The Walking Dead might not be airing new episodes anymore, but the franchise lives on through its spinoffs. There are six spinoffs in total, with only two still ongoing. Those two series are The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Both shows wrapped up their latest seasons this year and will be returning with new installments next year. However, 2026 could bring some major changes, as fans may have to say goodbye to some of their favorite characters from these shows. Below, we shared a list of four Walking Dead characters who we might potentially be saying farewell to next year.
Daryl and Carol
Now, here us out. We don't think any characters on this list are going to meet their end in the new seasons of their respective shows. However, the reason that we think we might be saying goodbye to Daryl and Carol next year is because Daryl Dixon season 4 is the final season. Once this installment wraps up in 2026, there's nothing left for these characters.
AMC has not announced any official plans for further spinoffs or continuations featuring Daryl and Carol, which means their journeys in the Walking Dead universe could be coming to a definitive close. Do we want to see them go? Absolutely not! But we're going to need the network to give us some clarity on their futures.
Perhaps AMC will announce something around the time Daryl Dixon season 4 airs. Or, there could be something big happening in the series finale that hints at what's next for these beloved characters. But if this ends up being the case, we likely won't hear anything from the network until after this episode airs. Fingers crossed that we haven't seen the last of Daryl and Carol!
Negan and Maggie
The unlikely duo, Negan and Maggie, are headed into their third season of Dead City. While an official premiere date on AMC has not been announced yet, the third installment is expected to come out sometime next year. So why might 2026 be the year we say goodbye to these two iconic characters? Well, it all comes down to whether the show gets renewed again. Most viewers didn't like the second season, yet AMC still decided to renew the show for a third season.
Sure, this could happen again. But depending on how Dead City season 3 fares, the network might choose to end the series if it fails to capture audiences’ interest. If this happens, then we'll be saying goodbye to Negan and Maggie. This would be a huge bummer for those who have followed their journeys since the early days of The Walking Dead franchise and continued to follow their stories into the spinoff. But it's a possibility that fans need to keep in the back of their minds.