We've been through a lot with The Walking Dead over the years. The legendary AMC series killed off a multitude of fan-favorite characters, featured some of the most heart-pounding jump-scares in TV history, and offered up genuinely terrifying zombie action - which hadn't been seen as much on the small screen before. And despite the fact that the series has been off the air for four years, the franchise is still providing plenty of zombie thrills.
Yes, the TWD Universe has lived on well beyond that show. Since its conclusion in 2022, we've had the final season of Fear The Walking Dead, the Rick and Michonne miniseries The Ones Who Live, and ongoing spinoffs Daryl Dixon and Dead City. As a direct result of this, it has never truly felt like The Walking Dead as a whole has ended. That said, it might begin to feel that way before 2026 is over.
Ending Daryl Dixon after just four seasons feels like a missed opportunity
As much as TWD fans don't want to admit it, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is coming to an end with its fourth and final season. The final chapter in the fan-favorite spinoff show will air on AMC and stream on AMC+ this fall, likely coming shortly after the third season of fellow spinoff, The Walking Dead: Dead City, wraps up in September. And with that, another chapter in the legendary TWD Universe is set to bow out - leaving many fans understandably upset.
The spinoff has been, in many ways, the leader of the TWD Universe era since it began in 2023 - which was somewhat surprising to audiences at the time. With Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira returning for Rick and Michonne's The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, we all thought that the iconic pair would once again lead the franchise into its new era, but as that show turned out to be a one-and-done miniseries, the baton was handed off to Daryl and Carol.
The first season of Daryl Dixon really surprised viewers. It had all the makings of a direct Walking Dead sequel and, instead of going down the predictable route, it decided to take Norman Reedus' legendary lone wolf to France, where he undertook a mission to protect a young boy from danger. The visuals, the storyline, and the cinematography made it one of the most exciting chapters in the franchise's 15-year history as the show really set itself apart from anything else on television. And that reinvigorated a lot of interest in the franchise.
While the second season was admittedly shaky, the reintroduction of Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier brought it back to life and reminded us of how wonderful this pair are together. And that led the show into a thrilling third season that steadied the ship as the beloved duo ended up in London and Spain, once again showcasing how Daryl Dixon wasn't afraid to explore new horizons within the TWD Universe and offer up some stunning visuals along the way.
While it is totally fair that the creative team have decided that season 4 is the right place to end the show, it's hard not to feel like sending the franchise's current flagship show off into the sunset - at a time when the future of said franchise is unclear - seems like a bad idea. It's true that it's best not to outstay your welcome and Daryl Dixon's third season was undoubtedly a high worth setting that final chapter in motion, but where does that leave the TWD Universe without Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride?
When The Walking Dead was ending, fans could seek comfort in the fact we would see six of the main characters again across Daryl Dixon, The Ones Who Live, and Dead City. We knew that, when Daryl and Carol were saying their emotional goodbyes to each other that we would see Daryl again, with the chance that Carol would likely surface for a smaller role in either the beginning or ending of the character's show (McBride would, thankfully, play a major role in the spinoff instead). Now, that future isn't so clear.
While AMC creatives have implied that we may see the characters again down the line, Daryl Dixon season 4 is being billed as the definitive finale of this particular story. And considering that The Ones Who Live has already ended, that just leaves Dead City as the only TWD show still on the air (though reports suggest that it might end after seasons 3 and / or 4, too). And just like that, the TWD Universe's new era is running out of road.
Again, it's perfectly respectable that it was a creative decision to end Daryl Dixon where it was but the somewhat sudden announcement at San Diego Comic-Con in 2025 - when the fourth season was already in production - made it all feel a little rushed. And with the possibility that the same could happen for Dead City at San Diego Comic-Con this year (again, nothing has been confirmed), it's suddenly starting to feel like the franchise's new direction is lacking one.
When Rick Grimes left The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon became the face of it. When The Ones Who Live concluded, Daryl and Carol once again became the face of the franchise. To have the flagship spinoff bow out before the franchise's next steps have been ironed out have resulted in something of a bittersweet feeling about the whole thing. Yes, from a narrative standpoint, it makes sense to bring Daryl and Carol home; but from a franchise standpoint, the TWD Universe will be worse off without their show.
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