The Walking Dead franchise has been simply unstoppable since its premiere on AMC back in 2010. Based on the comic book series, the television franchise has launched six spinoff series that have only grown in popularity with each passing season. Of course, none of them have lasted as long as the flagship series, which produced an impressive 11 seasons, but they are all worth watching.
There's a lot of debate among fans about which spinoff series are superior to the others. Some adore Dead City, which paired up Maggie and Negan and will return for season 3, while others watched and loved all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead or preferred the Rick-Michonne miniseries The Ones Who Lived. But there's only one spinoff that's better than most TWD seasons and it's Daryl Dixon.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premiered in 2023 and picked up after the events of the main show's series finale, with Daryl (Norman Reedus) overseas and trying to make his way back home. Even though the series holds a modest 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the spinoff series' first season was met with overwhelming praise from fans and critics, with some calling it the "best Walking Dead in years." They're definitely not wrong in that assessment. It's true.
Daryl Dixon arrived with a fresh take on the franchise from creator David Zabel, who wasn't previously involved in The Walking Dead or any previous spinoff series. Having previously worked on shows like ER, Detroit 1-8-7, and Mercy Street, Zabel brought a new flavor to TWD universe and a fan-favorite character that managed to keep pacing tight and the narrative flow focused. This directly diverges from some of the lesser liked seasons of the flagship that rubbed fans the wrong way.
How Daryl Dixon exceeded The Walking Dead's worst seasons
Some of The Walking Dead's biggest mistakes included overcrowding, particularly when it comes to focusing on its extensive ensemble cast. Naturally, Daryl Dixon pulled off the opposite by whittling the heart of the story to a single character, which is a luxury afforded to an offshoot series. In that regard, the pacing and energy have the distinct opportunity to operate differently than usual.
However, one of the main reasons Daryl Dixon builds upon its sire series is because it feels so novel and unlike any territory that had been covered in the past. I mean, the show takes us outside of the United States for the first time. We hadn't seen outside of the US in the TWD universe before. The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead both spent too much time on the same old highways. But Daryl Dixon takes place and was filmed in France. Our perspective on the story instantly broadened.
Beyond how Daryl reacts to this new world around him, we're also as viewers feeling the global impacts of the apocalypse for the first time. This has happened to the whole world, not just the United States. With that broadening of the universe's scope, we see some interesting choices and unique aspects that the previous shows' scope couldn't include. It's like a Star Wars or Star Trek spinoff or prequel that's able to take us to a new planet. It's fresh and vibrant.
Speaking of vibrant, Daryl Dixon just looks downright stunning. The cinematography and visual storyline are direct results of filming on location in Europe and bringing a classic, historical, cinematic, and large-than-life element to the franchise. Not to dog on the original, but long-running series tend to take few risks the longer they produce new episodes. As a spinoff from a creator who's bringing their own creativity to the story, the series was able to deliver distinctive aesthetics.
Sure, some fans felt that Daryl Dixon lost a bit of its identity in season 2, but season 3 has a chance to help the show bounce back from The Book of Carol (as does the fourth and final season). But nothing beats that first season. Daryl had a specific storyline beyond "survive and defeat the villain" that made the spinoff a real standout. He's trying to get home, but he also has the character development of caring for Laurent and helping him survive.
Over the years, Daryl has been presented as something of a loner, but he's known to be kind to the people he directly cares about. In his standalone series, Daryl must face the challenge of discovering whether he can be good to people he doesn’t know. This kind of character work feels different than Dead City retreading the long-standing feud between Maggie and Negan, which will always be in effect because of what he did to Glenn, but their beef had been put to rest... until Dead City.
The show has been able to achieve multiple things that other spinoffs haven't and even most seasons of The Walking Dead couldn't either. Daryl received a storyline that isn't like anything else the franchise has done before in a location that significantly world builds and helps further develop his character. Let's hope Daryl Dixon continues to live up to its name as the best TWD spinoff.
Daryl Dixon season 3 premieres Sept. 7 on AMC. Watch season 1 on Netflix and seasons 1 and 2 now on AMC+.