Why The Walking Dead's New Season Has 100% On RT, But A 48% Audience Score

Published Aug 4, 2026, 4:45 PM EDT

Dead City season 3's continuation of Maggie and Negan's Manhattan adventure isn't resonating with audiences in the same way the original series' stories did, but that's not entirely a surprise. With Maggie and Negan's relationship moving from an adversarial, combative one to a partnership, the dynamics at play in Dead City don't exactly align with what viewers saw on The Walking Dead. Even so, as the series moves forward and continues to build lore that impacts the greater franchise, Dead City's viewer reception being so far removed from the critics' perspective makes it clear something big's coming for the sequel.

While viewers have come to enjoy Dead City over the course of its run, critics have long been supporters of The Walking Dead's sister series. High Rotten Tomatoes scores haven't been shocking from the show's reviewers, but the massive differences in scores for season 3 have many scratching their heads.

Reviews Suggest The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Gets Better As It Goes

Although the first episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 have been struggling to perform with viewers, the show's Rotten Tomatoes critics score suggests that an uptick is coming for the AMC+ series. The best explanation for such a strong gap, with critics scoring the season at 100% while viewers have it below 50%, comes from the fact that reviewers have been able to watch the entirety of Dead City season 3, while viewers are watching from week to week. With more context, it appears, Dead City will get better weekly, moving forward rather than establishing a foundation.

Critical reviews make it clear that the payoff of the season, which airs weekly through mid-September, will come later on in its run. With our review of the season making it clear that the show will ultimately perform a soft reset that benefits the series in the long run, Dead City seems to find its footing as it moves through its story this season, bringing in new characters and shifting gears in the way it's choosing to tell its story. As Dead City season 3 connects its storylines throughout the season, viewers should find it to be a smoother watch.

The Walking Dead's Upcoming Alternate Timeline Episode Will Be A Highlight

Image via AMC

Another huge factor behind the excitement and enthusiasm of critics who have reviewed The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 stems from an upcoming episode of the series that will explore an alternate timeline story. Reimagining a world where The Walking Dead's zombie apocalypse didn't happen, Dead City season 3 is saving one of its best episodes for later in the season, and the excitement surrounding it could bring new viewers to the series. Most The Walking Dead spinoffs have explored existing timelines or expanded stories glossed over in the original show, so bringing alternate worlds to life is exciting.

With critics specifically calling out the episode in their coverage as a high point, Dead City's alternate universe episode has already become one of the most discussed elements of the season without having aired yet. While there's certain to be some disagreement about what happens in the episode with audiences, the fact that Dead City is attempting something so out of the box for the franchise makes it clear that the show is willing to take big risks for the sake of its story. As viewers see more of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3, their perception may change.

Release Date June 15, 2023

Showrunner Eli Jorne, Seth Hoffman

Directors Kevin Dowling, Loren Yaconelli

Writers Brenna Kouf