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2 • June 18 - 24, 2023 Entertainment Now By Dana Simpson TV Media T he world of horror is pretty equally divided when it comes to fan preferences about the undead. Fast- moving versus slow-moving zombies is one of the most con- troversial debates of the genre, with fans in each camp planted resolutely in their beliefs as to which one is scarier and why. One new series, however, is dedicated to bridging the gap — or at least appealing to both sides of the ar- gument — by introducing some fast walkers into a traditionally slow-moving zombie franchise. "The Walking Dead: Dead City" is the newest addition to the TWD universe and it pre- mieres Sunday, June 18, on AMC and AMC+. With four other series having already premiered (many of which have also concluded) in the franchise, including "Fear the Walking Dead," "The Walk- ing Dead: World Beyond," "Tales of the Walking Dead" and the original, "The Walking Dead," it only makes sense for the newest series, "Dead City," to up the stakes a bit. The series derives its name partly for the flagship series and graphic novel, and partly from its unique setting. Despite most of the other TWD storylines taking place in relatively rural areas across the United States, "Dead City" follows two of the franchise's most popular characters, Negan and Maggie (played, respectively, by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan of "Supernatural") as they travel away from their familiar dwell- ings and into the wide, terrifying post-apocalyptic expanse of New York City in search of Mag- gie's son, Herschel (Logan Kim, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," 2021). But just like everything else in the Big Apple, the walkers move a bit quicker. "We're in New York City," said Scott M. Gimple, the original se- ries' former showrunner (seasons 4 to 8) and current chief content officer. "The tone of the story is a little different, the visuals are different." Meanwhile, "Dead City" showrunner Eli Jorné ("Wilfred") shared slightly more detailed information with the public, as shared by Collider this past Janu- ary. "The universe has never really lived in a city the way it will," Jorné noted. "Just environmen- tally and architecturally, there are so many new ways that we can experience walkers that you couldn't have. There's the verti- cality of the city, and that alone has been the gift that keeps on giving with walkers. ... In 'The Walking Dead,' they fought a lot of walkers in the woods, but there were a lot of stretches of woods where you could just hike and camp out. You don't get to do that as much in the city." Collider also shared more information provided by Gimple, who appears to be keeping rather tight-lipped on the specifics to avoid giving spoilers. "There are a number of horrific walkers, but there is a mind-bendingly horrific walker coming up that I wasn't on set for, and I'm glad I wasn't," Gimple noted. "I got to experience the horrific magic at home, and it is magic. It quite possibly will make you throw up. I would just have something handy nearby as you watch it." But if gory walkers aren't your bread and butter, fret not: there is plenty of very human drama to keep the plot rolling as well. As full-franchise viewers may have noticed, Negan and Maggie are quite an odd pairing to be hit- ting the road together on a quest to reunite family members. For those who may be entering the TWD universe with "Dead City," however, here is a bit of the back- story. (Spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead" Season 7.) Herschel, the son Maggie and Negan are searching for in the city, is the child Maggie shares with Glenn (Steven Yeun, "Mi- nari," 2020), who met his demise during "The Walking Dead's" Season 7 premiere, titled "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be." His death coincided with — and was a direct result of — Negan's introduction to the series in the Season 6 finale, "Last Day on Earth." In "The Day Will Come...," Negan makes his grand debut by beating Abraham (Michael Cudlitz, "Band of Brothers") to death with his bat, which he has named Lucille, right before turning on Glenn and doing the same to him right in front of his own family, Herschel and Maggie. While the mother and son were naturally terrified and outraged, Maggie and Negan called a truce four years later, in the two-part Season 11 finale, after Maggie threatened to kill Negan, Negan left her for dead and the pair end- ed up having to work together to escape a tunnel full of walkers. While it seems the duo has so far proven successful at avoiding death by the undead, there is one overarching question heading into "Dead City": Can Maggie and Negan keep their truce amid grief, loss, panic, violence and tragedy? The answer, we fear, is no. Don't miss one of the most intricate, heart-wrenching and unsettling series in the TWD fran- chise to date. "The Walking Dead: Dead City" premieres Sunday, June 18, on AMC and AMC+. (And for those just beginning their "walk" in the TWD universe, so to speak, every episode of every season in the franchise is avail- able to stream on AMC+. All 11 seasons of the original series are also available on Netflix.) Cover Story Lauren Cohan in "The Walking Dead: Dead City" A walk in the 'City': TWD does NYC in 'Dead City' Farmers Insurance 2 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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