Where might the Carol and Daryl spin-off be set?

What setting might the Carol and Daryl spin-off have?

Now the dust has settled on the news of The Walking Dead ending, and being followed up by a Carol and Daryl spin-off, we can start looking more closely at exactly what form the show might take.

Of course, it’s all guesswork at the moment – particularly given we have 30 full TWD episodes to go before the spin-off takes off, and a lot can happen in 30 episodes in the world of TWD.

However, if we assume the final season will follow the comic source as closely as possible, then it seems likely all our gang will end up at Commonwealth, settled and happy.

In itself it seems an odd circumstance for Carol and Daryl to leave – as they must do in order to create the spin-off story separate from the TWD story – but as I said in my other article, the conversation from “Lines We Cross” tells us what we need to know.

Carol and Daryl both yearn to know what’s out there, who is left, and what might they find if they go further afield. They are looking for a life of meaning, that isn’t just about surviving.

While living “fight to fight” is something they are tired of, it’s also something they are frighteningly good at. Without that impetus, they may find themselves restless and caged in a community like Commonwealth.

Carol and Daryl are both people who have an innate sense of justice, of helping those that need help, and protecting the vulnerable – in part because of the abuse past they have shared – and that won’t fade with a safe settlement in their reach.

In fact, it may be that desire to help that pushes them out on the road – to find people who need their help and experience. That may be the very thing that gives us the shape of their spin-off.

In the 80s and early 90s the “walking the earth” TV genre was hugely popular. From The Incredible Hulk, The Littlest Hobo and Knightrider, to Nowhere Man and Renegade, we saw central characters travel the country helping those in need before moving on.

Even now it’s the basis for the massively popular Supernatural (which is on its final season), and it could definitely be the format the Carol and Daryl spin-off takes.

We could see the show have no set base, geographically, with Carol and Daryl travelling the US on Daryl’s bike, meeting people along the way that need their help. And hopefully meeting up with old friends every now and then.

In fact, that could be their motivation for hitting the road in the first place – to track down their old friend Rick.

Norman Reedus has said that Daryl would never give up looking for Rick, and it seems likely by the end of the season they will know Rick isn’t dead and Michonne is trying to find him.

We could see them start a journey to return Judith and RJ to one or both of their parents, and then simply keep on travelling.

The “walking the earth” format would allow the show to really break-away from the TWD mould, and mark itself out as something different from the other spin-offs.

Alternatively, the most obvious locale for the new show would be the one Daryl puts forth in the “Lines We Cross” scene – New Mexico. It is, after all, where they weave bracelets.

We could see Carol and Daryl settle there where they come across new enemies and challenges, and attempt to help build a new community.

It’s also possible we could see our power twosome head to California. In December Greg Nicotero posted a video of himself playing the Led Zeppelin track “Going to California”, and dedicated it to Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride.

It may simply be a song they like, but possibly it was a little nod to their new show, and you can’t get more “out west” than the sunshine coast.

We haven’t seen how Los Angeles has fared since the Clark-Manawas left the state in season 2 of Fear the Walking Dead, so a revisit to California makes sense.

The show would have ready-made on-screen groups and political dynamics already established in Fear, and for the production side they would already know the locations for shooting.

Of course, all of the above could be entirely off base. Maybe we should be looking further back for ideas of how the spin-off will shape up.

In 2014, Norman Reedus gave several interviews where he said he and McBride had imagined a spin-off for Carol and Daryl where they set up camp in Central Park, eating squirrels, cooking up hooch in a still, and scaring locals.

Maybe Reedus got his way?