The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Sets Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Record For Franchise’s New Era

Image via AMC Published Jul 29, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 has set a Rotten Tomatoes audience score record. The newest season of Maggie and Negan's Manhattan adventure has become a record-holder for the zombie franchise's newest era of spinoffs. Dead City season 3 sees the show's core duo finally put aside their differences and begin working toward building a future in the city, despite their residual tension. But, with the Dama still in play and new, outside forces vying for control, it remains to be seen if they can truly build a sustainable life. Critics have praised season 3 as Dead City's best, the show scoring a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews. However, the same cannot be said of Dead City season 3's audience score on the website. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Dead City season 3 sits at a 40% audience score based on fewer than 50 reviews. While the review count for season 3 is low on both the critic and audience end, viewer ratings have made this the lowest-rated season of The Walking Dead franchise the debut after the original series ended. The previous record-holder was Dead City season 2, which sits at a 42% audience score. According to reviews from viewers, they aren't fans of the quick heel-turn for Maggie and Negan's relationship, which quickly turned Dead City's main characters into allies despite the intensity of their conflict. Some also say the show has run its course, with the premise of the pair building lives in New York City simply being uninteresting. Curiously, most written reviews are positive toward the show's return, citing its reinvention and less bleak tone as improvements. Season 3 undoes many of the setups Dead City season 2's finale leaves audiences with. The New Babylon Federation is no longer an active threat, while Hershel sees the error of the Dama's ways offscreen, reuniting with Maggie rather quickly. There's also an indication Maggie can build a new life with her people from the Bricks by bringing them to Manhattan, despite the previous two seasons showcasing how inhospitable the city really is. It's these changes that clarify why viewers aren't as on board with season 3, despite critics singing its praises. At the same time, only the first episode of season 3 has aired. While critics are praising the show based on its full season, audiences are only privy to the premiere, judging the new season based on how it began. This means the score could fluctuate depending on how audiences view the upcoming episodes. This includes one episode said to give off a medical drama vibe, and another episode that imagines Maggie and Negan's lives had the apocalypse never happened. With seven episodes left to air, The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 has plenty of time to get into the good graces of regular viewers. Although the show hasn't made the best first impression with audience members, its early stages means there's plenty of time for it to impress audiences, even if there's no telling when it could click for them. Regardless, it's an unfortunate record for a show that critcs say is the best The Walking Dead has been in years. Release Date June 15, 2023 Network AMC Showrunner Eli Jorne, Seth Hoffman Directors Kevin Dowling, Loren Yaconelli Writers Brenna Kouf Franchise(s) The Walking Dead Creator(s) Eli Jorne