It goes without saying that The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones are two of the biggest TV shows of all time. Both were titans of the 2010s and very much considered counterparts to each other in the horror / mature television landscape. And now, years after both series have ended, their franchises continue on in the form of spinoff shows.
Yes, while we're fully prepared for the TWD Universe and the GoT Universe to continue on for many more years to come, one star of the former "jumped ship" to the latter, as a Walking Dead fan-favorite made his debut in this week's installment of House of the Dragon.
Dan Fogler debuts in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3
Walking Dead alum Dan Fogler made his highly-anticipated debut as Ser Torrhen Manderly in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3. While his first appearance undoubtedly made a lot of TWD fans sit up and point at the TV screen like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme, this isn't the first that the GoT fans had heard about this. Fogler had been cast in the role back in April 2025 when filming was underway, and it resulted in a lot of excitement from audiences who were eager to see what Fogler would bring to the role.
Ser Torrhen Manderly is a sharp and well-spoken knight from the North and he very quickly proves himself to be loyal to Queen Rhaenyra Targayen, as well as Daemon Targaryen. This is pretty clear early on in his debut as he applauds Rhaenyra for her quick attempts to pull together some money for the crown. From the looks of things, he will become an ally for her going forward.
Fogler, of course, portrayed the beloved Luke Abrams on The Walking Dead for a significant run. The character was introduced as part of the game-changing time jump that took place in the fifth episode of the ninth season - shortly after Rick Grimes' departure - and went on to play a major role throughout seasons 9, 10, and 11. A former music teacher, Luke became a fan-favorite pretty early on and he was imperative in landing his group of survivors refuge at Alexandria. Quite simply, everyone was better off for knowing Luke.
The character was also one of the major deaths of the show's final episode, dying shortly after being attacked by a group of walkers - who bit his leg as he tried to save his girlfriend Jules from being eaten by the horde. It was one that understandably hit fans hard, because if any character deserved a happy ever after in the series finale, it was Luke - who was constantly fighting for it.
While it's a shame that Luke's demise means that he can't return in any of the ongoing TWD spinoffs Dead City and Daryl Dixon (or even the Rick and Michonne-led miniseries The Ones Who Live), it's great to see Fogler back on our TV screens in such a high-profile role. The actor and comedian has appeared in plenty since the end of The Walking Dead, including movies Spinning Gold, DC League of Super Pets, A Complete Unknown, and Juliet and Romeo, as well as major TV roles in The Offer and The Rainmaker. Now, he gets to add House of the Dragon that line-up.
House of the Dragon season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max.
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