people can truly redeem themselves after doing terrible things?"
"How would you survive in a place with no resources and constant danger?"

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