It's genuinely impressive that The Walking Dead franchise is still running in 2026, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't run into a number of issues along the way. Whether that was the inconsistent earlier days of The Walking Dead: Dead City or the unexpectedly short run for miniseries The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, the TWD Universe has divided fans in recent years, but that's what it made a name for itself doing throughout much of the original show's run, too.
2026 has been a big year for it, as well. Dead City season 3 completely reinvented the series, earning critical acclaim for trying something different and delivering its best story yet. The result was one of the very best spinoffs of the TWD spinoffs. And, honestly, that's a fair assessment. It also should have been one of the two Walking Dead spinoffs to air this year - but that wasn't the case.
Daryl Dixon season 4 delay upends the TWD Universe's stability
Walking Dead fans are still reeling at the recent revelation that the fourth and final season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will now air and stream in 2027. This is a change of plans by AMC as the cable network had previously announced on an earnings report that the show would return this year, continuing its annual run. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as Norman Reedus himself confirmed this summer that Daryl and Carol's final adventure in the spinoff would take place next year instead.
Needless to say, it's easy to see where fans are coming from in their continued disappointment about this announcement. Ever since The Walking Dead concluded in 2022, Daryl Dixon has provided a rare source of stability for the TWD Universe, becoming the only newer spinoff to air new seasons on an annual basis. Better yet, it even managed to return at virtually the exact same time of year too - which is a practical rarity for big budget cable / streaming shows in today's day and age.
The first season aired on September 10, 2023, while the second premiered on September 29 2024. The third then premiered on September 7 2025, which just so happened to be the exact same weekend that the first premiered during two years earlier. So it's fair to say that Daryl Dixon became a staple of fall TV, despite being a larger-budget cable / streaming series. As October prepares to begin this year, it's safe to say that TWD fans are missing seeing Daryl and Carol on their screens.
While the third season of Dead City did manage to run into the first two weeks of September, the absence of Daryl Dixon brought an end to one of the franchise's few streaks left. And considering that the fourth and final season was filmed at the end of 2025, it feels redundant to hold it until 2027. After all, it's likely been ready for release for some time now.
That being said, the delay is likely less to do with Daryl Dixon itself and more the state of the overall TWD Universe franchise. Right now, Dead City is awaiting renewal, meaning that Daryl Dixon season 4 is the only confirmed season left to air in the saga at this moment in time. Delaying it to 2027 preserves the Walking Dead franchise's most important streak: Airing new episodes of at least one of its shows consecutively since 2010.
However, in another unexpected blow to TWD fans, Norman Reedus seemingly won't be attending the show's NYCC Panel this year - breaking another streak for the TWD Universe. The Walking Dead franchise has been a fixture of NYCC for years and the fact that Reedus won't be able to attend the final Daryl Dixon panel at the event - and perhaps his final TWD NYCC panel in general - is really sad.
Right now, Melissa McBride (who plays Carol Peletier) is confirmed for the panel, along with showrunner David Zabel and AMC's Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead Universe, Scott M. Gimple. Reedus' name, however, is absent from the press release as he will likely be working on his new Apple TV series Disavowed.
Right now, it's still unclear as to when exactly in 2027 Daryl Dixon season 4 will air, but its delay has now resulted in a number of blows to the TWD Family fandom. Had it managed to retain its original September release slot, Reedus and McBride likely would have attended San Diego Comic-Con and the show would have bowed out in the fall as it was expected to. Now, we wait for a mysterious date in 2027 when some of the cast have already moved onto new projects. And, honestly, it feels like Daryl Dixon deserves better than that.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 airs on AMC and streams on AMC+ in 2027.
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