Somehow, we're almost a quarter into 2026 already. The bright lights of Christmas and the buzz of the final season of Stranger Things all seem like distant memories as spring is springing and people all over the world are anticipating summer. But those three months are already enough to determine a sad truth for fans of The Walking Dead franchise.
See, going into this year, so many of them knew it held the potential of being a bittersweet year due to an imminent final season for one of the TWD Universe's spinoff shows. While a confirmation from AMC has indeed made part of that official, there are some other reasons as to why 2026 might be a sad one for Walking Dead fans.
Daryl Dixon's final season has been officially confirmed to air this year
We all knew this one was coming. From the moment that AMC made the announcement that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon would end with its fourth and final season, we've been waiting with that bittersweet feeling, not ready for its inevitable arrival. But the network has made it official, announcing that the show's final season will indeed air at some point this year.
Although that was expected, there was some last-minute concern that the show might be held until next year instead as the TWD Universe is seemingly starting to wind down and this one continued filming late into 2025, prompting questions as to when it might arrive. But no, it's definitely coming this year, as AMC recently announced during its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings report that Daryl Dixon season 4 would be among its 2026 releases.
We're not saying that we're sad that new episodes of the beloved TWD Universe spinoff will air this year; quite the opposite, in fact. We love it so much that we don't want to think about 2026 being the last year in which there will be new episodes of Daryl Dixon to enjoy. Considering how the show has quickly become a fan-favorite, it's safe to say that we're not alone in feeling that way.
Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier are both in Spain as they continued their journey through Europe in the show's third season. One of the most visually beautiful seasons in the whole franchise, it was a stark reminder of how unique Daryl Dixon is, so the idea of its next eight episodes being its final eight episodes; that's just so heartbreaking.
This pair of post-apocalyptic besties have been on our screens for 16 years. When we thought that the series finale of The Walking Dead might mark the last time we saw them, we cried. Then, they both returned to us in the spinoff. To think that the series finale of this show could also mark the last time we see Daryl and Carol is even more tear-jerking. We know it probably won't be their final ever appearance in the franchise, but as we've gotten used to seeing Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus as these iconic characters for the past 16 years, it's sad to think that they might not appear on an annual basis anymore.
But then again, at least we now know that this particular TWD spinoff will air this year. We unfortunately can't say the same about the other one...
Dead City season 3 might not air this year
On the flip side of things, we still don't know if The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 will make its presence felt on AMC and AMC+ this year. Although it was expected to arrive in 2026, that same earnings report threw everything into chaos when the cable network listed a host of returning shows tha fans can expect to see this year and Dead City season 3 wasn't among them.
This has understandably left fans angry and upset, as the spinoff has already completed production, so there isn't really a reason why it wouldn't air this year. And yet, its absence from AMC's list of this year's shows would suggest otherwise.
Of course, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Perhaps AMC didn't want to list two TWD shows and simply chose to place the focus on Daryl Dixon season 4 since that will be its final season. But considering that Dead City could very well end up being the last Walking Dead show standing, you would think that both would get a mention.
Fans also speculated that the editing team might need more time to put the season together. Although it wrapped production at the end of 2025, filming did pick back up at the beginning of 2026 as Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan brought Maggie and Negan to what appeared to be a very normal looking - and non-apocalyptic - Central Park. A fantasy sequence? Most likely considering that it also features another major TWD icon.
The future of the franchise is unclear
The other big reason that TWD fans are feeling a lot of ennui right now is the overall lack of direction within the franchise. With Daryl Dixon ending this year and no indication as to whether Dead City will carry on beyond season 3 or not, the franchise's new spinoff era seems like it's coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. And, if Dead City does happen to return this year, that could make 2026 the final year of the franchise.
Realisitically, there will be more TWD stories to tell. AMC's Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe Scott M. Gimple has been vocal about plans for the TWD Universe beyond these shows. It's too lucrative a franchise to just end considering its global popularity. And there's also the fact that there is another spinoff still supposedly in development which we haven't heard anything about for years. Whether that one goes ahead or not, it's clear that fans want more from this franchise.
Something else we should mention is the long-rumored TWD crossover / reunion spinoff that audiences have been hoping to see happen for some time. Essentially a more compact revival of The Walking Dead this one would act as an "Endgame" for the spinoff era, bringing the casts and characters of Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and the Rick Grimes and Michonne spinoff The Ones Who Live together for one last hurrah.
If fans could get that confirmed, that would undoubtedly raise their spirits, because it would confirm that there are indeed more stories still to be told for these iconic characters. Roll on San Diego Comic-Con when we might actually get some good news for The Walking Dead Universe!