The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 has just premiered on AMC, and there’s no doubt that you’re ready for it. The question is whether you can watch this with the kids around, or whether it’s best to wait for them to go to bed.
Zombies have become a popular horror theme, whether it’s in TV shows or movies. The Walking Dead continues to grow in popularity, with viewers heading out on different side quests now that the main series has come to an end. However, the franchise as a whole hasn’t changed, so if you didn’t think the original series was suitable for your kids, I can tell you that you’ll find the same applies to this one.
Explaining the TV-MA age rating for The Walking Dead: Dead City
This is a franchise that has never shied away from the blood and guts of survival. We take a look at everything that makes up an age rating to explain why The Walking Dead: Dead City earns its TV-MA rating.
Sex & nudity: There isn’t any of this in the series so far. We are only one episode into season 2, though. While other franchises have included a little, it has not been gratuitous or excessive.
Violence & gore: This is where the entire Walking Dead franchise earns its TV-MA rating. It’s a zombie apocalypse series, and that means a lot of fighting, a lot of bloodshed, and a lot of dark themes. The only way to really get rid of a zombie is to take out its head, and that means a lot of zombie heads being shot at or smashed to pieces.
Individuals end up with a lot of wounds that are visibly shown afterward, and there are times when the main characters have to kill. This series includes Negan, which means some throat-slashing. While the second season is only just getting started, Negan is getting Lucille back, and we all know what that means!
Language: Surprisingly, the F-bomb isn’t dropped all that much in the series. It’s clear that the violence is the reason for the strong age rating, with most of the time the S-word and the B-word being used as the strongest profanity. There are many mentions of “hell,” “Goddamn,” and other similar phrases throughout the series.
Alcohol & drugs: This is a world where a zombie apocalypse has taken over, which means that alcohol and drugs aren’t as easily accessible. There are a few now and then, and we can see some of the characters drinking alcohol every now and then, but it’s extremely mild compared to the majority of TV-MA shows.
Overall verdict: Who is The Walking Dead: Dead City appropriate for?
This is a zombie survival show, and it earns its TV-MA rating. If you have children who get squeamish when it comes to violence, then this won’t work for them. However, a lot of teenagers could find it entertaining.
If you watch other shows within The Walking Dead franchise with your kids, then you’ll know what to expect by now. This also works for those who watch The Last of Us and other similar shows. There are some scary and heartbreaking moments, though, as more often than not, the humans are the real monsters.
The Walking Dead: Dead City airs on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC and streams the following day on AMC+.