Once The Walking Dead ended after 11 seasons back in 2022, fans took solace in the fact that not one, not two, but three new spin-offs would be coming. Alongside , which has been renewed for a third season, and the well-reviewed , there’s The Walking Dead: Dead City. The series is set five years after the events of  and centers around fan-favorite reformed villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and badass hero Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who have both somehow ended up in New York City.

Nearly two years after season 1 premiered, season two is almost here, with the first episode premiering May 4, 2025. The eight-episode season is two more than season one, with episodes released weekly through June 22, 2025. With this lengthy passage of time, a recap of the events from season one is in order.

The season begins when Maggie seeks Negan’s help. Her son, Hershel (Logan Kim), has been kidnapped by a man she believes has ties to the Saviors. She thinks Negan might be able to get through to him because of this, so she implores her old foe to help. Feeling as though he’s obligated to do so (he did, after all, bash Maggie’s husband and Hershel’s father’s head in with a barbed wire bat and has been seeking forgiveness ever since), and knowing who this mysterious man is and what he’s capable of, Negan obliges. Plus, the new authority in town, the New Babylon Federation, is after Negan. He is wanted for murder for her numerous kills. It’s the perfect time to get out of dodge.