Being a fan of The Walking Dead is an interesting thing. While the flagship series came to an end after 11 seasons in 2022, the franchise has lived on via two spinoffs featuring some of the main show’s most popular characters.
Knowing that the story would continue beyond the series finale slightly took the wind out of the sails of the flagship series. This is because we knew that the characters involved in the projects would not see their storylines wrapped up with a bow in the series finale. As a result, the series finale was more open-ended than we’d typically see for a show coming to a close after 11 seasons.
Of course, we were happy with this tradeoff, as it’s given us the chance to see more of some of our favorite characters through The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: Dead City.
The continuation of these spinoffs has allowed fan-favorite characters to remain at the center of the franchise for years after the main show's conclusion. But with Daryl Dixon approaching its final season and star Norman Reedus sharing a reflective message on social media, some viewers are beginning to fear that the end may truly be in sight for one legend’s time in the franchise.
Fans are worried Norman Reedus might be done playing Daryl Dixon
As we’ve known for some time now, Daryl Dixon will come to an end with season 4, which is expected to arrive in late 2026. This marks the conclusion of a major chapter in the post-Walking Dead world, and the show’s end has gotten everyone in the feels—including Norman Reedus.
Months after filming wrapped on the final season, Reedus posted a special tribute on Instagram reflecting on the journey and the end of the show.
"Finally going through these photos to check off from the last episode now that I’m back from Mongolia, it was really hard to kill any of them," Reedus wrote on Instagram. "I didn’t post any of those here, but I can’t wait for people to see this show the crew best I’ve ever worked with the feeling of accomplishment when it was over was just amazing. Such hard work, and I so much heart put into this I think you’re gonna feel it. It was a special season. I can’t wait for you to see it. It hits just way different this time," Reedus wrote in the post.
It’s clear that the message was designed to be a farewell to Daryl Dixon, but it’s the end of the message that left some fans wondering if this was more than a goodbye to the show.
Reedus noting that “it hits just way different this time" has many fans worried that the reason wrapping Daryl Dixon hits different this time is because it’s not just the end of a show, but the end of Reedus’ time playing the character Daryl Dixon.
Many fans began questioning whether there was more to the sendoff message than just celebrating the wrapping of Daryl Dixon, and it is a reasonable fear to have. Between The Walking Dead and Daryl Dixon, Reedus has played the character for 15 seasons, and it would be a natural time to walk away and pursue something new.
We also don’t know what AMC might have planned for the franchise, as the network has not announced any other spinoffs or continuations for The Walking Dead. There are rumors we could see the original show rebooted for a limited run to bring the show to an end, but nothing has been confirmed by AMC.
If this is the end for Reedus’ time as Daryl, it’s been an amazing run. However, like many fans, we’re not ready for his journey to come to an end just yet and hope AMC might have big plans still to come.
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