The Walking Dead Universe has lived on beyond the series that started it all, with AMC finding new ways to tell stories featuring some of the show's most iconic characters. The Walking Dead's final credits rolled in 2022 but the TWD Universe officially launched its new era shortly afterwards, with three new spinoffs designed to carry on the story of the franchise's most beloved heroes (and maybe some villains too).
The Walking Dead: Dead City started it all in summer 2023 before Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live continued the the overarching story shortly afterwards. Although the latter was designed as a miniseries, the original two have since carried on for multiple seasons - with even more seasons on the horizon.
It's all led to fans wondering how long the TWD Universe will go on for without the original series. The creatives seem to think it has a lot of life left in it, which is great news for the fans. Unfortunately, however, one of the most beloved installments is now set to conclude... perhaps a little earlier than expected.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will end with season 4
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been renewed for a fourth and final season. The creatives behind the beloved AMC+ series made the announcement at San Diego Comic-Con during the Hall H panel for the franchise and to say it's a bittersweet one would be an understatement. Although fans were anticipating the season 4 renewal (due to the fact that the show had already commenced production on the fourth season), the confirmation that it would be the final installment was something of a shock.
Granted, we knew that these Walking Dead spinoffs wouldn't last forever, but as Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier were still so far away from their home in the US (the characters are currently in Spain), it was thought that there might be a bit more story left to tell outside of the next two seasons. The good news is that season 4 will have more episodes to tell that story with as it has an increased episode count of eight.
As we mentioned above, production on the fourth season has already begun, with filming taking place in Madrid in locations such as Bilbao, Galicia, Andalucía, the Segovia region, Toledo and Community of Madrid. The biggest story here, however, is that the final season could very well bring an end to the arcs of Daryl and Carol, also potentially meaning the end of Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride's time in the TWD Universe. Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, paid tribute to the two stars:
“Across two extraordinary series spanning almost two decades - Norman and Melissa have given
life to two of the most iconic characters in the history of television. Daryl and Carol have taken
fans on an unforgettable and intensely human journey of challenge, survival, hope and
friendship, and the response from fans, from the very first moments of The Walking Dead, has
been remarkable."
The good news is that McDermott has offered up something of an open-ended conclusion to that statement, suggesting that the characters - along with some other TWD franchise veterans - could return at some point in the franchise's future. He said: “Whatever awaits these two beloved characters, we know The Walking Dead Universe is a timeless franchise that holds endless possibilities for story and characters new and old.”
Reedus and McBride have both been a part of the TWD Universe franchise since the very beginning, ironically both appearing in the third episode of the first season "Tell It To The Frogs". Their characters formed an unbreakable bond that has since grown immeasurably over the years and resulted in fans falling in love with them all over the world. Needless to say, the end of Daryl Dixon is bittersweet for both of them.
Reedus opened up about the end of the show, saying: "Daryl Dixon has been an incredible journey. I thank each and every fan who has joined us on this ride. It’s been a privilege to build this story for these characters, and we have so much gratitude for how it’s been embraced. Your love and support have made every moment worth it. This finale isn’t just an ending; it’s a celebration of what we've all shared together. Keep carrying that love forward – Daryl’s journey is far from over.”
Like McDermott's, those comments do imply that there is more life left in Daryl's story beyond the end of his own series. We know that the purpose of Daryl Dixon is to ensure that both Daryl and Carol get home to Alexandria and / or the Commonwealth but that doesn't mean their stry has to end there. Perhaps we will get a long-awaited reunion project to wrap things up.
Meanwhile, McBride's comments were similarly hopeful, as she said: "“It has been the thrill of a lifetime to shoot this part of Daryl and Carol’s adventure together in Europe and I keep coming back for more of these two characters. There is still so much story left to tell and so much for the fans to look forward to. I’m going to revel in the moments as they come and am excited for the fans to see what we have been working on in these incredible locations.”
As for where the future of the TWD Universe franchise could go beyond this? Well, that remains to be seen. Aside from the two upcoming seasons of Daryl Dixon, we also have the recently-announced third season of Dead City to look forward to. At that point, the TWD Universe will have caught up to itself? Are there more seasons of Dead City left to explore? Perhaps, but star Lauren Cohan has offered up an idea of a super-group reunion in a separate spinoff to bring all of these shows together and wrap up with story of The Walking Dead for good. Honestly, the fans want that too.
For now, we will look forward to the next two seasons of Daryl Dixon and embrace every single moment of Daryl and Carol's next adventures in London and Spain. The pair have been a fixture of our lives for almost two decades and we can't wait to see where their story goes next.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 is set to premiere on AMC and AMC+ on September 7, 2025.
More from Undead Walking: