Summary

• The Walking Dead: Dead City
  season 2 filming in Massachusetts likely means less focus on Manhattan, potentially expanding the show’s world in the process.
• The new filming locations means other areas of New York City can be explored as Negan is forced to expand the Dama’s reach beyond Manhattan.
• Dead City
  season 2 may not return to Manhattan, impacting the story because of its absence.

An update for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 hints at a major change for the upcoming episodes, which could significantly alter the story of the spinoff. Dead City season 1 ended with its major characters scattered to different corners of the New York area. While Maggie escaped Manhattan with Hershel, the Dama is now forcing Negan to help her conquer other parts of the Big Apple. Perlie has also returned home to New Babylon, whose leader wants to know more about using zombies as a fuel resource.

Since every character now has their own story to contend with, it seems Dead City season 2 will be much more complex than everything that’s come before. Maggie is planning what appears to be a mission to rescue Negan so the two can put their past behind them. At the same time, the former Savior leader will be forced to return to his roots in order to survive. But beyond the new storylines for Dead City‘s cast, one major production change for the show could result in a major story change moving forward.

Dead City’s New Filming Locations Mean Less Focus On Manhattan

Dead City Season 2 Is Being Filmed In Massachusetts

Dead City season 1 was actually filmed in New York City, adding authenticity to Maggie and Negan’s adventure across Manhattan. However, season 2 is being filmed in Massachusetts, specifically in and around Boston. This means a major landscape change for the show, as neighboring towns and cities to the state capital are also primary locales. While this Dead City filming update means new locations are bound to show up, it could also mean less appearances from old locations featured in season 1.

Although it’s likely Manhattan will be featured again at some point, the fact filming has moved to a new state means the story might be moving beyond its initial location too. This could mean Maggie’s mission to rescue Negan and his service to the Dama bring them to other places in New York City, such as the Bronx or Queens. If this happens, then the show’s story might be leaving Manhattan behind for quite some time. However, this won’t be too jarring, as the series already justified this setting change during the end of season 1.

Why Dead City’s Location Focus Change Will Make Sense

The Burazi’s Expanding Power Means New Locations Are Necessary

When the Dama introduces herself to Negan, she sets up Dead City season 2, forcibly enlisting him in helping her bring all the communities of New York City together under her rule. While it appears Manhattan is cut off from the rest of the city, she seemingly has a plan to unite all areas, meaning the Burazi might have some way to places beyond its borders. If season 2 thoroughly explores Negan’s conquest of New York for the group, then it justifies the show branching out to introduce new locations and characters.

One of these characters includes an unnamed villain played by Kim Coates, the Sons of Anarchy star having gone unmentioned in season 1. This potentially means his character resides outside of Manhattan, hinting at how much broader the world is going to be thanks to the filming location change. It also means plenty of unexpected events could transpire, including a deeper exploration of New York City’s post-apocalyptic history. Even so, Manhattan was the original location for the series, making it slightly disappointing that it could be getting left behind.

Will Dead City Season 2 Return To Manhattan?

It Would Be Difficult Given The New Filming Location

Given the change in filming locations for the spinoff, it’s unclear if Manhattan will make a return in Dead City season 2. Since that section of the city is where the Burazi operate out of, it would be surprising if it didn’t show up at least once. If it does, then its presence could be for a scene where the group leaves it behind, heading for uncharted territory in the Dama’s bid to gain more power. A proper sendoff could allow for a natural transition into the show’s new identity, as well as the new locations it’s going to explore.

However, getting Boston to convincingly look like Manhattan might be a challenge, especially when other cities and towns have also been the focus of filming. This means that, while a return to the show’s original location is possible in season 2, the show could gloss over this change in location for the sake of moving its story along. It also wouldn’t make sense to recreate that part of the city for a brief sequence, making it more likely that only new parts of the Big Apple will be featured in the new episodes.

Since the filming locations across Massachusetts will offer new areas for Dead City to explore, it appears season 2 will be leaving Manhattan behind. While it’s possible future seasons of the show will return to the location, the next episodes will seemingly have a focus that goes beyond what season 1 was trying to accomplish. While the new places will be an interesting way for the show to continue, it will still leave a big hole in the series where its original locations used to be.

The Walking Dead: Dead City
premieres on AMC and AMC+ in 2025.