It’s hard to believe that 16 years ago, if you were to use the phrase “The Walking Dead” with someone, you’d likely be met with disinterested shrugs. Of course, those more tapped into the world of comic books would likely understand you were talking about Robert Kirkman’s Image Comics series, but those people are in the minority among the general public. Now, it’s arguably harder to find someone who hasn’t heard of The Walking Dead, as the TV adaptation of the comic has become one of the biggest forces in pop culture.
While there’s still a large pop culture footprint for the zombie series, it’s safe to say that interest in the concept is waning. As the AMC series grew in popularity season after season, it started earning spin-offs, some of which became more popular than the core series. However, once The Walking Dead ended and the first spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, concluded, it became more difficult to bring the concept back from the dead. Still, the franchise keeps shambling forward, with Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City now being unleashed on audiences.
Despite how many seasons of zombie TV we’ve gotten across multiple seasons of multiple Walking Dead programs, we shouldn’t consider the concept dead quite yet. While there might only be five reviews currently calculated on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the latest season of Dead City has earned 100% positive reviews.
As of this writing, Season 3 is the best-reviewed season of the show, as it surpasses Season 1’s 80% positive and Season 2’s 56% positive. Those reviews line up with MovieWeb‘s own 4.5 out of 5 review, which isn’t among the calculated scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Christine Persaud said of the new season, “The shift from dark to humorous, the surprise elements, compelling new characters, and welcome character arcs come together to deliver a solid season that’s about burying the hatchet, moving on, and figuring out the best way to rebuild a society worth living in. In one scene, Negan tells Maggie that they might have been friends in another life. That vision couldn’t be farther from my imagination any other time, but after this season, I could see it.”
Over at Collider, Shawn Van Horn explained, “If the series ends here, it’s a fitting conclusion, but if it returns, Season 3 confirms the right path forward, moving away from tired formulas and trying something different while also refocusing on the best traits of its leads. The Walking Dead: Dead City is no longer shambling around like a rotting walker. With Season 3, it comes back to life in the best way possible.”
At CBR, Katie Doll revealed, “The end of Season 3 feels like a proper time to conclude Dead City‘s cycle, but it’s yet to be seen if the show will be renewed for a fourth season. Still, Season 3 does more to push Maggie and Negan forward than the past two seasons ever did, and their arcs are complemented by big ideas about what it means to restore order after years of lawlessness. These ideas hit harder when cool, queasy walker action disturbs this dream. The Walking Dead can never really go back to the glory days, but Dead City Season 3 tries pretty hard to get close.”
After Season 3 of Dead City, the only other confirmed season of a Walking Dead project is Season 4 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. While there have been reports of movies and other crossover events, we have to wait and see just how much life is still left in the concept.
