A decade and a half into its run and The Walking Dead franchise is still alive and well. It's a crazy thought considering that the original series ended almost four years ago, but it's a testament to the enduring brand that Robert Kirkman and AMC have created as fans still seek out the classic shows to watch (or rewatch) while also consuming the newest adventures from the TWD Universe.
The 11-season run of the original show is far from the only installment in this franchise, as it has built a legacy on spinoffs too. The first of them surfaced during the mothership show's run but the more recent outings have been focused on serving as sequels to that OG story, using characters from The Walking Dead to make it happen.
Although 2026 has yet to offer up a new installment of the TWD Universe, the good news is that two of them are on their way this year. And that could very well be only the beginning.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3
Premiere date: July 26, 2026
A third season of The Walking Dead: Dead City was always expected - the show was renewed in summer 2025 ahead of San Diego Comic-Con - but it wasn't always clear as to whether it would arrive this year or not. Even though production was completed at the end of 2025, AMC omitted it in an earnings call which previewed this year's new arrivals. And therefore fans were worried it might not screen until next year.
Those fears were quashed when it was revealed that not only would Dead City season 3 be coming this year, it would slot in early as the next TWD Universe offering. The third season is set to premiere this July and it promises plenty of change as new showrunner Seth Hoffman, who also happens to be a Walking Dead legend, takes the spinoff in an interesting new direction that sees Maggie Rhee and Negan attempt to build a better future in Manhattan for the next generation of survivors.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4
Release window: Fall 2026
It's the end of an era for Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier as the fourth and final season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will premiere on AMC and AMC+ this fall. An official release date will be announced in due course, but considering that this spinoff has been a fixture of the cable channel / streamer's September / October block, there's little reason to suspect that it won't be once again this year.
The first season of the spinoff saw the titular character end up on an unlikely advnrture in France. As always, best friend Carol showed up to get him out of trouble, taking out the dangers and setting a plan in motion that would get them back home to the US. The plan went awry and they ended up in England and, eventually, Spain, where the third season took place.
Now their stories come to an end - on this show at least - as Daryl Dixon bows out with its fourth season. All involved felt that this is the right place to conclude the series as the mission right now is clear: Getting Daryl and Carol back home. If they pull it off, there might even be a Rick Grimes cameo at the end as Andrew Lincoln is rumored to reprise his role in the series finale. Whether or not that turns out to be true, the final season of Daryl Dixon is going to be an epic one.
There is also one more spinoff that will remain on the horizon after Daryl Dixon concludes, but it may or may not ever make it to screens...
More Tales From The Walking Dead Universe
Status: Greenlit in 2023, development seemingly stalled
The only other TWD spinoff that has had any official kind of movement over the past four years is More Tales From The Walking Dead Universe but we use the term "movement" extremely loosely. The series was officially greenlit by AMC back in 2023 and it was intended to be a short-form spinoff and / or sequel to Tales of the Walking Dead but there have been no updates on it since. None whatsoever.
Tales focused on standalone stories set within the wider world of the TWD Universe and while the concept was praised, the finished product received mixed reviews. There is no second season of that planned as we have moved into the bigger-budget Walking Dead sequel series, so it's possible that More Tales was just quietly cancelled. After all, it was ordered-to-series at a time when the first of the newer spinoffs (Dead City) hadn't even premiered, so it's fair to say that AMC has probably changed directions since.
No official cancellation announcement was ever made, so for the time being, it's still in development.
Rumor: The long-awaited TWD reunion crossover
Status: Rumored. Always on the table.
That brings us to the Walking Dead spinoff that fans have been longing to see for years. Ever since The Walking Dead itself ended and the franchise was divided into Daryl Dixon, Dead City, and the Rick and Michonne-led The Ones Who Live, audiences have been holding out hope that AMC will bring the shared universe back together for one last Avengers: Endgame-style crossover, reuniting the main characters of each offshoot in the process.
Longtime TWD creative and executive producer Greg Nicotero has acknowledged that this is an idea that has been talked about for "a couple of years" now, giving fans hope that it might actually happen. Moreover, a number of renowned industry insiders have suggested that it is in the works and that, with Daryl Dixon ending, the wheels are already in motion.
Andrew Lincoln also confirmed that he was in talks to return as Rick Grimes in the franchise's near-future. If that return doesn't take place in the Daryl Dixon finale, this is understandably the next most logical choice. You know it would be well-received by everyone if that was the case.
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