Lauren Cohan is arguably one of the most recognizable New Jersey-born actors for television viewers, thanks to her long-running role as Maggie in The Walking Dead. She starred in the post-apocalyptic zombie drama for 11 years and featured in 106 episodes. The 41-year-old’s roles on television have been abundant, but she has failed to make much of an impact in film.
Now, with Cohan set to be the main star in the new Walking Dead spinoff, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Cohan could find that her career prospects are boosted massively. Indeed, if the series is successful, it could be the platform she needs to land more parts in Hollywood.
Cohan Suffered from Falling Walking Dead Ratings
There’s no doubt that Cohan’s character was one of the highlights of The Walking Dead, and she was a clear fan favorite. In the early seasons of the AMC series, it was one of the most talked about shows on television. It was so popular that it sparked a sprawling franchise, which has included several spinoffs already. In addition to series like Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Our World, the universe created by Frank Darabont spilled over into games.
The Walking Dead from Telltale Games is one of the best-known titles based on the series. Maggie featured in season one of the episodic role-playing game, and helped to tie the story in with the series. However, the game itself followed original characters that existed at the same time and alongside the events of the series. The online casino market is another place to find the distinctive Walking Dead branding. The Walking Dad Cash Collect and The Walking Dead Online Slot are two of the top games at 888casino, which is regarded as one of the best online casinos currently operating. It’s recommended for its 100 percent welcome bonus that’s accompanied by 88 bonus spins.
The Walking Dead franchise grew into this behemoth that exists today while the main series was airing, but Cohan, unfortunately, suffered when ratings for the flagship series began to decline. By the end of season five, the show was attracting almost 16 million viewers per episode. After the horrific scene involving the murder of Glenn at the start of season 7, viewing figures dropped off a cliff. Season eight attracted almost eight million viewers, but seasons nine, ten, and eleven were only watched by five million, two million, and two million respectively.
Set to be the Main Star in Dead City
In hindsight, it could have been a better career move for Cohan if she had jumped ship from The Walking Dead when it started to receive lower ratings. However, she stuck it out until the end and was duly rewarded for her loyalty with her own spinoff series. In 2023, she will be the main star of Dead City alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.
There’s a lot of hype around this series from Eli Jorné as it will give viewers more of a chance to see the amazing chemistry between Cohan and Morgan. The two actors played characters who despised each other in the original series. Negan killed Maggie’s husband, but then embarked on a four-season-long redemption arc. He eventually became regarded as one of the good guys, but never managed to win Maggie over. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic progresses in Dead City.
The show’s premise is that Maggie’s son has been kidnapped and she needs to travel to Manhattan in search of him. It’s unclear at the moment as to why Negan tags along, but it may be part of the character’s long-term bid to make amends for his past wrongs. This will make a change from the wilderness landscape of the flagship series, and the sprawling city should pose plenty of new problems for our heroes.
Cohan’s Film Career Could be Boosted
Many would say that it’s high time that Cohan was given the lead role in a show. She’s starred in numerous great projects over the years but has never been tasked with carrying a series. Luckily, the New Jersey-born actor is more than up to the challenge, and she has shown already that she can be a commanding presence on screen.
Up to this point, Cohan’s film appearances have been sporadic. Her most notable early role was in Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj in 2006, in which she played Charlotte. The picture wasn’t much of a hit, though, and only brought in $6.1 million at the box office. Cohan’s next big role came in Death Race 2 in 2010, the year before she first appeared in The Walking Dead. She played the role of September Jones and starred alongside legends of the screen Danny Trejo and Sean Bean.
In 2016, Cohan played the lead role in The Boy, a supernatural horror from William Brent Bell. The movie garnered negative reviews, but it performed well at the box office with a gross of $68.2 million against its $10 million production budget. Cohan’s other big screen roles have included a brief cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the role of Leila Steinberg in All Eyez on Me. Dead City could make a huge difference in the callups that Cohan receives from Hollywood in the future.
Cohan is a great actor, and it’s fantastic that she’s finally got the lead role in a major series. This could be a huge career boost for the New Jersey star, and she could push on in Hollywood over the next few years.