Miss ‘Walking Dead: Dead City,’ these shows will feed the craving
Miss ‘Walking Dead: Dead City,’ these shows will feed the craving
The zombie apocalypse isn’t over — these shows prove there’s plenty more to fear.
“The Walking Dead: Dead City” just wrapped up its Season 2 finale on Sunday, June 22, and now we’re all left wandering the wasteland, wondering where we’re gonna get our next human meal — er, next fix of gritty zombie drama. The show gave us more survival, gnarly walkers, and that tense Maggie-Negan dynamic we didn’t know we needed until it hit. But now that it’s over (for now), it’s time to dig into something new. If you’re in the mood for more horror dramas in the zombie vein (do zombies have veins?), there’s a bunch of great shows out there — some darker, some wilder, some a little more unhinged. Here’s what to watch next after “Dead City.”
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Maggie and Negan travel to post-apocalyptic Manhattan - long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made it a world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
Loved ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’? Watch: ‘Black Summer’
If “Dead City” had you hooked with its urban chaos, close calls, and that constant feeling of danger around every corner, “Black Summer” cranks that tension all the way up. Set during the early days of the zombie outbreak, this series drops you into the middle of the panic — no big speeches, no time to catch your breath, just pure survival. It’s fast, frantic, and full of those split-second decisions that make or break a character.
Where “Dead City” focuses more on complex character relationships and moral gray zones, “Black Summer” is all about action and urgency. Dialogue is minimal, and the storytelling unfolds more through movement than words. It’s like watching the scariest parts of “The Walking Dead” on fast-forward. If you want to feel what it’s actually like to run for your life during the apocalypse, this is your next binge.
Black Summer
In the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones.
Check out ‘Z Nation’
If “The Walking Dead: Dead City” is the serious, brooding sibling in the zombie family, then “Z Nation” is the wild one who shows up with another “get rich quick” scheme that probably won’t work. It’s got zombies, road trips, and survival drama, but everything’s louder, faster, and way more ridiculous. There’s even a guy who can control the undead thanks to an experimental vaccine. It’s big on action and never takes itself too seriously.
What it shares with “The Walking Dead: Dead City” is the team-on-a-mission setup and the constant danger of a broken world. But where “Dead City” leans into grit and moral ambiguity, “Z Nation” goes for chaos, dark comedy, and B-movie energy. It’s less about emotional reckoning, more about seeing what bonkers twist comes next. It’s definitely a different speed, but worth checking out if you want a similar world with a lighter tone.
Z Nation
Three years after the zombie virus has gutted the country, a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood.
Don’t miss ‘Fear the Walking Dead’
If you’re still craving more from “The Walking Dead” universe after “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” “Fear the Walking Dead” is the next place to go. It kicks off right as the world starts falling apart — before walkers are a known threat — and slowly builds into something bigger, darker, and more brutal. Like “Dead City,” it’s all about how people change when everything safe and familiar is gone.
The big difference? “Fear” covers way more ground, both in time and setting. It starts in L.A., jumps to Mexico, and eventually lands in the Southwest with new survivors and shifting alliances. While “Dead City” zooms in on Maggie and Negan’s complicated dynamic, “Fear” widens the scope, showing how different groups adapt (or fall apart) over time.
Fear the Walking Dead
What did the world look like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in “The Walking Dead”? This spin-off set in Los Angeles, following new characters as they face the beginning of the end of the world, will answer that question.
Try out ‘The Last of Us’
This is an obvious one that I just have to mention. “The Last of Us” is not just about surviving the apocalypse — it’s about what survival does to people, especially when love and loss are at the center of it. Joel and Ellie’s journey across a ruined America feels deeply personal, with each episode peeling back layers of grief, guilt, and the need to hold on to something – anything — worth fighting for.
Like “Dead City,” it’s filled with danger, infected creatures (the sound that Clickers make is imprinted on my brain), and the constant threat of other people. But where “Dead City” leans into character tension and gritty urban survival, “The Last of Us” goes for something more intimate and character-driven. It’s slower, more emotional, and grounded in small, human moments… even when the world around them is crumbling. And yeah, for my money, it’s probably the best video game adaptation ever made.
The Last of Us
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
More to watch after finishing ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’:
‘The Walking Dead’ | Netflix
The Walking Dead
Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.
‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ | AMC+
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
A heroic group of teens sheltered from the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world receive a message that inspires them to leave the safety of the only home they have ever known and embark on a cross-country journey to find the one man who can possibly save the world.
‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ | AMC+
The Walking Dead: Dead City
Maggie and Negan travel to post-apocalyptic Manhattan - long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made it a world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ | AMC+
Tales of the Walking Dead
An episodic anthology series focused on both new and established characters set in the world of “The Walking Dead.”
‘Station Eleven’ | Max
Station Eleven
The survivors of a devastating flu attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew – while holding on to the best of what’s been lost.