The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon just made history for The Walking Dead franchise. For the first time in the franchise's history, a Walking Dead spinoff was nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
On Wednesday, July 8, Daryl Dixon was nominated for its first Primetime Emmy Award. The series received a nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode. The episode was the first episode of season 3, "Costa da Morte," which aired on Sept. 7, 2025.
This is a massive accomplishment to be nominated in such a competitive category. Daryl Dixon is up against some of the biggest shows in TV in the category, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Paradise, Spider-Noir, and Gen V.
Now that Daryl Dixon is in the running, it will be interesting to see if the series can win its first Primetime Emmy. The winner will not be revealed on the live telecast with other Emmy winners on Sunday, Sept. 14. Instead, the winner will be announced during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6.
The Walking Dead deserves more love from the Television Academy
It's wild to think that, with all The Walking Dead spinoffs, none of them were nominated for any Primetime Emmys. I know that the shows aren't among the most critically acclaimed shows on TV, but in terms of special effects, set design, and stunt sequences, The Walking Dead shows remain some of the most impressive shows on TV. What they're able to do with notably smaller budgets than a lot of these huge shows with massive budgets is quite impressive.
With that, I also think we're long overdue for Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, and the many stars of The Walking Dead to get some nominations in acting categories. I know The Walking Dead isn't the next big Apple TV or HBO show, but Reedus and McBride have been putting on an acting clinic for years in this universe. Unfortunately, they have no nominations to show for it.
With Daryl Dixon coming to an end with season 4 later this year, it would be so awesome to see these two performers in particular get a little bit of love from the academy. I know it's incredibly unlikely to happen, and it would be a franchise first for The Walking Dead. It just seems like it would be a great way for performers like Reedus and McBridge to go out.
Of course, I'm assuming that this really will be the end of Daryl and Carol's run in The Walking Dead. There have been recent reports that indicate Reedus and AMC are in talks to bring back Daryl in other Walking Dead projects. That's something to keep an eye on in the next few weeks.
Daryl Dixon season 3, which features the Emmy-nominated episode, also hits Netflix on July 19.
We'll share more news about The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and its Emmy nomination when we find out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google