Lauren Cohan left The Walking Dead to star in Whiskey Cavalier, but the short-lived action comedy-drama actually featured a fun stealth Walking Dead reunion that's sure to delight viewers of both shows. Before playing CIA operative Francesca "Frankie" Trowbridge, a.k.a. Fiery Tribune, Cohan rose to pop-cultural prominence for her memorable portrayal of Maggie Greene in The Walking Dead. When Maggie is first introduced in TWD season 2, she's not very trusting of Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) group of survivors, who happen upon her family's farm. Eventually, Maggie falls in love with Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun).
Due in part to all the loss she weathers, Maggie becomes one of The Walking Dead's most hardened survivors, as well as the leader of the Hilltop Colony. While Cohan's initial run on The Walking Dead was from 2011 to 2018, she returned in 2020 to see the post-apocalyptic drama through to its conclusion, which aired in 2022. In the wake of The Walking Dead's series finale, Cohan has returned yet again for one of the franchise's spinoffs. However, in between all the zombie killing, Cohan shared the screen on Whiskey Cavalier with a former Walking Dead co-star.
Lauren Cohan & Tyler James Williams Reunited After TWD In Whiskey Cavalier
The Actors Played Two Of Whiskey Cavalier's Main Characters
In The Walking Dead, Abbott Elementary actor Tyler James Williams plays Noah, a survivor who meets Maggie's sister, Beth (Emily Kinney), at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. After becoming close to Beth, Noah joins Rick's group and becomes a crucial supply runner when The Walking Dead's main cast of characters settle in Alexandria. A key player in The Walking Dead season 5, Noah also becomes friends with Cohan's Maggie before meeting a tragic demise. In a twist of fate, Noah sacrifices himself to bloodthirsty Walkers in order to save Maggie's husband, Glenn, when they get trapped in a revolving door.
... Whiskey Cavalier affords a delightful stealth reunion for fans of both series to enjoy.
Although Williams' Noah appears in flashbacks and archival footage in later seasons of The Walking Dead, his real on-screen reunion with Cohan happened in 2019 thanks to the fun and clever spy series Whiskey Cavalier. Together, Cohan's CIA agent Frankie and Scott Foley's FBI agent Will Chase lead an inter-agency team of spies, and Tyler James Williams' Edgar Standish, an NSA analyst, is a core part of Whiskey Cavalier's group. While Williams' time on The Walking Dead was short-lived in comparison to Cohan's, Whiskey Cavalier affords a delightful stealth reunion for fans of both series to enjoy.
Why Lauren Cohan’s Whiskey Cavalier Was Canceled After Just One Season
Despite Solid Reviews, Whiskey Cavalier Was Canceled For Declining Ratings
Despite Whiskey Cavalier's cliffhanger ending, the show was canceled by ABC after just one season. In total, the series ran for just 13 episodes, which aired between February and May 2019. While those stats make it seem like Whiskey Cavalier wasn't well-received, it actually received high praise from critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the one-season action-comedy series boasts a solid 78% from critics and 79% from viewers. Against all odds, Whiskey Cavalier rose above its formulaic premise, thanks in large part to its cast's chemistry and charisma. Unfortunately, those elements weren't enough to save it.
When ABC canceled Whiskey Cavalier after its inaugural season, the network cited declining ratings as the main factor in the disappointing decision. Whiskey Cavalier's executive producer, Bill Lawrence, penned a passionate letter that asked the network to reconsider its cancelation (via TVLine). Reportedly, ABC went back to Warner Bros. to try and work things out. Ultimately, it was difficult for ABC to justify a renewal based not just on Whiskey Cavalier's uneven ratings, but because of the production's high costs. Of course, the silver lining to the show's cancelation was that Cohan was able to return to The Walking Dead.
Lauren Cohan Eventually Returned To TWD (& Now Leads Her Own Spinoff)
Maggie Is The Lead Character In The Walking Dead: Dead City
After playing a crucial role in The Walking Dead season 11, Cohan reprised her fan-favorite role in the franchise's fifth series, The Walking Dead: Dead City. The first sequel to the parent TV series, Dead City centers on Maggie and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) — a brutal Walking Dead villain who, despite horrifically murdering Glenn, reformed his ways and gained the survivors' trust. Maggie remains rightfully skeptical of Negan's apparent change of heart, but she needs his help to rescue her son, Hershel, from post-apocalyptic Manhattan, which is lorded over by a sadist called The Croat (Željko Ivanek).
By centering on two of the franchise's best characters, Dead City manages to be a compelling watch. Even after nearly 15 years of playing Maggie, Cohan is as compelling as ever, making the wait for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 feel truly grueling. While the odds of a post-Whiskey Cavalier Tyler James Williams and Lauren Cohan reunion are slim, there's no denying that the canceled spy show helped pave the way for Cohan's triumphant return to the franchise that made her a household name.
