Per Matt
As soon as I started watching the Dead City series premiere, I wondered aloud, “How much Negan is too much Negan?”

We’re about to find out.

Taken in small doses, the ultimate bad guy in The Walking Dead Universe is definitely a complex character. Jeffrey Dean Morgan oozes antihero vibes, so it was definitely a no-brainer to spin-off a popular franchise while shoving his character front and center. Let him have so much of the spotlight, maybe longtime fans will ultimately turn all that pent-up rage from all of Negan’s misdeeds to ultimately turn the heel into a baby face.

But after a while, the character’s schtick gets old. He works best with a gang surrounding him, along with the general fear that Negan is a stone-cold killer, willing to do whatever it takes to survive this undead world.

And then there’s Maggie Rhee (played by Lauren Cohan), a character whose whole existence was based on making a life with her husband. But after Glenn’s death (at Negan’s hands, mind you), Maggie’s one-dimensional character was based off her unrequited rage. Sure, she eventually became a fearless leader of Hilltop, but she also went missing for a year and a half, while Cohan starred in the short-lived ABC show, Whiskey Cavalier.

Together, this odd-couple experience spun off from The Walking Dead felt inevitable after Cohan finally returned to the show half-way through Season 10, as the characters’ tension never wavered. But much like Morgan Jones in Fear the Walking Dead, both characters seem to work best in ensemble storylines. Without their surrounding people, these characters don’t feel like they’re strong enough to lead an all-new show.

The fall of society within TWD started with a mutation found inside each and every human, one which turns people into undead, killer monsters. But maybe AMC execs are suffering from the same sort of symptoms… Why was Dead City given the green light, anyway?

Maybe these actors were unable to walk away from such a lucrative payday. Maybe the network needed to boost its streaming numbers by adding yet another addition to a well-known franchise. And perhaps the AMC execs had visions of unlimited cash springing forth, dancing in their heads. Why can’t the answer be all of the above?

My guess; however, would be the execs/filmmakers truly couldn’t walk away from the IP while padding their wallets, not knowing when the audience has had enough of a particular franchise. Only 2.27 million viewers stuck around to watch TWD’s Season 11 series finale, “Rest in Peace,” but when you factor in the size of the audience at the series’ height (17 million watched the Season 7 premiere), the show literally fizzled out.

Case in Point: I’ve pretty much turned the channel on the franchise (Fear of Returning to The Walking Dead Franchise). I still have 15 unwatched episodes of TWD mothership remaining on my DVR, along with Fear‘s 21 eps and Tales‘ three — I totally lost interest in World Beyond (with eight episodes remaining). At some point, nostalgia may get the better of me, but for now, they shall remain.

As far as Dead City goes, I’ve watched three episodes and noticed a few details. Negan’s on the run from marshals, led by Pearlie Armstrong (Gaius Charles). Baby Hershel’s all grown up, currently kidnapped in Manhattan, held hostage by someone obsessed with Negan (seems to be a trending topic). Maggie needs Negan’s assistance in order to save her child. Will these frenemies survive each other, along with the millions of walkers overrunning the island?

This time around, the Big Bad is The Croat (played by Zeljko Ivanek), who just happens to be a previous warrior of The Sanctuary. As a torturer who took his job a tad too far, this character’s backstory feels like a very convenient retcon for Negan. And since he doesn’t appear in Kirkman’s comics, I’m going to stick with this point of view.

“It takes a monster to make one, I guess…”

With each new chapter of TWD Universe, all-new names are given to the undead. Here, we get “groaners,” “chompers” and “fleshies.” The factions in this series include the people of New Babylon (a federation of city-states and towns), Burazi (The Croat’s predators) and the tribespeople (everyone else).

These bad guys have an alternate-energy fuel… and a Big Turkey. There are zip lines between skyscrapers, motorcycle helmet battlefield gear and a whole buncha nail guns with retractable projectiles. We’ve already seen a “softer” side of Negan in the final years of the mothership, but this one’s different — even though the character’s paired with a silent girl in order to raise his likeability.

I wasn’t blown away by the new show, but it didn’t immediately turn me off, like World Beyond. I’ll definitely watch a little more, but most likely, it’ll eventually rest unwatched in the DVR like the others, until the time is right. I’m really not sure of Dead City‘s end game, or the longevity of this spin off’s storyline. Based off several others, I’d say three seasons is the max — although that feels like a stretch — but only if a few more original characters crossover.