Being a Walking Dead fan is an emotional rollercoaster. The franchise has been a staple of pop-culture for almost two decades and it continues to pick up new fans along the way thanks to its consistent presence on major streaming services (like Netflix in the US and Disney Plus in the UK), and all of them can attest to the edge-of-seat feelings, ebbs and flows of the storylines, and the emotional highs and lows of every single episode. Even though The Walking Dead itself has come to an end, the franchise continues to provide all of that via its multitude of spinoffs (two of which are still ongoing). And this year, it was the franchise itself - not a specific show - that left us feeling those feelings.
See, 2026 was originally shaping up to be an uncertain year for the TWD Universe: Daryl Dixon is ending with its fourth and final season, Dead City was seemingly pushed to next year despite being filmed, and the future of the franchise was unclear. While the latter remains true, new updates have confirmed that 2026 may actually be a peak year for the world of The Walking Dead after all.
Dead City season 3 is officially airing this year
Let's start things off with the show we weren't sure would even make it to screens in 2026: The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3. It sounds like a strange thing to say considering that the spinoff's newest season had completed production between December 2025 and January 2026, but AMC's decision to leave it out of an earnings call about upcoming 2026 shows had fans worried that it might not air this year. Thankfully, we now know that it is coming this year. Better yet, it's coming to screens this summer!
Yes, the cable network have confirmed that Maggie and Negan's third offering will make its presence felt on AMC and AMC+ from Sunday, July 26, unveiling a thrilling new trailer to go along with it. The third season promises to take the show in an exciting new direction as the longtime rivals will look to create a more hopeful future for the people of Manhattan. And they'll be doing that under the leadership of a new showrunner who knows a thing or two about the franchise.
TWD legend Seth Hoffman is taking the reins from season 3 onwards and he has already teased an extremely exciting new season with plenty of surprises. Considering that we weren't even sure that this show would premiere its newest season this year, the turnaround here is very impressive - and very exciting. We have just one question: Is it July 26 yet?!
Daryl Dixon returns with an epic final season
Even when we thought that 2026 was going to be a bad year for The Walking Dead franchise, the one silver lining we had was that Daryl Dixon season 4 was coming. Of course, that was bittersweet too because we knew that it would be the final season, but considering that this is arguably the best of the TWD Universe spinoffs, we always knew that it was going to be an epic send-off. Now that we're all looking at 2026 as a more positive year for TWD fans that only rings more true.
Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier have made their way across Europe through France, England, and now Spain, but they are determined to find their way back to the US before the series finale. That was their aim in both seasons 2 and 3 and they ran into a number of obstacles in their bids to do so; you can bet they will again in the fourth and final season.
The first season of Daryl Dixon is widely considered one of the best installments in the whole TWD Universe. While the second was more divisive, the third was recognized as a return to form for the fan-favorite series. To say that expectations are high for its fourth season would be an understatement. From the continuation of the season 3 storylines to rounding out one of the most vivid and interesting stories in the franchise, it's going to be a big one. And let's not forget about the rumors surrounding that potential return.
There will likely be some kind of hints towards the TWD Universe's future
While the uncertainty surrounding the future of the TWD Universe is an understandable fear, there's another side to that concern that has been spotlighted since the confirmation that Dead City season 3 was arriving this year. That other side involves the fact that we will get some kind of confirmation on the franchise's immediate future. How? Well, it goes like this:
With Daryl Dixon ending this year, the future of the TWD Universe isn't all that obvious right now. Is Dead City also ending this year? That has been rumored, with fans believing that the upcoming third season might be the end of that story. But now that AMC has officially launched the marketing for the new season, there is no reference to "final season" at all. And, therefore, there is a real chance that it could return for a fourth season like Daryl Dixon. - potentially guaranteeing the TWD Universe's future for another year
Moreover, the franchise is likely to have some kind of panel at San Diego Comic-Con. With Dead City season 3 premiering during that weekend and the final season of Daryl Dixon expected in the fall, AMC likely wouldn't miss the opportunity to have Chief Content Officer of the TWD Universe, Scott Gimple, promote both upcoming installments of the franchise. During that panel, you can rest assured that questions about the franchise's future will come up. Yes, he has addressed this with ideas, hopes, and potential directions in the past, but Daryl Dixon's impending conclusion will bring that future much, much closer, so we might hear the beginnings of a potentially concrete plan for the next wave of the TWD Universe.
Speaking of Daryl Dixon's conclusion, it has long been rumored that Andrew Lincoln might make a cameo appearance as Rick Grimes in the series finale. While not confirmed by any means, that could potentially set up that equally long-rumored TWD crossover spinoff that could bring the story of the OG Walking Dead characters to a more definitive conclusion.
Taking all of that into account, it's safe to say that 2026 could be one of the most pivotal years for the Walking Dead franchise in years. So, if you've stopped watching the shows over the years, now is a good time to jump back in!
TWD isn't dead yet!
Add us as a preferred source on Google