It's safe to say that The Walking Dead franchise has been around for a long time. Heck, even that's understating it. The iconic TV saga has been a part of our lives for almost two decades, first adapting Robert Kirkman's legendary comic book series and then expanding that world into a larger-than-life global franchise that is still entertaining viewers today. That's an incredible reminder of how just powerful the TWD Universe still is.
Naturally, a franchise of this scale has a devoted fandom known as the TWD Family, who remember some of the biggest dates in Walking Dead history. Whether that's the date in which it all began with the original series or the date that the sequel spinoffs launched, the fans remember when things went down in TWD history.
And that brings us to September 29, which is a very important date in the franchise's story.
Carol officially returned to the TWD Universe on September 29
If September 29 sounds familiar to you as a TWD fan, that's likely because it was the date that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 premiered on AMC and AMC+ in 2024. It was a highly anticipated premiere in and of itself after the critically-acclaimed first season saw the TWD Universe expand its horizons for the first time in years, but this episode was particularly special as it marked the official return of Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier.
Although she made two cameo appearances in the first season (one a voice performance via a radio message and the second in the closing moments of the season 1 finale), this was her official reintroduction to the TWD Universe as a series regular, with the spinoff even retitling itself for that season - using The Book of Carol as a subheading. To say it was a highly-anticipated event in the franchise would be an understatement.
McBride's Carol Peletier is TWD royalty, having appeared in the franchise since 2010. Yes, she was first introduced all the way back in the third episode of The Walking Dead - which, ironically, is also the first episode that Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon appears in - and has gone on to become one of the most recognizable characters from the whole franchise. She's also widely regarded as one of the best examples of character development in TV history, as she grew into a battle-hardened, resourceful, badass survivor determined to defeat the evils of the undead world and protect her loved ones in the process.
Carol was one of the characters a lot of people thought would likely be killed early on during the show's run (the character also dies in the comics) but McBride's portrayal turned her into a fan-favorite, with Carol surviving, and surviving, and surviving, sticking around right until the final episode of that series in 2022 - when she became the Commonwealth's Director of Operations.
McBride was initially supposed to join Norman Reedus in the pair's spinoff right from the beginning, but it was subsequently reworked without her after she had to depart. Thankfully, she decided to join the Daryl Dixon spinoff ahead of its second season, allowing Carol to reunite with Daryl in France - setting the stage for the chaotic, lovable, badass duo to take their adventures on the road.
Although the second season of Daryl Dixon did struggle to match the heights of its first, the addition of McBride instantly brought a whole new element to the series - one that we all recognized from The Walking Dead. The gravitas in her performance as Carol never ever gets old and seeing her get to reunite with Reedus' Daryl Dixon midway through the season made for a truly magnificent moment. None of that would have been possible without the season 2 premiered that officially reintroduced Carol to the TWD Universe as a regular character. And, for that, we are very, very thankful.
The pair's adventures will now continue into 2027 as The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon returns for its fourth and final season. Daryl and Carol are currently in Spain as they seek the opportunity to bring their European journey to a close and make their way back to the US, to Alexandria, the Commonwealth, and the rest of their family and friends.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 premieres on AMC and AMC+ in 2027.
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