Fans of the long-running Walking Dead franchise have been eagerly awaiting the return of the saga's two ongoing spinoffs. It was always clear that at least one of them would be airing this year, as AMC confirmed a few months ago that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 would be on our screens in 2026. Since then, however, fellow spinoff Dead City has gotten the focus as the cable network has officially announced when it would be back.
The Maggie and Negan-led spinoff will arrive on AMC and AMC+ this July, which has naturally resulted in TWD Universe fans wondering when Daryl and Carol would return for Daryl Dixon's final season. There is actually a pretty likely window for that. Here's when - and why - that is.
Why Daryl Dixon season 4 will likely premiere in September or October
With the confirmation that Dead City season 3 is coming this summer, it's almost certain that Daryl Dixon season 4 will premiere in the fall. But if we're being honest, we were already predicting that release window for one very big reason: It's the exact timeframe that the show has been using since it premiered back in 2023. Better yet, it's been using a very specific window in the month of September.
See, Daryl Dixon has pulled off a rare feat in this cable / streaming era of television; it has successfully managed to deliver three annual seasons of television (which will be four when its final season airs this year). All three of those seasons were unveiled in September of their respective year, with the first and the third season in particular using the same Sundays.
Season 1 premiered on AMC on Sunday, September 10 2023. Season 2 debuted on Sunday, September 29 2024. And season 3 took things back to the same weekend as the first, premiering on Sunday September 7 2025. With that in mind, it's pretty safe to suggest that the fourth and final season will use the same month in 2026.
Of course, this is just a prediction, and there is one thing that could push season 4 a little later into the year than that. That is, of course, Dead City season 3. That show's July 26 return is the latest that a season of the show has premiered, and it's expected to be eight episodes long - meaning that it will run into Daryl Dixon's typical early September Sunday premiere window.
With that in mind, if the Daryl Dixon season 4 release date is in September, it will likely use a timeline more in line with the second season's arrival. Therefore, we should probably expect it to arrive in late September or early October.
The third season saw Daryl and his best friend Carol Peletier wind up in Spain on their journey back to the US. They found their way to a small community known as Solaz del Mar, which welcomed them in but also harbored a dark secret due to its connection to El Alcazar. With that building towards a showdown of epic proportions in the season 3 finale, the stage has been set for a powerful final season that will undoubtedly see Daryl Dixon out on a high.
We are very, very ready for it. Here's hoping it continues its September tradition. If that means a back-to-back run with Dead City's eight episodes, it means we will get 16 glorious TWD episodes this year. Just like old times, right?!
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