It is pretty incredible that The Walking Dead franchise is still alive and well in the year of 2026. The AMC juggernaut has stood the test of time, expanding the lore of the TWD Universe well beyond the original series - and Robert Kirkman's legendary comic series as well - and it continues to entertain audiences around the world on an annual basis.
Today, the Walking Dead stories come in the form of spinoffs Daryl Dixon and Dead City. Both were commissioned ahead of the conclusion of the original series (along with miniseries spinoff The Ones Who Live) and they are still ongoing. The former's final season is on its way while the latter has just kicked off its third offering. And while 2026 will still have Walking Dead content due to Dead City season 3, the franchise unfortunately won't be bringing back a staple we all thought we would see.
Daryl Dixon season 4's 2027 delay means we won't get 16 TWD episodes this year
Walking Dead fans were surprised ahead of San Diego Comic-Con when Norman Reedus announced that the upcoming fourth and final season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon would air on AMC and AMC+ in 2027. This was unexpected to say the least, as AMC had already confirmed earlier this year that the spinoff's final season would be coming in 2026. And it marked a significant change for Daryl Dixon, which always released its seasons in September - breaking the only consecutive run that any of the TWD shows have had since the original series.
Speaking of the spinoffs' connection to The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon's delay was a blow to TWD fans on two fronts. On one hand, it means that they will have to wait until next year to see how Daryl and Carol Peletier's stories wrap up in the offshoot - despite the fact that the final season was filmed in Spain through the third and fourth quarters of 2025. However, it also means that their hopes of reliving the nostalgic TWD days of having 16 episodes from the franchise to digest in one calendar year have been dashed.
Longtime fans of the franchise will remember that 16-episode seasons were a fixture of The Walking Dead throughout the bulk of its run. Moreover, those 16-episode seasons were almost always split into two distinct halves, with each set of eight episodes generally bringing the show to significant turning points - effectively allowing it to function as two mini seasons with two respective finales.
When AMC confirmed that both Dead City season 3 and Daryl Dixon season 4 would be releasing in 2026, fans were thrilled at the prospect of being able to enjoy 16 episodes of the TWD Universe this year. While both spinoffs have had varied episode counts over the years (both started with six episodes each), the current seasons will feature eight each. And therefore, we would have gotten two mini TWD seasons of eight episodes each this year, making up 16 overall episodes of The Walking Dead Universe in one calendar year - just like old times.
While Daryl Dixon's delay prevents that from happening now, it doesn't rule it out entirely. If AMC opts to renew Dead City for a fourth season - which is looking more likely than ever (especially given that season 3 hasn't been announced as the final season) - and production gets underway before the end of the year, there is no reason to believe that it won't return to screens next year. If that's the case, then we could very well get our highly-anticipated 16 TWD episodes in 2027 instead.
It's certainly disappointing that we won't get out 16 TWD episodes this year, but as it's clear that Daryl Dixon's delay to 2027 automatically prolongs the franchise for another year while the powers-that-be figure out what the next phase of the TWD Universe looks like, the idea of more Walking Dead next year is arguably an even sweeter deal (especially if they bring Dead City back for another season, too).
We keep saying it, regardless of the highs, lows, ups and downs, the Walking Dead franchise still lives!
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 is currently airing on Sundays on both AMC and AMC+. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 premieres next year.
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