It's Official, The Walking Dead Is Bringing Back Emily Kinney's Beth

The Walking Dead Universe Is Officially Bringing Back An OG Character Image via MovieStillsDB Published Jul 26, 2026, 4:59 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Walking Dead revolutionized the zombie genre, combining horror and drama in a way that has been surprisingly long-lived, raising the bar for other horror TV shows before becoming the formidable franchise that is still going strong today. While the show's zombies are terrifying, the key to its success has always been its cast and human-centered stories, which present people as both the biggest threat and the strongest source of hope for the apocalypse-ravaged world. As may be expected for a zombie-themed TV show, The Walking Dead and all its spinoff series have an extremely high kill count, and while some of the dead have appeared in flashback form, the original show was generally true to life with the characters being gone for good. However, The Walking Dead: Dead City has begun pushing boundaries within the Walking Dead timeline, with one very unusual episode on the way, which the actors had a lot to say about during San Diego Comic-Con. The world-renowned convention has always been a source of exciting updates, and where rumors are often addressed, with The Walking Dead: Dead City stars addressing controversial Maggie and Negan shipping in an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan. That said, this was far from the only update regarding the future of the spinoff, which was explored more during a San Diego Comic-Con panel, where ScreenRant was in attendance. Lauren Cohan (Maggie) confirmed that a groundbreaking episode would air on AMC tonight, bringing back Emily Kinney as the fan favorite character, Beth Greene, who died in season 5. Why Emily Kinney Is Returning As Beth For The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Image via AMC One of The Walking Dead's most controversial moments was the "fake-out" death of Glenn Rhee in season 6, which relied on a misleading camera trick and stalled the plot. On the other hand, Beth Greene's death was definite and shown on camera, with her being accidentally shot in the head by the corrupt police officer Dawn just as rescue arrived. Not only was there no doubt as to her fate, but her death was one of the most harrowing scenes in a TV show that is known for heartbreaking deaths. The idea that Beth might somehow return to The Walking Dead universe would have been unthinkable years ago. However, Dead City has been breaking rules since it first aired, being set years after the other spinoffs, drastically reducing the core cast, and forcing Maggie and Negan to become allies. Now, Dead City will air an episode set in an alternate universe in which the apocalypse never happened, showing us how the characters might have lived. Entertainment Weekly's on-set photos show Kinney and Cohan reprising their Walking Dead roles, with the two dressed for cold weather in New York City's Central Park, Beth wearing a pink hat and scarf, and carrying her guitar. As Kinney is also a singer/songwriter, this skill was written into the character and the set photos show that this aspect of her might be elaborated on. With the two women being from rural Georgia, a major plot point in the original show, it is possible that Beth's music might have taken her to the city. Image via MovieStillsDB During the show, Beth went from a traumatized teenager to a much wiser character. The fact that Maggie did not get to reunite with her sister before her death, arriving minutes too late, made the loss of Beth one of the most shocking deaths in The Walking Dead. Seeing the relationship that could have been had the apocalypse not happened will be extra special for the show, especially after Maggie's character has always been defined by loss, with Hershel, Beth, and then Glenn. Bringing Beth back for even one episode will almost certainly show a different side to Maggie. Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City will premiere with the alternate universe episode on Sunday, July 26 on AMC. Now, with Maggie finally getting a chance to smile, it is understandable that this episode, titled "Trilium," is Lauren Cohan's favorite in the entire Walking Dead franchise. The alternate universe concept has even won over executive producer, Scott M. Gimple, who was initially resistant to the idea, but now also thinks it is one of the best episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City, which is expected, but not yet confirmed, to return for a fourth season. Source: Entertainment Weekly Created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard First TV Show The Walking Dead Latest TV Show The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Upcoming TV Shows More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe First Episode Air Date October 31, 2010 Cast Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lennie James The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as "walkers." The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century. The Walking Dead: Dead City 8/10 Release Date June 18, 2023 Network AMC The Walking Dead: Dead City follows Maggie Rhee and Negan as they travel into post-apocalyptic Manhattan, a city isolated from the mainland and overrun by walkers and competing factions. Forced into an uneasy partnership, they pursue a dangerous mission tied to Maggie’s past.