It's been a brave new world for The Walking Dead franchise ever since the original AMC series came to an end in 2022. 11 seasons, 12 years of television, and 177 episodes all made up its legacy, but it didn't have to end there if it didn't want to. And, thankfully for all involved, the TWD Universe has lived on via multiple spinoffs since, with The Ones Who Live giving Rick Grimes and Michonne's story closure, while Dead City provided Maggie Rhee and Negan with a new adventure in a new location, and Daryl Dixon has done the same for Daryl and Carol Peletier.
The latter of the three is set to end next year when its fourth and final season graces screens, and it's safe to say that fans are ready for the next chapter, but equally not ready for the show to conclude. How Daryl and Carol will return to the US from Spain (after initially finding themselves in France) remains to be seen, but now we do know that a recognizable TV star will cross paths with them as a veteran actor has joined the cast.
Melina Matthews joins cast of Daryl Dixon season 4
Veteran actor Melina Matthews has joined the cast of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. The star attended the world premiere of the third season in Madrid this September before she subsequently confirmed that she would appear in the fourth season via snaps on her Instagram account. She has since been spotted in multiple photographs taken on the set of the show, posing alongside Daryl Dixon himself, Norman Reedus, as well as Romain Levi (who plays Codron in the series).
It's not clear who she will play as of yet, but given that she is seen sharing a vehicle with Daryl and Codron, it's likely that she'll be an ally that the pair come across when out on the roads of Spain. And after how the third season of the sow ended, Daryl, Carol, and Codron need all the allies they can get - especially if the former two want to successfully enact their plan to return home to the US.
Matthews is no stranger to starring in major dramas. She portrayed Sister Shannon Matthews in Netflix's Warrior Nun and recently starred in the streamer's Spanish drama Olympo. She also appeared in Sky's A Town Called Malice and Spanish historical drama La peste. A veteran of her craft, she has been appearing on screens since 2005, but it's clear that her star has been continuing to rise in recent years. We can't wait to see her add Daryl Dixon to her resume!
The Walking Dead spinoff series completely switched things up with its third season. Up until that point, the show had been set in France - with Daryl landing there first and Carol finding him in the second season - but season 3 took the pair to Spain, after a brief stop in London provided them with a boat they were hoping would help them sail back to America. A storm had other ideas, and they got shipwrecked in Spain near a village known as Solaz del Mar.
At San Diego Comic-Con this summer, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a fourth and final season that had already begun filming. As Carol and Daryl had not yet left Spain by the end of season 3, that will continue to be its setting for season 4. Therefore, most of the newer cast members who joined the show at the beginning of the third season will return in season 4, too.
It's going to be interesting to see how the show comes to an end. The obvious answer would be for the beloved TWD pair to return home to Alexandria, ending their European adventure and perhaps setting the stage for another future spinoff (TWD chief content officer Scott Gimple has made it clear that we likely haven't seen the last of these characters). Fans are also holding out hope that Andrew Lincoln might reprise his role as Rick Grimes so that he can finally reunite with Daryl and Carol now that he too (along with Danai Gurira's Michonne) has returned to Alexandria.
With Daryl Dixon's conclusion, that will seemingly leave Dead City as the only Walking Dead show on the air. That one has also been renewed for another season but there has been no indication that it will be the last one. With that in mind, it could carry on for at least one more after that - to potentially match Daryl Dixon's four. But as Scott Gimple has implied that the TWD Universe could carry on for another 15 years, we doubt it will be the last installment that this classic franchise has to offer.
In the meantime, we're excited for Daryl Dixon's final season - which is expected next year - along with the opportunity to see Melina Matthews' character in action.