After much anticipation, AMC has officially confirmed that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's fourth and final season will premiere this year. It was expected, but given that it is the final chapter of the Walking Dead spinoff and the cable network had yet to announce a release window, it wasn't always clear when season 4 might arrive. Now we at least know that it will indeed return this year, we can speculate about whether it will hold its annual September release window or perhaps move to the summer.
But whenever it does premiere, Daryl Dixon season 4 will stand alone from the previous seasons as it does something for the first time. And that change is really cool because it ensures that fans will get to spend a little longer with the beloved TWD Universe characters of this particular spinoff.
Daryl Dixon season 4's episode count makes it the longest season
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 will have a total of eight episodes, which instantly makes it the longest season of the show. When the spinoff premiered back in 2023, its first season ran for six episodes. The second, which reintroduced Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier on a regular basis, did the same. The third then increased the episode count to seven, while the fourth will up it again to eight.
This is undoubtedly a good thing, as it allows audiences to spend a little longer with Daryl and Carol, as well as the newer characters that they've come across throughout the show's run. After all, when the credits roll on the series finale, it's unclear when these beloved TWD characters might resurface. And even though it's unlikely that this will be the last time we see Daryl and Carol forever, it's good that audiences will get the opportunity to appreciate them for a little longer before the final episode.
When AMC announced that Daryl Dixon would end after its fourth season, they also revealed that both it and the third season would have higher episode counts than the first two. It's unclear if the storylines specifically required this or whether it was simply a creative choice to ensure the final two seasons were longer - perhaps to cushion the blow of the show's impending end. But it goes without saying that fans were happier about that.
It is also worth pointing out that the second season of fellow TWD Universe spinoff Dead City had its episode count increased to eight as well. While it's not yet known if its upcoming third season will also have eight, it is perhaps a sign that AMC is slightly increasing the episode counts to ensure that they remain on the air for a little longer. After all, two shows with a combined episode count of eight per season means 16 TWD episodes will air in a year - which is exactly how many annual episodes The Walking Dead used to air.
Regardless of the reason, a slightly extended episode count for Daryl Dixon's final season is exactly what the show needs. Widely recognized as one of the strongest TWD shows, it has always done wonders with shorter episode counts, but considering that the announcement of its ending caught fans by surprise, a bumper-sized season at least somewhat makes up for that - ensuring that Daryl and Carol remain on our screens for longer.
It also gives the writers the chance to wrap up both the current storyline - Daryl and Carol's adventure in Spain - and the overall narrative of the show, returning the two TWD icons home in the process. While less is often more, this is a rare example of when more gives the show the chance to accomplish everything it needs to before bowing out for good. And given the sheer scale and scope of Daryl Dixon, that was the right choice.