Norman Reedus has spent more than 15 years in The Walking Dead universe, which is a wild sentence when you really sit with it. Daryl Dixon went from a character who never existed in the comics to one of the franchise’s most beloved survivors, and now Reedus is reflecting on what sounds like the end of a very long, very bloody road.

Norman Reedus Shared His Goodbye To The Walking Dead

Reedus looked back on sorting through photos from the final episode after returning from Mongolia in a recent Instagram post. He did not post anything too spoiler-heavy, but his caption made it clear that wrapping this chapter hit him hard. He wrote:

It's a very on-brand caption. He sounds loose and heartfelt, while also sounding proud, exhausted and deeply attached to the work. And when the man who has played Daryl since 2010 says it “hits just way different this time,” longtime fans are probably right to start emotionally preparing now.

Daryl’s place in The Walking Dead is unusual. He was not part of Robert Kirkman’s original comic, but Reedus’ performance quickly turned him into a fan favorite. Over the years, he became one of the show’s emotional anchors, surviving the original series, carrying major storylines after Andrew Lincoln’s exit and eventually leading his own exciting spinoff, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. So, naturally, fans were very emotional about the post.

Fans Are Emotional Over Reedus’ Walking Dead Goodbye

As expected, the comments section did not treat this like a normal season wrap post. Some of the most emotional reactions included:

• karen7771lopez: “I am soooo very Excited for this yet it is not going to be easy watching it without my Mom ‘THE FAN OF THE WALKING DEAD’ she passed this past February.”
• _gonza_flow: “I've been following you since I was 6 years old, when the first season of The Walking Dead premiered... You don't just play Daryl, you are Daryl.”
• normanispoetry_writingsandart_: “Hits way different here as well. I have never been good at goodbyes and I hope that somehow the story continues cause Daryl is not someone I want to say goodbye to 🥺”
• norman.reedus.romanian.fan: “Thank you very much for 16 years of Daryl Dixon. Daryl Dixon is a hero, a survivor, and a cool person.”
• _twd.survivor: “We all want to see Daryl and Rick back together again. Their story isn't finished yet..‌ 💥"
• normanreedusarmy15: “An era ends, but Daryl Dixon lives on in all of us 🔥❤️💥”
• natcarrington.official: “I’m so excited to watch it but also don’t know if I’m ready for it to end! It’s been a glorious ride 💗”
• reedusnetwork: “Can’t wait! But it will be bittersweet, I don’t want Daryl Dixon to end! Going to miss him! 😢🩷”

That reaction makes sense. For many viewers, Daryl is not just another character on the 2026 TV schedule. He has been part of their lives since 2010. Fans have watched him go from a volatile outsider to a loyal protector to a full-on franchise lead. He has carried grief, loyalty, rage and a crossbow through more apocalypses than any one person should reasonably survive.

There is also still one big thing fans clearly want: a Rick and Daryl reunion. Several comments brought up “Rickyl,” and it is hard to blame them. After everything these two have been through separately, the idea of ending Daryl’s story without another meaningful moment between him and Rick Grimes would feel like leaving a walker hand sticking out of the grave.

For now, Reedus seems confident the final season will land with the emotional force fans are expecting. Given how much history is packed into Daryl Dixon, I believe him. After more than 15 years, this goodbye will be painful.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 4 does not yet have a confirmed release date, but the series is officially scheduled to premiere on AMC later this fall. In the meantime, the first two seasons of the series, along with the OG Walking Dead, are available to stream with a Netflix subscription.

Charli XCX may be a best-selling recording artist, but she’s also established herself in the movie scene. On the heels of her film, The Moment, the “Boom Clap” singer went from Brat Summer to landing a horror movie with Japanese director Takashi Miike. However, if you need more reasons to see the upcoming A24 flick, a DC star and more have been cast in the wild-sounding horror film that’s already making me want to buy tickets.

According to Deadline, the British pop star’s wild movie trend continues, starring in Takashi Miike’s new flick. Known as Untitled Kyoto, the horror movie is about three friends whose trip to Kyoto turns into a nightmare when Charli XCX’s character gets possessed by a demon.

Not only is that wild plot leaving me filled with anticipation, but so is the announcement of DC star Milly Alcock joining the cast. She wrapped up filming Supergirl last year, and we'll get to see the superheroine travel across the galaxy when it premieres on the 2026 movie schedule. Now, between making her film debut in the 2018 horror flick The School and having a standout performance in the first season of House of the Dragon, her versatility is clear and will be on display again in Supergirl. Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing what she brings to Miike's movie.

Milly Alcock and Charli XCX aren’t the only stars to look forward to in the untitled horror flick. The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus will also be joining the cast. With his flair for playing the loyal protector Daryl Dixon in the AMC series and the anti-hero vigilante in The Boondock Saints movies, I’m curious where the actor will fall in Untitled Kyoto.

Another familiar face making their way to the new horror movie is Attack on Titan’s Kiko Mizuhara, who will be playing the violent spirit. There’s also Show Kasamatsu, who’s known for HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice and will soon make his English-language film debut in the upcoming Lionsgate thriller Karoshi. This talented cast is sure to bring together thrilling elements that’ll make Takashi Miike’s new movie a must-see.

To say that Charli XCX’s new/upcoming filmography has wild plots would be an understatement. Her new mockumentary with Kylie Jenner, The Moment, had wild Letterboxd reactions that are leaving me intrigued for the 2026 movie release. And then the British performer will be starring in an upcoming movie with Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega, The Gallerist, which is about turning a corpse into a gallery’s new work of art. With the "I Love It" singer about to star as a victim of demon possession, Charli XCX continues to be fearless in her roles.

When you mix the ingredients of a pop star, a DC actress, a Walking Dead star, and more in the cast of one of the most terrifying horror directors’ movies, you know you’ve got something special on your hands. So, you best believe I'll be seated.

Though fans still haven’t seen The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s third season just yet, we already know the curtain will close on this particular upcoming TWD show with its fourth season, as that news was announced during this year’s Comic-Con. Knowing that storyline is ending is a worry to fans who are hoping beyond hope that Norman Reedus will get a long-awaited on-screen reunion with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes. I’m still optimistic it’ll happen, even though the actor’s latest comments about the complications do make a lot of sense.

Seeing Carol and Daryl back together again helped Season 2 rebound after that major death we still haven’t fully gotten over yet, but those characters were destined to share the screen as soon as the spinoff was first conceived. The fact that the characters are in Europe made it impossible for either to drop by during the solo season of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, even if that finale did feature a couple of reunion-specific guest stars. But could there be a point where the storyline allows the characters to cross paths anew?

Speaking with SFX on CinemaBlend’s Darren Scott, longtime TWD star Norman Reedus addressed potentially reuniting with former Walking Dead-verse co-stars, and despite being personally interested in the idea, he addressed why it’s not as easy as throwing them all together in the same setting, and why it might happen differently from the idealized version in fans' minds. As he put it:

Wouldn't that be the biggest pisser imaginable to be a Walking Dead fan who has stuck it out for all these years, and whose biggest pop culture desire is to see Daryl and Rick tag-teaming once more to take down a horde of walkers, only for them to see each other again and not get along at all?

The more chaotic side of my personality would actually enjoy the hell out of that outcome, sinc eit would potentially create a unique dynamic for these characters that wouldn't just arbitrarily have them on the same side just because of their history together. Daryl and Rick did get into it pretty heavily before the Season 9 bridge explosion that left Rick's fate a mystery, so even though Daryl spent years trying to track his friend down, it's possible that finding him won't necessarily lead to a perfect rekindling.

Reedus continued, telling SFX that he also doesn't think Daryl and Carol's exploits in Europe can easily be concluded by just jettisoning them back to the U.S. In his words:

Now, for all that I can understand the logic behind Norman Reedus’ explanation, I also think that there is indeed at least one way to get Rick and Daryl back together again in a way that not only appeases fans but also works inside the narrative parameters without their respective adventures causing any strife.

Showrunner David Zabel previously talked about having a reunion plan that was discussed with Reedus, and during the TWD: Daryl Dixon panel during San Diego Comic-Con, he explained that the spinoff’s story was intended to last four seasons, and that the ending was put into place early on in the creative process, saying:

It wouldn't take a whole lot of imagination to read into Zabel's comments as possibly teasing an ending that brings Daryl and Carol back into the lives of other familiar TWD characters. (Unless, of course, he's hinting at one or both of those characters dying, which would make the whole reunion idea slightly harder to pull off successfully.)

Before any of that can play out in full, though, we still need Season 3 to arrive on the 2025 TV schedule. Speaking of...

Watch The Season 3 Trailer For The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is among the list of exciting upcoming horror TV shows, and Season 3 will arrive on AMC starting on Sunday, September 7, 2025.

Only mild spoilers below for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s Season 2 finale, for those who haven’t yet watched on AMC or with an AMC+ subscription.

After years of waiting, The Walking Dead fans watched as Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride once again shared the small screen as Daryl and Carol for the second season of AMC’s horror-drama spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Granted, it came only two years after the flagship series’ emotional series finale, but considering McBride was meant to be the Season 1 co-star as well, the gap felt longer. But what about seeing Reedus opposite Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes?

At the moment, that idea is but a mere pipe dream in Walking Dead fans’ heads, but its potential to become a reality was kinda-sorta addressed by Daryl Dixon showrunner David Zabel, who talked to THR about where things wrapped up for Season 2 and teased what the early Season 3 renewal has allowed the creative team to work on thus far during production. What’s more, Zabel sounds extremely optimistic about potentially lasting for many seasons yet to come, saying:

Even if Daryl Dixon's weekly viewership numbers in no way can compare to TWD' s mid-run ratings highs, it's clearly doing well enough to justify plenty of support from AMC and at least one more impending season with European zombies and their evolved brethren. Only two of The Walking Dead spinoffs lasted a single season: the anthologized Tales of..., and the Rick and Michonne reunion drama The Ones Who Live.

Considering both Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln are busy with actor careers and families, and neither spoke much about being 100% in on an extended return to this post-apocalypse, neither of them are fully expected to return. Especially since fans got that glorious shot of Rick and Michonne reuniting with Judith, and R.J. meeting his dad for the first time.

But for those of us who never say never to the possibility of seeing beloved characters popping up anew in this universe, David Zabel's further thoughts about Daryl Dixon's future absolutely point to other familiar faces showing up in this spinoff, even if Rick isn't the one he namechecks. Discussing the all-around lack of story restrictions, he said:

Now, Zabel obviously brought up one of The Walking Dead franchise's other most popular characters, Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, when talking hypothetically about what could happen in a future season of Daryl Dixon. Negan is obviously gearing up raise all kinds of hell in NYC on TWD: Dead City, with Season 2 set to arrive amidst the 2025 TV schedule, so unless that show is already on its last legs, it's not so likely that either Negan or Lauren Cohan's Maggie will span the Atlantic for a crossover episode.

Plus, if we've learned anything from interviews with creatives and actors from Marvel, DC, Star Wars and other entertainment monoliths, it's that nobody gives legitimately organic answers to questions about characters who might return. Because answering randomly could very well spoil future plans that the person answering is entirely unaware of. As such, because Zabel specifically suggested Negan as a potential later-season cameo, no part of me believes that will ever come to pass.

But I do think it theoretically leaves the door open for anyone besides Negan to appear on Daryl Dixon. And while it'd be cool to see him crossing paths again with Lauren Ridloff's Connie and Khary Payton's Ezekiel and others, it remains wild to me that the last time Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln were together as Daryl and Rick was early on in Season 9 back in 2018. And this franchise cannot wrap itself up without more of that.

I fully understand why The Ones Who Live had to get Richonne back on the same fertile ground, but if there's anything else that Rick Grimes needs to do in this fictional world, it's man-hug Daryl again. And like, actually raise his own kids or whatever, but for the purposes of making viewers squeal with glee, Rick should probably start swimming so that he can make it to Europe by the time Season 6's timeline starts off.

Both seasons of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon are available to stream on AMC+.

Celebrities owning restaurants is an old tradition in Hollywood. Sometimes, like Mark Wahlberg, it's a simple burger chain, other times, it's a classy hotel where you can have an elegant meal, like Richard Gere. Everything from tacos to sushi to fried chicken and everything in between. 

Just like people love watching scenes in movies about food, people love to rub elbows with the elite in some of these establishments. Here are 32 actors who own restaurants all over the country. 

Mark Wahlberg - Wahlburgers

The first Wahlburgers opened in Hingham, Massachusetts in 2011. The chain has since grown to dozens of stores all over the country and was the subject of a reality show for 10 seasons on A&E. The chain is collectively owned by three Wahlbergs, including Mark and Donnie, along with their chef brother, Paul. 

Ryan Gosling - Tagline

Ryan Gosling has become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and so it makes sense he would open a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Co-owned by the Barbie star and Chef Ben Benameur, the Moroccan joint serves up delicious food in a cozy atmosphere.

Lady Gaga - Joanne Trattoria

Joanne Germanotta was a beloved aunt to Lady Gaga (whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta). Not only did Gaga name a 2016 album after her, but the family has also opened Joanne Trattoria on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. In true Gaga style, the restaurant is not only a great place for Italian food, but it supports local artists, hosts regular drag shows, and has regular performances by local musicians. 

Robert De Niro - Nobu

Robert De Niro first became a regular at chef Nobu Matsuhisa's LA sushi joint Nobu way back in the 1980s. In the mid-90s, De Niro approached Matsuhisa about opening a New York spot. Nobu opened in 1994 in Tribeca and the company has since become a powerhouse in the hospitality industry, with dozens of restaurants and hotels all over the world. 

Michael Imperioli - Scarlet

White Lotus star Michael Imperioli has dabbled in the restaurant industry for a long time. In the mid-'90s Imperioli and his wife opened a speakeasy-style bar called Ciel Rouge, in Tribeca. Almost 30 years later, and 20 after Ciel Rouge closed in 2005, the couple opened Scarlet on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It sticks with the classy, chill speakeasy vibe that made their first venture successful. 

Sandra Bullock - Walton's Fancy & Staple

Walton's Fancy & Staple in Austin, TX, is pretty much exactly what you would expect from Sandra Bullock. It's an upscale neighborhood place with hearty food and a cheery atmosphere. Walton's is the Speed star's second restaurant in her adopted hometown. The first, Bess Bistro, closed in 2016 after a successful 10-year run. Walton's opened in 2009. 

Ludacris - Chicken And Beer

Is there anything better than good fried chicken and great beer to wash it down? If you're in Atlanta and don't check out Ludacris' place, simply named Chicken and Beer, you're missing out on those two wonderful things that pair so well together.

Norman Reedus - Nic & Norman's

Norman Reedus is famous for playing rough-around-the-edges characters like Daryl in The Walking Dead, but his restaurant is not. Nic & Norman's, which has locations across the Southeast is rustic, but it's not rough in any way. The upscale but relaxed gastropubs are sure to satisfy anyone. 

Susan Sarandon - SPiN

When Susan Sarandon and her fellow investors opened SPiN in 2009, there was a surge in the popularity of table tennis (or ping pong). The fad was pretty short-lived, but the table tennis-focused restaurants have remained successful with multiple locations around the country. 

Dan Aykroyd - House Of Blues

One of Dan Aykroyd's most beloved SNL characters, Elwood Blues of The Blues Brothers, has proven to be more than just a role for the actor. On Thanksgiving Day 1992, Aykroyd and his partner Isaac Tigrett (who founded the Hard Rock Cafe), opened the first House of Blues in Cambridge, MA. It has since grown into one of the largest chains of live music venues in the world, and serves some pretty delicious food, too. 

Eva Longoria - Beso

Eva Longoria can do no wrong on the big and small screens, but she didn't have much luck in the restaurant industry. Her steakhouse in LA, Beso, ran into multiple problems in its short run, though none were the fault of the actress. 

Kevin Hart - Hart House

Kevin Hart's LA chain Hart House was ambitious. He wanted to create an affordable vegan chain, and despite rave reviews, it just couldn't make it in the market. The company closed all of its locations in 2024 after initially finding success. 

Issa Rae - Hilltop Coffee And Kitchen

Issa Rae is a true force of nature both in front of and behind the camera. She's also found success in the food industry. Hilltop Coffee And Kitchen brings high-end coffee vibes to historical Black neighborhoods in LA, like Inglewood and View Park. 

Danny Trejo - Trejo's Tacos

Everyone loves tacos and every loves Danny Trejo. So of course a concept like Trejo's Tacos is sure to work and it has succeeded greatly. The chain has multiple locations across LA and has even spawned a second concept: Trejo's Donuts which also opened to rave reviews. 

Channing Tatum - Saints And Sinners

Saints And Sinners, a bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans co-owned by Channing Tatum was a wild success... at least for a time. The industry is notoriously fickle and Tatum and his partners learned that the hard way when the bar closed in the summer of 2024 after 12 great years. 

Justin Timberlake - The Twelve Thirty Club

Justin Timberlake first dabbled in the food industry in the early teens when he helped design a Memphis-style BBQ joint in New York City called Southern Hospitality. Though he wasn't an owner, he was involved in the concept phase of the place and was a regular there. More recently, he has teamed up with restauranteur Sam Fox to open The Twelve Thirty Club in Nashville. 

Nicholas Braun - Jac’s On Bond

Cousin Greg may not always get the most respect on Succession, but the actor who plays him, Nicholas Braun, sure gets respect in the hospitality industry. Braun is an investor in multiple restaurants in New York City, including a chill bar and restaurant called Jac's on Bond Street in the trendy NoHo neighborhood. 

Zach Braff - Mermaid Oyster Bar

MacDougal Street in New York's Greenwich Village is home to some great restaurants, like the legendary Caffe Reggio and Mamoun's Falafels. It's also where you can find Zach Braff's more upscale, but still laid-back seafood spot appropriately called Mermaid Oyster Bar. 

Anthony Mackie - NoBar

Like others on this list (and in the world), Anthony Mackie has had mixed results as a bar/restaurant owner. His most famous spot, NoBar, opened in Brooklyn in 2011, followed by a second Booklyn location in 2013. Sadly both closed in 2015. 

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis - Planet Hollywood

The granddaddy of all actor-owned restaurants has to be Planet Hollywood. The first Planet Hollywood opened in New York City in 1991. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis, among others, were all investors in the concept and, at least at first, the restaurant was a huge success, opening additional locations across the globe. At its peak, there were upwards of 60 locations in the late '90s, but the fun didn't last. Things started to unravel and the stars started to jump shit and most of the locations, other than their most successful ones, closed. 

Richard Gere - Bedford Post Inn

Legendary actor Richard Gere doesn't just own a restaurant, he owns an 8-room bed and breakfast called the Bedford Post Inn in... appropriately, Bedford, NY. The stylish and quaint inn does include a spot to eat, the Bedford Post Tavern, and the inn and the restaurant both draw all kinds of celebrities for a restful stay or a delicious dinner. 

Robert Redford - Zoom

It shouldn't come as any surprise to learn that Robert Redford's former restaurant in Park City, UT was home to a lot of home to a lot powerbrokers during the Sundance Film Festival for many years. Prior to closing in 2016, the hot spot was where the elite met to eat and strike deals during one of the biggest film festivals in the world. 

Hugh Jackman - Laughing Man Coffee

The origin story for Hugh Jackman's Laughing Man Coffee is one of the best on this list. The Aussie actor and his wife took a trip to Ethiopia to learn more about coffee and how the beans were grown. There, according to the coffee shop's website, Jackman met a coffee farmer named Dukale. Dukale gave Jackman a real hands-on experience and after the trip, he and some partners opened Laughing Man Coffee with the goal of working directly with farmers around the world to bring their coffee to New Yorkers. 

Jon Bon Jovi - Soul Kitchen And JBJ's

Jon Bon Jovi may be most famous for being the voice of the band named after him, but he's dabbled a lot in acting, and a little in the hospitality biz. His first venture was started by his foundation and called Soul Kitchen. The restaurant, located in Red Bank, NJ, sells food for whatever hungry customers can afford. Bon Jovi has also opened a spot on the famous Broadway strip in Nashville called JBJ's which features live music and a full menu, in addition to beer and booze, of course.

Piper Perabo - Jack's Wife Freda

Piper Perabo got her big break playing a bartender in Coyote Ugly and while the New York City chain she's an investor in, called Jack's Wife Frida, doesn't feature half-dressed women dancing on the bar, it's got something even better: delicious Mediterranean food. With five locations across the city, you can always find what you're craving, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Jessica Biel - Au Fudge

Au Fudge, which closed its doors in 2018, was something unique in the celebrity restaurant world - a kid's restaurant. As the name implies, Jessica Biel's spot was all about dessert and candy. It also had all the stuff kids love, like chicken fingers, on the menu. The world needs more of these, right parents?

Debi Mazar - The Tuscan Gun

Debi Mazar and her chef husband's love of food was first shown through a cooking show on the Cooking Channel. They spun that into a Tuscany-themed New York restaurant called The Tuscan Gun. Using chef Mazar's husband Gabriele Corcos' recipes, the Italian joint brought the best of Italy to Williamsburg. 

Quentin Tarantino - Do Hwa

For years, Quentin Tarantino's Korean restaurant Do Hwa brought the delicious flavors of East Asia to the West Village in New York. While very few people would call Tarantino "understated," his restaurant was, in all the best ways. It was cozy and delicious before it closed in 2018.

Jerry Ferrara - Fat Sal's

A sandwich joint called Fat Sal's is just perfect for Entourage star Jerry Ferrara. It sounds exactly like something Turtle would open on the show. Fat Sal's has multiple locations around LA and is a great spot if you want traditional deli sandwiches sold by a guy you can be sure loves them as much as you do. 

Justin Theroux - Ray's

Justin Theroux is a jack of all trades. He's an actor, a writer, and an ex-husband to Jennifer Aniston. He's also a bar owner, along with partner Nicolaus Braun with Ray's on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The dive bar is everything you could ever want in an unpretentious local water hole, which is no surprise, coming from Theroux. 

Ashton Kutcher - Dolce Enoteca E Ristorante

Ashton Kutcher has never been afraid to make risky investments. Some have paid off handsomely, like his early investments in Spotify and Uber. Others haven't worked out so well, like his short-lived Italian spot, Dolce Enoteca E Ristorante. The hot spot worked for a while but it closed in 2020, like so many other restaurants. 

Ty Burrell - The Eating Establishment

Modern Family star Ty Burrell took a slightly different route to restaurant ownership than most of the other actors on his list. Instead of starting a new spot, he bought an old one. The Eating Establishment, which dates back to 1970, was purchased by Burrell and other investors in 2016 and they've continued to run the popular Park City, UT restaurant ever since. 

Eminem - Mom's Spaghetti

Mom's Spaghetti is the perfect kind of place for Eminem to own, right? The Detroit, Michigan-based eatery has name that perfectly describes the food you can get there, and it's taken straight from an Eminem lyric in "Lose Yourself."

Jon Huertas - Clutch

Jon Huertas, best known for playing Brad Alcerro in Sabrina The Teenage Witch, is the proud owner of Clutch Roadhouse in Culver City, CA. Clutch is known for its great food and charitable works, both very important to the This Is Us star. 

In its heyday, AMC's The Walking Dead was one of the most popular shows on television. Since then the franchise has grown with a number of spinoffs, as well as plans for a Rick Grimes movie. But the original series (which is streaming now with a Netflix subscription) has also had its share of criticism. And while people always complain about The Walking Dead Season 2, EP Greg Nicotero has a comment for the naysayers.

While folks are looking forward to upcoming Walking Dead shows, others are still unpacking the events of the original series. One common critique is that not enough happened in Season 2, which the survivors spent on Hershel's farm. While speaking with EW about the long-running franchise, he revealed why that lull in action was so key to the series as a whole. In his words:

Points were made. Season 2 is how Daryl and Carol ended up becoming each other's chosen family, and that remains a fan favorite pairing to this day. And that bond was originally formed during their time at The Farm, where Norman Reedus' signature character spent half the season searching (in vain) for Carol's missing daughter Sophia. Of course, the fandom knows how that ultimately played out.

While Glenn's Walking Dead death remains a controversial part of the show's tenure on the air, the plot of Season 2 has also got its fair amount of criticism over the years. But some important character work was being done during this time, including the love triangle between Shane, Lori, and Rick, as well as the blossoming friendship with Carol and Daryl. The latter relationship is still being explored with its spinoff Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol.

While some fans hoped that Daryl and Carol's relationship would on day become romantic, instead Greg Nicotero and company kept it one of platonic companionship and deep friendship. And that relationship needed Season 2's plot in order to grow. Nothing but respect for zombie Sophia.

Out of all the original Walking Dead cast members, folks probably didn't expect Norman Reedus' Daryl and Melissa McBride's Carol to be the last ones standing. But fans really responded to them, and the way they had each other's backs throughout the apocalyptic drama.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will return for the Carol-centric Season 2 on September 29. For now, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Though AMC has been devoid of zombies (French or otherwise) throughout the 2024 TV schedule so far, that will change with the second season of the upcoming Walking Dead series TWD: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol. When the spinoff arrives in September, fans will witness the direct aftermath of the Season 1 finale, which first revealed the impending arrival of Melissa McBride’s fan-favorite survivor Carol. Now we know more about her voyage, thanks to the SDCC trailer, but it also sparked two further questions.

And that’s not even counting the questions that came along with the Season 3 announcement’s location change. But anyone who hasn’t should check out the trailer below so we’re all on the same page when it comes to what we know about Daryl and Carol’s future plights.

Looks like pure mayhem, and that’s exactly what I want and expect out of this show. I’m sure “Daryl learning French one introspective word at a time” is somewhere else on that list, albeit far lower. Now let’s dive into the two questions that I’ll no doubt still be wondering about by the time we see new episodes on AMC or with an AMC+ subscription, which will hopefully address both in some way.

How Are There Not More Airplanes Out There?

Any Walking Dead franchise fan who stuck it out through the CRM era knows that helicopters have pretty much been mastered in this post-apocalyptic universe. Planes, on the other hand, have always appeared to be a distant-past luxury. Yes, the minisode miniseries Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462 actually took place on a plane, but that was at the onset of the outbreak, and didn't branch into the broader spectrum of air travel.

A few other rare instances have popped up, but not to the extremes of what's taking place in the trailer, which features Carol and her new friend Ash (portrayed by The Resident's Manish Dayal) set to cross the whole damn ocean in seemingly one go. Which right there brings up so many mini-questions, not the least of which is how Carol manages to convince this dude that her particular voyage is the one to throw his whole life at.

But if Carol managed to find "a guy" who has a working plane capable of cross-Atlantic boogeying, how many other possible secret fliers are there in the world, and why haven't we seen more evidence of planes still being used? Obviously giant commercial jets would be highly impractical, but private planes of all kinds would be feasibly useful for survivors with know-how.

Practically, I understand that this is more of a budget and safety issue than a franchise storytelling fault, as it would have been jarring to have two-seaters flying above Rick and Team Family in the early seasons of The Walking Dead proper. But still, with Daryl having made that journey by boat in the first season, it's especially bonkers to have this be the point when a new character reveals "plane" to be their secret weapon.

Also, incidentally, I think metro airports would be extremely fascinating and haunting places to explore within a Walking Dead series. Also very impractical, but theoretically very cool.

Will Daryl And Carol's Reunion Actually Make Any Plausible Sense?

Even though the trailer doesn't fully confirm in its final seconds that it's indeed Carol standing behind Norman Reedus' character, that's the most obvious assumption, and I fully get that this series needs to set these two BFFs up for a fairy tale-esque reunion. (Even more so after McBride chose not to take part in the first season as previously planned.) So I know storytelling leaps will be taken, since the odds against these characters finding each other again are fucking astronomical.

To that end, there's a part of my brain that can only accept this plotline if Carol's big trip somehow takes her directly to wherever Daryl is, because she (also somehow) has access on his exact location. I can buy into a lot of other wishy-washy details if I can lean into a plausible sliver of cause and effect somewhere. But that's not going to be the case here.

Instead, Carol and Ash appear to land in the middle of a zombie-filled nowhere, and have to then attempt to pinpoint where Daryl is. And I KNOW it will happen, and I'm fine with it. But I kind of need the show to very specifically have a character say, "Wow, it's gawdamned amazing that we are together again, because if either of us had died in the past few days, the other person would not have known, and this could have ended up being a hectic and inevitably depressing goose chase for one of us."

If not that in full, then I need there to be some French mathematician in the area to come up with whatever the literal odds would be of them finding each other. Like, I go weeks looking for one of my earbuds, or a shirt that ended up hanging in someone else's closet. If I had to go looking for an earbud or a shirt in Paris after the world ended... Well, that wouldn't be worth a TV show.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol will debut on AMC and AMC+ on September 29, with Season 3 taking the characters to Spain in 2025. Norman Reedus seems ready to stick with the character for as long as things stay fresh, so who knows where Daryl will go in Season 4.

Warning! Spoilers ahead! 

AMC's massive hit The Walking Dead established earlier on that anything could happen at any time, including the worst. Still, a number of characters made it quite a long time. While none of the cast members on the show appeared in all 177 episodes of the show, here are the actors who appeared in the most episodes of The Walking Dead. 

Norman Reedus (175 Episodes)

Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, was a fan favorite almost from the very beginning, and by the end of the show, he was hands down the most popular character. Reedus was amazing as the gruff, tough-as-nails survivor and he appeared in more episodes than any other actor, 175 in total. He also returned in the follow-up show The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Melissa McBride (174 Episodes)

The character on The Walking Dead that had the most incredible character arc has to be Carol played by Melissa McBride. Carol was a fairly meek housewife to an abusive husband. She didn't stay the way and by the end of the show's run, and McBride's 175 episodes, she was someone you definitely wanted to have on your side against the zombies. 

Lauren Cohan (144 Episodes)

It's hard to believe that viewers didn't meet Maggie Greene Rhee until the second season when the survivors reached the farm. Still, actress Lauren Cohan appeared in the third-most episodes by the end, 144 in total. Though she had one of the most tragic story arcs, she comes out on top at the very end, proving how tough she really was.  

Christian Serratos (130 Episodes)

Fans of The Walking Dead aren't introduced to Rosalita, played by Christian Serratos, until Season 4 and Serratos didn't become a main cast member until the following season. From then on though, she becomes a key survivor right up until the very end when she becomes the final victim of the zombies on the show, after 130 episodes.

Josh McDermitt (130 Episodes)

Josh McDermitt's character, Eugene, is one of the most interesting characters on the show. At first, he's weak, selfish, and spineless, but he eventually grows into one of the most capable survivors on the show, using his smarts to help out in many ways. 

Danai Gurira (126 Episodes)

From the first time viewers see Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, until the end of the show, she was among the most beloved and awesome characters. Though she wasn't introduced until the end of Season 2, Gurira appeared in 126 episodes over the final 10 seasons. And she wasn't someone you ever wanted to mess with.

Seth Gilliam (125 Episodes)

Former cast member of The Wire Seth Gilliam plays one of the more controversial characters, the priest Gabriel Stokes. Though he didn't join the show until Season 5, he played a huge role, both good and bad, with the survivors over the final seven seasons. 

Andrew Lincoln (121 Episodes)

If there is a main character of The Walking Dead, at least in the first nine seasons, it's Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln. He's the de facto leader at almost every point in the show, and the father of two kids. At the end of Season 9 Grimes disappears and at the end of Season 11 it's revealed he's still alive, but only a little is revealed about where he ends up until the follow-up show, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Ross Marquand (116 Episodes)

Audiences first meet Ross Marquand's character Aaron when he recruits the survivors to join the community he's a part of in Alexandria. From Season 5, when he is introduced, until the end of the show, Aaron is a key character who appeared in a total of 116 episodes. 

Chandler Riggs (109 Episodes)

Carl Grimes was, other than his infant sister, the youngest member of the group of main survivors. Rick's son, played by Chandler Riggs, was a key character in both the TV and in the comic books, though his run on the show ended before the character's arc is over in the comic books. Riggs left the show in dramatic fashion after 109 episodes to attend college. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (95 Episodes)

The Walking Dead became known for introducing a big baddie in every season, but no one was ready for Negan, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. As the leader of The Saviors, Negan is absolutely brutal, and within minutes of meeting him, he commits the two most horrific murders in the show's entire history. His character arc is fascinating, however, and it meant he lasted 95 episodes, right up until the end. 

Alanna Masterson (87 Episodes)

Tara Chambler, played by actress Alanna Masterson, starts out as a follower of the antagonist known as The Governor but soon realizes he's a bad person. During the attack on the prison by the survivors, Tara switches sides and ends up an important member of the survivors before she is attacked and killed in Season 9, after appearing in 87 episodes. 

Khary Payton (83 Episodes)

Khary Payton introduction as King Ezekiel in the seventh season was a big moment. Not only did was it a dramatic shot, with him sitting with his tiger, but it brought in a character that would become a key player over the next 83 episodes. 

Steven Yeun (81 Episodes)

The Walking Dead was famous for the brutal deaths of some of its most beloved characters and at the top of that list is Glenn's horrifying death at the hands of Nega in the Season 7 premiere. It was hard to stomach, and even harder to take, emotionally. Actor Steven Yeun's character was a fan favorite and after 81 episodes, suddenly he was gone. 

Cooper Andrews (81 Episodes)

Actor Cooper Andrews' character Jerry is the kind of character everyone loves. He's a bit of a goof, but dedicated and loyal to his people, and very capable. Though the character wasn't introduced until Season 8 and wasn't a main cast member until 10, Andrews still appeared in 81 episodes. 

Sonequa Martin-Green (70 Episodes)

Sasha, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, who appeared in 70 episodes was a character created for the show, rather than in the comic book from which The Walking Dead was adapted. Still, Sasha becomes an incredibly important character from Season 3 when we meet her until her heroic death at the end of Season 8.

Eleanor Matsuura (58 Episodes)

Eleanor Matsuura, who plays Yumiko, is a late joiner to the cast, not appearing until the 9th Season. Still, she proves her worth quickly and appears in almost every episode from there out, a total of 58. 

Nadia Hilker (56 Episodes)

One of the new characters introduced in Season 9 is Magna, played by actress Nadia Hilker. She's a tough customer who seemingly trusts very few people, and who can blame her after surviving the zombie apocalypse for as long as she has. She also survives the final battle in Alexandria at the of Season 11 and is seen living happily with her girlfriend, Yumiko, after 56 episodes on the show. 

Lauren Ridloff (56 Episodes)

Along with Magna and Yumiko, Lauren Ridloff's character Connie is a tough survivor who joined the show in Season 9. Like those characters Connie appears in most of the final three seasons, a total of 56 episodes. 

Callan McAuliffe (55 Episodes)

 Alden, played by Callan McAuliffe, was a member of the brutal Saviors when viewers met him, but he eventually switches sides and teams up with the Hilltop Community led by Maggie. In all, he ended up in most of the final shows in the final 4 seasons, a total of 55 episodes. 

Cassady McClincy Zhang (54 Episodes)

Lydia is a character who is quite different in the show than she is in the comics, mostly due to the changed story arc of her love interest in the books, Carl Grimes. In the show, she is introduced in Season 9 when she is taken captive by Michonne and Daryl. She ends the series alive, 54 episodes later. She was played by Cassady McClincy Zhang.

Cailey Fleming (53 Episodes)

The youngest member of the main cast was Cailey Fleming, who played the older Judith Grimes in seasons 10 and 11, a total of 53 episodes. Of course, the character appears in way more episodes going back to the very beginnings of the show, but for years, she was a baby, presumably played by different people and definitely not played by Fleming.

Lennie James (52 Episodes)

Morgan, played by Lennie James, is one of the earliest characters viewers meet in the show, though he remains an enigma and only occasionally appeared in the early days. James became a main character in Season 6, and in total appeared in 52 episodes over the first 8 seasons of the show before he leaves the group. The character became the protagonist in the first spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead. 

Emily Kinney (50 Episodes)

Emily Kinney played Beth Greene in 50 episodes of The Walking Dead. She was Herschel's daughter and Maggie's half-sister. She was introduced on the show when Rick and the rest of the survivors got to the Greene farm. Initially, Kinney had a much smaller role than those of her family members, but by Season 4 she had become a full-time cast member. It wasn't for long though, as Beth was killed by Dawn in one heck of a disastrous moment that also saw Daryl kill Dawn. 

Katelyn Nacon (50 Episodes)

The second-to-last episode of Season 10 of The Walking Dead is a brutal one. The mysterious character called Alpha proves to be a brutal baddie when it's revealed that her people, The Whispers, have killed a number of people, including Enid, played by Katelyn Nacon. Nacon portrayed Enid in 50 episodes, starting in Season 5. 

Tom Payne (45 Episodes)

The Hilltop Community becomes one of the most important settlements in the post-apocalyptic world and viewers of the show, and the core survivors, are introduced to it by Paul "Jesus" Rovia, who was played by Tom Payne for 45 episodes, starting in Season 7. Jesus is both a spy and an ambassador of sorts for the Hilltop folks, who ends up recruiting and fighting with Rick and the others against The Saviors. Sadly, he doesn't make it past Season 9 when he is killed by The Whisperers. 

Michael Cudlitz (38 Episodes)

What can we say about Abraham Ford? Played by the great Michael Cudlitz who first found major fame on TV as a member of the cast of Band of Brothers, Abraham was a fan favorite from the first time viewers met him in Season 4. That made his death in the Season 7 premiere, after starring in 38 Episodes, at the hands of Negan incredibly heartbreaking. 

Scott Wilson (38 Episodes)

Everyone loves their grandfather and in a way, that's who Scott Wilson's character Herschel Greene represented on the show. The patriarch of Maggie and Beth's family, Herschel is tough, he's fair, and he's righteous. Introduced on the farm in Season 2, Herschel is killed by The Governor in Season 4, after appearing in 38 episodes. 

Austin Amelio (36 Episodes)

Dwight, played by Austin Amelio, always seemed like a reluctant, if brutal, member of Negan's group, The Saviors. With his badly scarred face, he was a standout character for 36 episodes before Amelio left The Walking Dead to join the spinoff Fear The Walking Dead. 

Kerry Cahill (36 Episodes)

For a character that appeared in 36 Episodes of the show, Dianne, played by Kerry Cahill, is the least developed on this list. Cahill is first seen in The Kingdom, playing one of the community's best soldiers, a skill she later takes to the Hilltop Community. For the rest of the series, she is part of many battles, but we never learn too much about her. 

Sarah Wayne Callies (35 Episodes)

Sarah Wayne Callies plays Lori Grimes, Rick's wife, and mother to Carl and Judith. In the first three seasons, she's one of the most important characters on the show and gets herself stuck in a love triangle between Rick, whom she believed was dead, and Rick's best friend, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal). During Season 3, Lori is forced to give birth to Judith via C-section, and without proper medical facilities, the procedure kills her in one of the hardest moments of the show to watch. In total, Callies appeared in 35 episodes.

Laurie Holden (35 Episodes)

Actor Laurie Holden is one of the original cast members of the show, playing Andrea from the earliest episodes. At the end of Season 2, she gets separated from the rest of the survivors at the farm and is saved by Michonne. Both end up at Woodbury with The Governor, who Andrea grows close to. Trusting him was a mistake as she is eventually taken prisoner by him which leads to her death at the hands of a walker towards the end of Season 3 after 35 appearances. 

The first season of AMC's Daryl Dixon spinoff – appropriately called The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – premiered just shy of one year ago. Fans didn't have to doubt for long about whether a Season 2 would arrive in the 2024 TV schedule, as Norman Reedus' show was renewed before the first season even premiered. AMC continued that trend at San Diego Comic-Con this year with the announcement that the series has been renewed for Season 3, more than a month before Season 2 premieres. There are even already plot details for the third season, some of which are... well, kind of puzzling.

The renewal itself isn't a shocker, as Norman Reedus recently established that he's open to playing Daryl for several more years still. The surprise is that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's cast and story are relocating from France to Spain, with production also moving to Spain, where it will be based in Madrid with extensive further on-location shooting. Talk about a major change!

And I'm no geography superstar, but ending up in Spain doesn't exactly indicate that Daryl and Carol's efforts to get home will be successful! In the press release that announced the renewal, AMC gave this description of Season 3:

I'm sure there will be plenty of answers in Season 2, but I'm just really confused about what takes Daryl and Carol to Spain for the third season. Travel in the zombie apocalypse isn't exactly straightforward, and it's unlikely that they'll find any of their loved ones in Madrid. I'm also a little bit bummed out that the description already confirms that Daryl and Carol will be alive and well enough to be traveling together heading into Season 3.

That's not to say that I'm not excited by the idea of the two Walking Dead characters reuniting and sticking together after Melissa McBride's appearance at the end of Season 1, but the announcement does remove some of the suspense about whether the characters will survive another season of the Walking Dead franchise without also being split up.

Was it always a safe bet that both Daryl and Carol would survive a season titled The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol? Sure, but I like some suspense in my zombie apocalypse drama, and news of the surprising move to Spain for both characters takes some of that away. In a statement about Season 3, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks Dan McDermott said:

Norman Reedus commented that he "couldn’t be more thrilled to announce a third season and to be working side by side with the brilliant Melissa McBride," while McBride said that she's "really appreciating the new challenges for Daryl and Carol being so far from all they’ve ever known." And according to Scott Gimple, the chief content officer of The Walking Dead universe, "What’s to come in Spain may even surpass" what happens in France.

Production on Season 3 will begin in August, which places it a month before the premiere of Season 2. Whether or not you're as puzzled as I am about what has been confirmed already for the third season, we can all enjoy the newly-released trailer for Season 2:

Tune in to AMC on Sunday, September 29 at 9 p.m. ET for the Season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. You can watch the first season now with the AMC+ streaming service. If you want to revisit Daryl and Carol's dynamic in the original series, you can find all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead streaming via a Netflix subscription.

AMC's zombie universe continues to survive through several upcoming Walking Dead TV shows, right around two years after the flagship series ended. With the fan-favorite spinoff TWD: Daryl Dixon, Norman Reedus is set to once again reprise his role as the titular hunter for its second season. While it’s hard for fans to tell how long the show could go on for, Reedus is actually prepared to continue playing Daryl for quite a long time, and I am pleasantly surprised.

Playing the same character for a lengthy amount of time can get tiring, which can play into stars exiting hit shows to take on less time-intensive projects. That doesn't appear to be the case with Reedus at this point, however. While I'd expected Reedus to move on to other projects pre-Daryl Dixon, and wouldn't have been shocked for him to end up as one of The Walking Dead's most heartbreaking deaths, his French excursion has added new life to this franchise, and so long as the "new" side of things is maintained, he has no plans to step away from a role he's been playing since 2010. He told Mr Feelgood this when asked to put a number to it:

It’s great that Reedus wants to keep playing Daryl for what could be a total of two decades, and it makes sense that he’d want to do something different each time, if possible. With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon more so focusing on Daryl being in France and why as he tries to get back home, it’s in a different territory than the original series and it’s already been exciting to watch.

That being said, how many more separate storylines they will be able to come up with is a different obstacle. It seems like the Walking Dead universe has no trouble cranking out new shows beyond the original series, but there’s only so much you can tell without forcing it. It also helps that the Daryl Dixon cast is mostly fresh faces. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon did just premiere last year, with the second season airing this fall on the 2024 TV schedule, and it’s always possible that the show could last a while so you never know what could happen.

At the very least, Norman Reedus has been able to take on other roles while filming TWD and Daryl Dixon, including 2023’s The Bikeriders and the upcoming John Wick spinoff film, John Wick Presents: Ballerina, not to mention his travel series, Ride with Norman Reedus. So he's definitely staying busy and keeping things fresh outside of the post-apocalypse, so hopefully that'll help him keep things outside the box to stick with Daryl for as many more years as he can handle it. Pending new and exciting storylines, naturally.

Even though Reedus has had a mindset of playing Daryl Dixon for a long time for years, even he's said several times in his career that one never knows what can happen in the future. Hopefully, he does continue playing Daryl for as long as he can or at least until it seems like Daryl’s story has properly wrapped. For now, fans will be able to continue watching the series when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 premieres on AMC on September 29.

When you think about Norman Reedus, the first show that likely pops into your head is The Walking Dead. The actor has been playing Daryl Dixon within that franchise since 2010, and he’s still going strong as the character in the critically acclaimed The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. So, it makes sense that when he takes roles in other projects, he wants to look totally different. Recently, we learned about how that came into play in his film on the 2024 movie schedule, The Bikeriders, and why his legendary character impacted his filthy look in Jeff Nichols’ film.

The Bikeriders director, Jeff Nichols, noted that Reedus very specifically asked to not look like his Walking Dead character when they were creating the look for Funny Sonny, which makes sense. The director went on to elaborate on how they came up with Reedus’ filthy look, telling Variety:

In this movie, Reedus really looks nothing like himself. While he’s still rocking the long hair he’s had for years, he also has a shaggy beard and rotted teeth that almost make him unrecognizable – as you can catch a glimpse of in The Bikeriders trailer. This look also totally disconnects him from Daryl, as you can see when you compare his look in his latest outing as his TWD character and his transformation in Nichols’ drama:

We’ve seen actors make decisions about their looks like this before to curb typecasting and association with other parts. For example, Daniel Radcliffe told Wired that he’s very involved when it comes to picking glasses for roles because he wants to make sure they aren’t too round and Harry Potter-like.

The job of an actor is to transform into a character, not bring us the same look and vibe every single time. Reedus wanted to make sure that happened with his Bikeriders role, and I’m happy he did, because if he didn’t look so rugged, my first thought would be about Daryl.

Plus, he’s still playing Daryl Dixon. Following The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s renewal last year, it will premiere Season 2 on the 2024 TV schedule on Sunday, September 29. So, I get why the actor wanted to totally change up his look for this movie.

When it comes to The Bikeriders, critics have been impressed by the “intoxicating atmosphere” and transformative performances, which just from the photos, you can see that Norman Reedus contributes to that with his wild look.

To see Norman Reedus in The Bikeriders, you can catch it in theaters now. To see him back looking like himself and Daryl Dixon, you can catch the second season of The Walking Dead spinoff this fall on AMC+.

From rom-coms to musicals to holiday movie schedules and beyond, TV and film provide a lot of mood-lifting fodder for those who aren’t feeling quite at their best. But as far as my own frowns are concerned, few things can flip them around faster than the palpable buddy-vibes oozing from Keanu Reeves and Norman Reedus during their shared episode of the latter’s AMC series Ride. The two actors have always come across as the most unpretentious celebrities possible, and the installment makes for some truly heartwarming viewing for anyone who needs something to smile about. And it doesn’t even take the whole ep to do the trick, as there are clips online that offer quick jolts of Ted Logan-esque zen. 

Keanu Reeves made his debut in the four-episode sixth season of Ride with Norman Reedus, and it felt like he should have been the natural co-lead from the start. (Maybe in Season 7, AMC. Hint. Hint.) The episode takes place in Utah, with Reedus noting right from the start that he’s riding around the state with Johnny Utah himself, in reference to the beloved character Reeves portrays in the skydiving action romp Point Break. But it’s The Matrix films that perhaps unsurprisingly are the first from the actor’s filmography to come up, as seen in the clip below, which seems like it’s going to veer into some sincerely deep talk before it all reverts back to loud silliness.  

Considering how much Norman Reedus’ motorcycle love bled into his Walking Dead character’s connection to that mode of transportation, it’s almost a wonder that Reeves’ film career isn’t full of characters who are known for zipping around, since he co-founded the company ARCH Motorcycle in 2011. (Scenes from Chain Reaction, John Wick 3 and the Matrix franchise being notable exceptions.) In the clip below, he talks about why he got into the hobby, even though he’s not a self-professed “speed demon.” 

While those obviously center on fairly straightforward episode footage that taps into specific conversation moments between Keanu Reeves and Norman Reedus, the multi-clip video below is the truest mood-lifter of them all, since there's so much about it that just screams, "Aw, shucks, pal." We should all be so lucky to have a Reedus or Reeves in our lives. 

Seriously, every time the Bill and Ted star is reading from a landmark plaque or speaking Wikipedia facts from memory (while admitting that he's probably getting them wrong), it makes me wish there was like a Keanu Reeves travel buddy hologram that could be used on vacations across the country, or even just a trip to the grocery story. 

Now, Reedus has been accompanied by a wild assortment of guest stars throughout the six seasons of Ride thus far, from his TWD fam (Andrew Lincoln, Michael Rooker, and more) to his Boondock Saints co-star Sean Patrick Flanery to comedian Dave Chappelle to MCU vet Josh Brolin and beyond, with Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda closing out the first season. And the other Season 6 guests included Yellowstone and Lost vet Josh Holloway and Jackass icon Johnny Knoxville, who could have both easily also served as go-to good mood medicine if the Reeves episode had not been in the mix. But it was, and it’s about as perfect as comfort TV can get.

Ride with Norman Reedus wrapped up its truncated Season 6 run in October, but all episodes can be streamed in full with an AMC+ subscription. While waiting for next season to come roaring down the highway, head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what else is debuting in the meantime. 

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the Season 1 finale for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned!

Thanks to the festivities happening at New York Comic-Con, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon dropped some huge news that seemed to point a finger at what fans could expect to see in the Season 1 finale, with TWD vet Melissa McBride officially arriving in Season 2 for a full arc as Carol. The actress did grace the screen as the beloved survivor at the end of “Coming Home,” and it was pretty awesome, but I’m not sure it fully balanced out the oddball quasi-cliffhanger set up by Laurent interrupting Daryl’s attempt to cut and run, and the lack of any kind of conclusion for main antagonist Genet and her experiments. 

Now let’s dig into the nitty gritty of Carol’s in-person return, as well as the unexpected ways the stories closed out for the season’s hero and villain, with an eye on how this episode could inform how things play out in other upcoming Walking Dead TV shows.

Carol’s Back To Badass Basics, But To What End?

Following her voice-only return in Episode 105, which set up a “Who came back?” mini-mystery, Melissa McBride was in Carol mode on screen for the first time since she said goodbye to her scruffy BFF in The Walking Dead’s emotional series finale. Nothing too cryptic about the sequence, which basically had her arriving near Freeport, the spot where Daryl radioed her from, and teaching a lesson to the goon who was in possession of a very familiar motorcycle.

But what happens next for her? It’s assumed that she took off looking for him after he didn’t make his “back in a week” deadline, but how far is Carol set to travel to find him? If she stumbles across a similar scenario where walkers are being gathered up for experiments, will she decide to cross the whole-ass Atlantic Ocean on just the chance of stumbling across him down the line? Or will her curiosity take over and have her trying to get to the bottom of that situation stateside?

Basically, I’m wondering if fans will be waiting nearly the entire season to see Reedus and McBride together again, or if the spinoff’s creative team will figure out a way to steamroll through the middle bits to pair them up early on. I know what I’m hoping, anyway, and it absolutely involves Carol and Isabelle sizing each other up the first time they meet. 

Does Anyone Believe Daryl Won't Save Laurent?

Rarely does The Walking Dead franchise leave me completely flummoxed the way I felt when watching the final minutes of the Season 1 finale that played out before Carol’s return. Daryl shared a difficult goodbye with Isabelle, and left a farewell message for the sleeping Laurent before heading out on the first leg of his planned journey back to the U.S. With the ship in the distance and an escape in his grasp, Daryl had to fight off a rather unrealistically large swath of walkers suddenly rising up from the tall grass, but not even that struggle was enough to stop his progress. 

• RELATED: The Story Behind Why The Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon Never Appeared In Robert Kirkman's Comic Book

Then dropped the other shoe, as Laurent popped up out of nowhere hollering Daryl’s name from atop the grassy incline in the direct middle of all the still shambling undead. Why didn’t Laurent just quietly dodge the zombies and meet up with Daryl directly instead of yelling and putting himself directly in harm’s way? It’s not like the latter was stepping onto the boat or anything; there was still plenty of time. In fact, there was enough time for Daryl to mentally run through the dilemma a few times as he looked back and forth between the boat and Laurent.

Due to the lack of panic involved, I couldn’t quite figure out if this was actually meant to serve as a legitimate cliffhanger for the finale, as it wasn’t entirely clear if Daryl realized how many walkers were closing in on the messianic lad. Clearly, Reedus’ character isn’t just going to ignore the kid in order to hit the high seas, considering he spent so many episodes trying to usher Laurent to safety. So does that mean he’s considering taking the boy with him to the U.S., or is Daryl just struggling with knowing that he’ll have to tell the people on the boat that their trip was pointless? Maybe the true cliffhanger is actually for whoever’s piloting the boat.

No Closure For Genet Or Her Zombie Experiments

As much as I wholly enjoyed watching Daryl adapt to life with Isabelle and the other protagonists, Anne Charrier’s Madame Genet never really sat well with me as the overarching villain, in part because her immediate motivations as the Pouvoir Du Vivant leader were murky at best. She’s in charge of Wildfire Virus experiments that seek out walkers from across the globe for test subjects, yet those tests don’t seem to have produced any winning formulas, considering Daryl and Quinn dispatched the modified monsters without things getting too strenuous. (Quinn took a fatal blow, but whatever.) 

So her science team sucks, and her army suffered a barrage of casualties going after Laurent and Daryl, even though Genet’s enforcers really only had one job: being more violent and badass than whoever they came up against. In the end, Genet is still aiming to find her targets, without anything getting resolved for her story, but at what point will it make more sense to her to back off and taper off the body count?

While we’re at it, I have to say I’m also quite a bit disappointed by the way Romain Levi’s soldier Codron ended things. Not in the sense that I truly wished he’d followed orders and murdered Laurent and possibly others in cold blood; I’m fine with his conscience not suffering for morally heinous choices in that vein. But I don’t really understand why this dude so hellbent on avenging his brother’s death not only spared Laurent & Co., but then felt that murdering his fellow soldiers was an additionally great move, despite knowing he’d have to answer for it later. It should have taken an entire episode to genuinely steer him into redemptive behavior.

All that said, I still thought it was a fun and exciting way for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon to wrap up its first six-episode chapter, and I can’t wait to see where things go in Season 2 once Carol presumably becomes more entrenched in the overall story. For now, the season is completed, but can still be streamed with an AMC+ subscription. And head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and upcoming shows are on the way.

The Walking Dead universe has been going strong on AMC this fall thanks to Norman Reedus' return as Daryl Dixon, although the zombie apocalypse in France has presented a whole new slew of challenges from what fans saw him face in the eleven seasons of the original show. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was originally supposed to be a spinoff centered on Melissa McBride's Carol as well as Reedus as Daryl before McBride backed out. Now, McBride is set to return in a big way for Season 2, and I'm unexpectedly flashing back to Disney+'s Star Wars shows. 

No, it's not because Daryl's unexpected trip to France will be outdone by Carol hunting zombies in outer space. AMC revealed at New York Comic Con that Season 2 of the spinoff will be called The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, and any Star Wars fan with a Disney+ subscription can probably guess why I immediately starting thinking about the galaxy far, far away. IGN reports that Melissa McBride will be a series regular as Carol in Season 2, intended for a 2024 premiere. The actress said this in a statement: 

There are far more questions than answers about how Carol could enter the story of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon with the title character in France, although McBride had a voice cameo in the most recent episode that has already resulted in theories. It's the Season 2 title of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol that immediately had me thinking of Disney+'s The Book of Boba Fett, which was a spinoff of The Mandalorian. 

When the Boba Fett show was announced, some fans speculated that it would actually be the third season of The Mandalorian simply with a different title and different lead, but it turned out to be a (mostly) solo series with The Mandalorian's main character guest-starring. I'm not suggesting that The Book of Carol as Season 2 of TWD: Daryl Dixon will feel like a totally separate show with Norman Reedus having a hugely reduced presence, but it seems safe to say that the next batch of episodes will be very different. 

Of course, the original idea for the spinoff was to have Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as co-leads, so one question is whether the team behind the scenes will be able to repurpose any of the early plans for Season 2. McBride pulled out of the spinoff back in 2022 because she wouldn't be able to relocate to Europe for filming; it remains to be seen if the actress was able to make the move to France for the second season or her scenes will be filmed back in the U.S.

For now, fans can at least hope that some answers will be available sooner rather than later. The Season 1 finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will air on Sunday, October 15 on AMC and stream on AMC+ at 9 p.m. ET. With the penultimate episode dropping a clue about Carol, I for one am hoping that we get an on-screen appearance from Melissa McBride before the final credits roll on Season 1. 

With Season 2 not expected until 2024, you can check out our 2023 TV schedule for some upcoming viewing options, including the return of Fear the Walking Dead for its final round of episodes.

Norman Reedus is one of the most popular actors to ever star in a comic book adaptation. He's highly regarded for his work as a member of AMC’s The Walking Dead cast and is still solidifying his place in pop culture as the lead of his own spin-off, TWD: Daryl Dixon. Years before he received that notoriety though, he appeared as Scud in Blade II and, in 2013, lent his voice to the Marvel anime movie, Iron Man: Rise of Technovore as Frank “The Punisher” Castle” before his buddy, Jon Bernthal, took on the role. However, Reedus has never actually played a character created for comics in a live-action adaptation, as neither Daryl Dixon nor Scud originated from their respective titles’ source material.

Well, I would say it's about time the actor — who's also known for other notable non-Daryl performances such as Murphy MacManus in 1999's The Boondock Saints — should get the chance. One of the ways he could do that is by landing a role in an upcoming Marvel movie (or TV show, even). Of course, some of his biggest fans may be aware that his theoretical induction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has already been a widely discussed topic for a while now and folks have a certain character in mind for him to play, with even the man himself expressing interest in it. So, that's where we'll begin our discussion of Marvel characters Reedus would be perfect to play.

Ghost Rider

In 2016, while promoting his travel reality show, AMC's Ride, Norman Reedus was asked if he would be interested in joining the MCU as a character who, like the man himself, has a thing for motorcycles: Ghost Rider. The actor responded with a “Hell yeah,” which later brought forth fan art imagining the casting and more recently, viral rumors suggesting it had become a reality. As of now, there's been no official confirmation that Reedus will be cinema’s next "Bonehead" but, if it happens, the question that remains is, which one?

The hog-riding demon hunter with a skeletal, incendiary appearance has been portrayed in live-action twice so far. But each interpretation was a different character who's held the mantle. The hero of 2007’s big screen adaptation, Ghost Rider, and its 2011 sequel, subtitled Spirit of Vengeance, was Johnny Blaze, played by Nicolas Cage. Following that, Gabriel Luna played the Robbie Reyes iteration on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Considering how the latter already, technically, counts as the MCU’s “Spirit of Vengeance,” Blaze could still be up for grabs. However, if I were in charge, I'd have the second rider to own the mantle: Danny Ketch, who's known for his distinct blue flame and would be perfect for the TWD actor.

Zombie

Norman Reedus’ well-known interest in motorcycles is a characteristic he also shares with Daryl Dixon. That fact just further pushes the demand to see him play Ghost Rider one day. However, the “Spirit of Vengeance” isn't the only Marvel character his role on the phenomenally popular zombie survival TV show inspired me to consider for him. Fans of the comic book publisher’s more horror-based content might know exactly where I'm going with this.

Simon Garth was, at one time, a self-centered businessman until his personal gardener murdered him. Yet, he was ultimately resurrected as a decrepit, undead seeker of justice by a voodoo priest. Considering how the MCU has started adopting dark and spookier elements of comic book lore, I think the aptly named Zombie would fit right in. He could even help spark the franchises’ official introduction of the Howling Commandos — not Captain America’s World War II-era team, but a crew of classic monster characters employed by S.H.I.E.L.D. I figured the Air actor would be a good fit because, after more than a decade of acting alongside people dressed as the undead, it might be about time he see things from their perspective.

Hannibal King

As mentioned, the actor previously joined a superhero film by way of the second installment in the original Blade movie trilogy. In the Guillermo del Toro-directed 2002 action flick, he portrayed Scud — a friend and weapons expert, who aids the titular vampire hunter (Wesley Snipes). Considering his connection to the IP already, it might be fun to see him show up in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Blade reboot alongside two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, who will play the lead role. However, this time, I would recommend casting him as a character who actually existed in the comics beforehand.

The first related character to come to my mind in that regard is Hannibal King, who was previously played by Ryan Reynolds in one of the Deadpool star’s first comic book movies -- 2003’s Blade: Trinity. Like the Daywalker, King also has vampire blood running through his veins, but he uses his abilities as a motivator to fight against his kind. That is precisely what makes him a worthy ally and a character of great intrigue that I imagine the Bikeriders star would enjoy sinking his teeth into.

Bug

Before he starred in Blade II, Norman Reedus starred in one of the earliest and best of Guillermo del Toro's movies, Mimic. The 1998 creature feature is about a horde of mutated cockroaches that are not only the size of human beings but can even appear to resemble a human’s form. I figured, since this movie gave Reedus some experience working on a story about really big bugs, the MCU could give him yet another opportunity to see things from his on-screen enemies’ perspective.

First introduced in 1978, the aptly named “Bug” is part of an alien race known as the Insectivorids, which — you guessed it — means he possesses various abilities similar to those of an insect. He's been known to cross paths with Ant-Man, so Scott Lang could be a fun conduit through which to introduce him. Or he could even team up with an even more iconic buggy hero, Spider-Man. However (or whenever) he's inducted into the MCU, Norman Reedus potentially being tapped for the role could quickly make the character a legend. 

Knull

Another one of the veteran performer's more recent notable roles comes from a popular video game called Death Stranding, from acclaimed creator Hideo Kojima. The actor plays Sam Porter -- a man who is genetically unable to die, which gave me the idea to fancast him as a character who is known for his immunity to death, among other things. It would also give the star the chance to play one of his darkest roles yet.

The role in question is Knull — an eldritch god who also has the ability to manipulate people’s minds, shapeshift into whatever form he chooses, and even create a new life out of thin air. He has the means to be a villain of great prowess in the MCU, and that is an honor I imagine Norman Reedus would be happy to accept.

You know, years ago, I imagined what superhero characters the Walking Dead cast should play, and the role I had in mind for Norman Reedus was The Punisher. Of course, since that likely won't happen now, any of these roles would make a great consolation… unless he accepts the chance to be in any of the upcoming DC movies instead.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched.

When The Walking Dead’s latest spinoff series was first announced, the idea was for it to center on both Norman Reedus’ Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol, though plans surprisingly changed when the actress backed out of the project ahead of production. Show creator David Zabel previously teased that her beloved character would possibly be popping up TWD:Daryl Dixon at some point during the first season, and that cameo was unveiled during Episode 105, “Deux Amours,” in a way that added a new wrinkle to the mystery behind why Daryl is so intent on making his way back to the U.S. as relatively quickly as possible.

For those who may not have watched, or may have somehow immediately forgotten what just happened, let’s take a closer look at Melissa McBride’s vocal return, and what her message to Daryl may have been about. 

What Daryl Learned From Carol

With this penultimate Season 1 episode, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon finally answered a big season premiere question by showing viewers the exact events that led Norman Reedus’ survivor to calling a lifeboat his home away from home before he washed ashore in France. Basically, he was recruited into a group of total shitbirds located in Maine who were tasked with rounding up walkers of specific ages and sizes for future experiments across the pond. (That’s a whole other list of theories.) Before things went haywire, though, Daryl managed to successfully get in contact with Carol, who came across as weirdly put off by the whole conversation.

• RELATED: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Delivered The Most Hilariously Horrifying Zombie Moment In Franchise History, And I’m Still Chuckling In Awe
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It sounded like good ol’ Carol when she asked about him and his current location, but her tone noticeably shifted whenever he asked the same questions. She said things were “pretty quiet,” and that it “just takes some getting used to,” though viewers were left in the dark about what she was talking about. Was she possibly referring to Daryl having left, or is there another major change we don’t know about yet?

In any case, Daryl promised to get back to her in a week, which will no doubt be a broken promise in due time. But Carol’s final words are the ones that sparked the most curiosity, as their radio connection became conveniently choppy during what was seemingly the most important point in her message, as seen below:

Though he wasn't able to secure a successful connection again, Daryl's takeaway from that convo was the return of someone. And while the moment wasn't played in the most dramatic fashion possible, the rising volume and tension of the music made it clear that information was vital in one way or another. Thus, the speculation began. 

Theory 1: Carol Wasn't Talking About Rick Or Michonne

One of the most hopeful guesses to throw out into the universe in this instance would be Rick and Michonne, since they’re the still-living Walking Dead characters who have been gone the longest from the core narrative, outside of Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira’s brief returns in TWD’s series finale. Plus, TWD: Daryl Dixon had by that point already pricked viewers’ ears by having Laurent pray not just for Carol, but for R.J., Judith, Connie and Ezekiel, jamming echoes of Richonne right into our super-delicious brains. I mean, uh, our super-deductive brains. [covers possible bite marks with sleeve]

But if that actually was the case, and Rick and Michonne showed up on Team Family’s doorstep after years of being gone, I have to think that’s how Carol would have excitedly started that radio conversation with Daryl, as opposed to saying things were just okay. In fact, I’d go so far as to say if it ends up that Carol did say “Rick and Michonne came back,” there’s no possible explanation for why it would make sense for that specific context. So rather than thinking that this smart, crafty standout of a spinoff would make an atypically goofy choice like that, I’ll assume the franchise’s most adored coupling won’t be part of the reveal. 

Theory 2: Carol Was Talking To Daryl Under Duress

I can't get away from the feeling that Carol's tone with Daryl just didn't vibe right, especially since he was so clearly overjoyed to have a loved one to talk to. The fact that he had to ask twice if she was okay has to mean something, as if it wasn't already sorta obvious by the way she said this:

To me, that line reading was far more "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave" than the warm and loving Carol whose farewell to Daryl in "Rest in Peace" was on completely good terms. So why would she flip moods like that? Well, maybe someone antagonistic was watching over her and stopping her from saying the wrong thing, and she intentionally changed her tone up knowing that Daryl would be alarmed. Maybe that hypothetical antagonist is who she was referring to in saying they "came back," and that call ended on a bad note for her, with Reedus' character completely unaware. Which leads us to the following...

Theory 3: Carol Was Referring To A Character Viewers Don't Know Yet

Whether or not the above theory is true, it's still possible Carol could have been talking about a character whose identity wouldn't mean anything to viewers if it was revealed, because we might not know who they are yet. Not, it wouldn't be the smartest move for the show to address an unknown character with a cryptic anti-namedrop in the penultimate Season 1 installment, but maybe it's akin to The Walking Dead: Dead City introducing a wholly new teen character whose survival was vital to Negan, with that relationship not quick clicking for me during that first season. So while this isn't the likeliest option, a new threat outside of France could easily be an additional way this show will bridge the first and second seasons.

Theory 4: Carol Is Talking About Maggie And/Or Negan

I admittedly can't say with any degree of certainty where any of this is happening in the overall timeline, but I'll go ahead and throw out some bases-covered conjecture pointing to Negan and/or Maggie's return(s) being alluded to by Carol's broken transmission. I don't know what that would do for the storylines on either this show or Dead City's second season, but I wouldn't be surprised if the various upcoming Walking Dead TV shows and secondary seasons all connect together in the end.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET, and is available to stream with an AMC+ subscription.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the fourth episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned!

I’ll be the first to admit that my anticipation for The Walking Dead’s first character-titled spinoff was more passive than active ahead of its premiere, as I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Norman Reedus’ take-no-bullshit survivor Daryl could easily adjust to such a huge shift in global location, narrative arcs, and supporting cast members.Thankfully, the AMC horror drama has proven itself to be as smart, well-paced, and fun to watch as the flagship series was at the height of its popularity. I’m all the more excited to see where things go in the already ordered Season 2, and I have a specific hope after watching that torturous interrogation scene in Episode 4.

The main focus of “La Dame de Fer” centered on the safety and well-being of Louis Puech Scigliuzzi’s Laurent as he went from being targeted by Eiffel Tower zombies to being hunted by Genet’s soldier to being captured by Quinn’s group to being saved by Team Daryl and Isabelle. I know I wasn’t the only one who twitched a little when the zombie dropped down and found Laurent’s hiding spot, since that ghastly bastard seemed to be slightly more sentient than his undead and bumbling brethren. 

It was a scene in the middle of the episode that really took me by surprise, though, as Daryl and Isabelle held one of Quinn’s men captive with the goal of gaining more information. This kind of information-extracting dynamic certainly wasn’t breaking new ground within the Walking Dead universe — an untrusting Rick tying Aaron up in TWD’s fifth season came to mind — but it allowed for one of Norman Reedus’ best scene performances within this entire franchise, and has me hoping for many more moments like it in Season 2 (and the rest of The Walking Dead Universe). Which leads to the following request:

I Want To See Daryl In A Position Of Power Admist A Bunch Of Dumb Assholes

Several reasons come to mind for why the interrogation sequence stood out to me so much, not the least of which being that Reedus got to deliver a whole-ass monologue in two minutes that equaled the amount of dialogue he usually gets in an entire episode. Which admittedly made it feel somewhat out of place, but I could easily ignore that to embrace the hyper-vigilant vibes that Daryl was emitting while basically in a one-on-one moment with this antagonist. 

Because as this show has made clear all over again, Daryl is not at his most extroverted or self-confident whenever he's around kind, empathetic, intelligent, and emotionally centered survivors, and more often than not settles into an observer role amidst such company. But whenever he's around other morally questionable brutes? You might as well give the dude Hamlet's skull prop, because that's when the character has always been the most fun to watch.

• Related: The Story Behind Why The Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon Never Appeared In Robert Kirkman's Comic Book
• Related: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Delivered The Most Hilariously Horrifying Zombie Moment In Franchise History, And I’m Still Chuckling In Awe

To be sure, even I might recoil a bit if Daryl was purely in kill-em-all Rambo mode without anyone around to serve as his conscience, but Reedus was so electric in this scene that I could certainly deal with that side of him for a six-episode season. Check out the full story he told about ol' Jimmy from down the street, which Daryl punctuated by stabbing the dude prison-style every so often, making it clear he wasn't going to leave without getting the information he desired.

Now, was that a story that reflected the entirety of Daryl's journey, or was it more about intimidating the bejesus out of his stuck pig of a French captive? Definitely the latter, as I'm not sure Daryl's metaphor game is so expansive. Regardless, it was a pure joy to see Reedus totally take over a scene that doesn't involve the character slamming his mace into zombie's rotted mugs. (Although that's a treat as well, don't get me wrong, as illogical as it is to utilize a tethered weapon like that in the midst of a herd.)

So as much as I've sincerely enjoyed watching Daryl finding his own while living amongst nuns, as well as the performances from Clémence Poésy and Laïka Blanc-Francard, I really hope Season 2 sticks Norman Reedus' character in the middle of a bunch of rude morons so that he can bring all the dynamism we saw in this episode on a larger scale. But again, I want to stress that he needs to be in a position of power for that to work, or else it'll just be a reminder of Daryl's butt-naked days eating dog food sandwiches in the Sanctuary all over again.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has two episodes left to go in Season 1, which are airing on AMC on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET, and are streaming early the same day for AMC+ subscribers. 

Though The Walking Dead’s flagship series wrapped up in late 2022, the franchise still lives strong through a variety of projects, with fan-favorite characters taking the live-action universe in new directions. Currently Norman Reedus is heading up the spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, with the leather-clad redneck currently out of his element alongside some nuns and a possible messiah in France. The fact that he landed his own follow-up (which was originally meant to co-star Melissa McBride), and that it’s already been renewed for a second season, is proof that the character remains beloved with the fanbase. So why didn’t Daryl ever become an official comic book character?

It’s a question many fans have wondered over time, and even if it arguably happened more whenever the comic series’ initial run was actually still being published, the curiosity will likely always remain. So let’s dig into exactly why Robert Kirkman & Skybound never made the move to adapt Reedus’ crossbow enthusiast for the source material.

Robert Kirkman Didn't Wholly Create Daryl Himself

One reason why The Walking Dead’s comic series hasn’t ever really lost its relevance is that the entire run is being republished in expanded editions, and is currently around a third of the way through. Expectedly, Robert Kirkman has continued his fan letter pages within the newer editions, and The Walking Dead Deluxe #67 was where he most recently addressed the question of Daryl appearing only as a live-action TV character without ever getting a two-dimensional version on the page. He first addressed the fact that he wasn’t the person who solely created either Daryl or Merle Dixon. In his words: 

As Kirkman points out, the characters who were crafted specifically for the AMC series did not come from his own brain whole-cloth, but spawned from the combined efforts of the TV series' developer Frank Darabont and members of the Season 1 writing staff. And for all their insights, neither Daryl nor Merle would have become as popular as they did without memorable and eye-catching actors in the roles, so Reedus and former co-star Michael Rooker also deserve some form of co-creator credit in Kirkman's mind.

The Invincible creator followed that up by saying he didn't want to take responsibility for others' creations, while also saying he didn't want the the carriage to come before the cart, so to speak, by having the adaptation start to influence the source material. Here's how he put it:

Indeed, Robert Kirkman has spoken quite a bit over the years about TV plot points that he was jealous that he hadn't thought of when fleshing out certain plots for the comic series. But he's also maintained that those instances never made me want to start cribbing storylines from the TV series, especially since the AMC show was already so far behind the issues in the timeline. 

Likeness Rights Were Apparently Also A Factor

Even if Robert Kirkman had been 100% invested in bringing Daryl into the Walking Dead’s comic run, and got the thumbs-up from Frank Darabont and everyone else involved with creating the Dixon bros, the Outcast mastermind has also addressed the idea that there were complicated legal issues that barred him and TWD comic artist Charlie Adlard from porting a Norman Reedus lookalike. Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 (via ComicBook.com), Kirkman offered the following explanation for Daryl’s comic absence:

Unfortunately, he didn't speak further on the likeness rights matter, and that was one of few (if any other) times where that particular issue was addressed directly by a higher-up Walking Dead creative. It's possible the companies involved had strict stipulations, or it's possible Reedus himself balked at the idea of having an official likeness of himself out there in the wild.

Robert Kirkman Says He Wishes He Could Have Added Daryl

Over the years, Robert Kirkman has been asked roughly a quazillion times about changes he might have made to the comic book or TV series in a different universe, and what he wished he could take back, from regretting killing off Tyreese to wishing the series hadn't introduced its CDC reveal so early. He's shared various answers to that end, with one of them being that he'd loved for Daryl to have been the one TV character he wished was in the comic books from the get-go. Here's how he put it in an interview with AMC:

The closest fans have come to seeing Daryl Dixon in the Walking Dead comic books was the outstanding April Fool's Day gag Skybound pulled in 2014, in which the company unveiled a fake Daryl-centric comic cover, as seen below.

Beyond that, the acclaimed comic artist David Finch offered up his take on how Comic Book Daryl would look for the variant hardcover release of The Art of the Walking Dead, which is half of what's pictured at the top of this article. The image is partially in reference to the Daryl-esque character Dwight, whose face was partially burned by Negan during his time in the Saviors. 

Other Important Walking Dead TV Characters Who Never Appeared In The Comics

• Merle
• Sasha
• Mary
• Deanna and Reg
• Simon
• Jerry

All 11 seasons of The Walking Dead are available to stream in full with a Netflix subscription, while TWD: Daryl Dixon airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. And stay up to date with Image Comics and Skybound to see when the upcoming Deluxe comic editions are hitting comic shops. 

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the latest episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned!

As both a general TV horror-drama and a specific series spinoff, Norman Reedus’ France-set Daryl Dixon got off to a fun and exciting start with its first two episodes. But it was in the third installment, "Paris Sera Toujours Paris," when the creative team dropped an A+ whopper of a zombie-filled set piece that is arguably the most unique use of the undead in the entire Walking Dead franchise. And it didn’t involve any hordes or gruesome attacks, and perhaps most striking of all: no one died in the process. 

In the first part of Ep 3, Daryl and Clémence Poésy’s Isabelle were on a side mission to gain information about a radio, which took them to the bonkers home of an artist character simply dubbed The Conductor, portrayed with erratic gusto by French actor Éric Frey. But as the protagonists and audiences soon discovered, this dude had a completely different idea of what kind of “radio” they were looking for. 

Rather than providing a form of communicating with the outside world, The Conductor proved he definitely could have used more therapeutic visits from friends over time. His version of radio was, amazingly enough, a recording of Maurice Ravel’s increasingly layered “Boléro” accompanied by a full-on orchestra of brainless zombies semi-permanently affixed to their instruments. 

The moment is pure gold, and looks like it would have been a total blast to film at the time. The walkers have obviously been front and center for a slew of memorable moments across The Walking Dead and each of its spinoffs, with Daryl Dixon’s predecessor-in-airdate Dead City providing a wonderfully grotesque mega-walker that was like a mutated amalgam of several bodies, which looked quite a bit like the souls of Freddy Krueger’s Nightmare on Elm Street victims poking through his chest. But for my money, I would throw actual money at experiencing a live performance from The Conductor and the Angers PhilharMOOOOAAANic. Boom. 

While I think the harp is my favorite detail on display, I can’t ignore the craftsmanship of strapping a large stick to a walker’s head that hits various cymbals when it turns. Literally the only thing it’s good for is making random noise, but if that’s all you need, get to strappin’. As well, the mechanics behind the string section’s arms moving in tandem is magnifique. The game is on to see if any other upcoming Walking Dead shows will be able to top this freakish display.

Of course, what really puts the scene over the top is the authenticity that Frey brings to the performance, as The Conductor looks like he couldn’t be more emotionally moved and transfixed by the mayhem he created. Which is paired ever so perfectly with the complete and utter lack of reactions from either Daryl or Isabelle, who slip away without making a display of it. The only thing I would ding this episode for is that they didn’t spend any time marveling at the orchestra in the aftermath, and that they didn’t immediately tell everyone they met about it.

I suppose we all should have seen such a payoff coming after this was how The Conductor reacted to hearing Daryl speaking English:

The people quoting translation lessons are truly the maddest ones of us all, no? Now let’s take it again from the top.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET, and is available to stream the same day with an AMC+ subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other big shows are on the way, even if none of them have the guts to also have zombie orchestras in one or more scenes.

Spoilers below for the second episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

Considering the sheer breadth of The Walking Dead universe at this point, from comics to video games to TV shows, I wasn’t sure if there were any original thoughts left for me to have for the very first time when experiencing this brand. And yet it happened during the cold open for TWD: Daryl Dixon’s second installment, “Alouette,” which offered viewers a look back to what life was like for Clémence Poésy’s not-so-innocent Isabelle right when the world turned upside-down.  

The flashback scenes also offered insights into elements introduced in the premiere, showing how Isabelle found her path as a nun, while also laying out the potentially unique origin story for Louis Puech Scigliuzzi’s Laurent. But before all that could happen, the ep inspired me to consider a not-exactly-deep question that I nonetheless hadn’t really thought about before:

• Could the zombie apocalypse have been slowed at all if every living person’s first instinct would have been to toss aside empathy and subdue or flat-out kill the undead?

The Walking Dead franchise has only offered up a few different looks at the very early days of the zombie apocalypse, and usually in a limited-in-scope capacity, with Fear the Walking Dead’s first season being the most extended approach to events surrounding Z-day, as it were. And so I admittedly haven’t spent a whole lot of time hypothesizing about how that hectic period could have gone for everyone involved, since we’ve already seen the aftermath.

And yet, perhaps because audience members such as myself have witnessed many years of brutal character decisions in this world, the juxtaposition of Daryl Dixon's flashback basically made me think about what might have happened if the survivors had all the knowledge and experience of post-apocalyptic life somehow embedded into their DNA, so that their first reactions to seeing reanimated corpses wouldn't have been to panic and run away, but to try and immediately eliminate the threat before it could do further damage.

After all the drug-fueled dancing and thievery — which featured the über-French moment of Isabelle lighting a cigarette with the Eiffel Tower lit up in the background — the episode honed in on some public panic over a smattering of walkers down the streets and on the subways of Paris. Isabelle was understandably as shocked as everyone else, more inclined to stare in horror over being active, but was snapped out of that whenever her partner in crime drove up and slammed his car into the walker that was following her. And even though it didn't actually kill the thing, the dude's more violent instincts were what had me wondering what kind of impact it might have had if everyone was fueled by the same ideas.

Which isn't a very realistic idea on the surface, since it would require a universal lack of empathy, as well as the wherewithal to confirm the difference between the living and the dead before going ham on some walkers. Which, I suppose, really just circles back to this age-old idea: "Why do characters in zombie fiction so rarely get to apply knowledge from other forms of zombie fiction?" And I know that TWD co-creator Robert Kirkman's inherent George Romero fandom is tied to the comic book characters being unaware of the subgenre as a whole. So maybe that has something to do with why I haven't actively thought about how the earliest days could have gone differently in this world.

Really, though, I'm mostly considering an idealized version of that scenario, in which the action-taking survivors used only long-range weaponry that didn't put others in danger. The reality wouldn't be nearly as neat, as I'm sure a bunch of people who would confront the walkers would unintentionally get infected and eff up the whole shebang.

Even if this was a thought experiment without any real paramenters or endgame, credit goes to the critically applauded spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon for inspiring some new ideas in my own half-dead noggin. I really dig the new show's change in locale, and how that helps it stand apart from Dead City and the flagship drama, while also giving Daryl a new set of characters to mix it up with during his mystery-cloaked journey.

Fans don't need to worry about Norman Reedus' character being killed off anytime soon, with Season 2 already ordered up, though the same sense of confidence probably shouldn't be had for all the supporting characters. Here's hoping Isabelle and others survive long enough to appear in other upcoming Walking Dead shows.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs Sunday nights on AMC at 8:00 p.m. ET, and streams on the same day for AMC+ subscribers. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen in the near future.

Spoilers below for the series premiere of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

The Walking Dead franchise has offered up a variety of TV and video game spinoffs that, for the most part, have felt largely like mirrored extensions of the O.G. live-action series, though each has offered up something unique enough to stand apart. Fear’s genre shifts, Dead City’s Maggie and Negan pairing, Tales’ anthological nature, and World Beyond’s lore-building were, for me, those standout elements. And while I fully expected The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon to be more of the same, albeit with more accents, the France-set offshoot immediately feels like the most distinct follow-up, despite being fronted by longtime fan-fave Norman Reedus.

Ahead of its premiere, TWD: Daryl Dixon garnered beaucoup critical acclaim for various reasons, from the unmistakably French setting to the excellence of Reedus’ new co-star, Harry Potter vet Clémence Poésy, as the English-speaking foil for the ocean-crossing American. The lengthy first episode delivers many fun, exciting, and (naturally) disturbing moments, and also inspired quite a few questions and ponderings about the new sights and sounds, and where the story may be going next.  

What Were The “Bad Decisions” That Led Daryl To France?

There's no doubt that creator David Zabel, EP Scott Gimple and others on the creative team wanted to start things off by keeping Daryl's arrival in France a mystery, and that backstory was only hinted at a few times during "L'ame Perdue." Reedus' character shared the explanation that "bad decisions" led him from North America to Europe, and the final scene in Northern France clued audiences into the vessel that Daryl was on before he went overboard and was presumed dead. But why was he on that ship in the first place, and what was the research that he apparently destroyed? (And wouldn't destroying any kind of research into the virus in this universe also count as a bad decision?)

And How Exactly Did Daryl Cross A Whole Ass Ocean? 

Is the idea that Daryl somehow made it onto that ship from the U.S., and then things went haywire very late in the trip as they were somewhere closer to the vicinity of France's southern region? If so, I have questions about that. If not, then I want to know how he made it all the way to whatever point he connected with the people on that ship. I would also love to know how and why he tied himself to the bottom of that boat, and how he stayed alive through even an hour of that.

Where Did Burners Come From, And What Other Kinds Of Walkers Are There?

With France having previously been revealed as the ground zero for the zombie outbreak, fans knew that this spinoff would feature some truly unique walkers. The first variation that we (and Daryl) were introduced to were acidic monsters dubbed Burners, one of which burned the protagonists arm just by grabbing him. That alone makes me wonder what the science is there, and at what point this strain of zombies pivoted away from the "norm," as it were. I'm also curious to know what other threats are out there, though that doesn't mean I'm not also interested in seeing more chaos caused by the Burners. Maybe we can get some kind of homage to Alien by way of caustic bodily fluids. (It wouldn't be the first reference to the iconic sci-fi franchise.)

Will Daryl And Sister Isabelle Hook Up?

While this spinoff was originally meant to co-star Melissa McBride as TWD fave Carol, the actress exited the project early on for personal reasons, thus giving The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon cast member Clémence Poésy the chance to fill that void. Daryl obviously hasn't been shown to have had a whole lot of romance in his post-apocalyptic existence, and we all know how things went with Leah. And after seeing the chemistry between Reedus and Poésy in just this one episode, I'm already anticipating a swath of Daryl and Isabelle memes, fan-fiction, and over-the-top support. Isaberyl? Darybelle? I'm into either. 

At What Point Do Large Groups Of Walkers Suddenly Grow Dormant? 

Not a huge question here, but Daryl's encounter with Burners took place in a large building that initially seemed empty, until the point when one noisy walker drew a dozen or so from what would have seemingly been hibernation. At what point did all of the walkers in that building decide to just hunker down and relax for a while instead of trying to get out or walking around in circles or other things we've seen the undead do despite being in one place for long periods of time. 

Will Laurent Turn Daryl Into A Father (Daddy) Figure?

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon crafted quite a lovely moment ahead of introducing Louis Puech Scigliuzzi's potentially genius youth Laurent, in which the nun-reared orphan mimicked Daryl eating an apple from afar. Their conversation right after was also kind of adorable, with Laurent taking quick interest in a new male presence in the abbey, despite Daryl's lack of Rubik's Cube talents. To say nothing of the idea that this involves the kid's vision, I'm interested to see how their relationship pans out over time, and whether it makes Norman Reedus' character come off as more of a father figure, rather than like the cool uncle role that he filled for Judith. Those two could teach each other some things, I tell you what. 

How Far Is The Show’s New Messiah Arc Going To Go?

While The Walking Dead has sometimes hinted at themes and ideas that go beyond secular reality, the franchise has largely steered clear of veering too hard into supernatural or otherworldly territory, and for the sake of this entry, that includes incorporating religious miracles and the like. But the premiere quickly sets up the plot point that Laurent predicted Daryl's arrival, that they were waiting for him, and that he already had the nickname The Messenger. Because Laurent is an extremely logical and whip-smart kid, the nuns at the abbey are seemingly of the belief that he will serve as the virus-stricken world's new messiah. I don't imagine this will be a narrative avenue that will be explored too thoroughly, all things considered, but the fact that it exists in the first place has me equally perplexed and intrigued. (And don't think I missed the religious symbology of everything going to shit after Daryl ate an apple.)

Who Is The Violent Group That Massacred The Nuns?

The bulk of the human body count in Daryl Dixon involved a new group of antagonists who have been leaving "Pouvoir des Vivants" graffiti along with a symbol. They're shown to be known and feared by those in the area, from the nuns to the pair of shitbirds who double-crossed Daryl. The leader is apparently a gruff bastard named Codron (Romain Levi), and his brother was one of the men killed during the initial skirmish, so he's out for revenge on top of already being involved with a deadly group. So what's their deal? Are they after something in particular, or are they more of the same kind of testosterone-fueled douchebags who think they can control the world through nothing but muscle and bullets?

I know I'll be watching Daryl Dixon's next five episodes to see how all of this plays out ahead of the already ordered Season 2, and whether it will directly connect with other upcoming Walking Dead shows like Rick and Michonne's spinoff or to Dead City's second season.

It’s finally that time – when another upcoming The Walking Dead spinoff series has finally arrived on our streaming devices or AMC channel. This time, it’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which debuts on September 10th, 2023 and features an exciting new cast. 

The spinoff was announced more than a year ago before the mothership series, The Walking Dead, came to an end, and was originally a spinoff that would focus on two main characters from The Walking Dead – Daryl and Carol, both of which made it through all eleven seasons (which we ranked). Through it all, their friendship was one of the few things that stayed intact throughout the show – and their friendship moments made us smile so brightly. 

However, Melissa McBride, who played Carol in The Walking Dead, had to leave the show, and the series was remade into The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus as the titular character. But with a series that takes place in France, of all places, there are some names on here that you might not recognize – and some you just might. Here is where you’ve seen The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon cast before. 

Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)

The first person who is obviously on this list is Norman Reedus, who played Daryl Dixon throughout all eleven seasons of The Walking Dead. 

Initially starting as a recurring cast member before being bumped up to a main character in Season 2 thanks to the fan response, Daryl ended up becoming just as synonymous with The Walking Dead as Rick Grimes was – in fact, both of them have their spinoffs now, with Andrew Lincoln's character, Rick,  appearing in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live later in 2024.

It makes sense for Daryl Dixon to have a show, considering he was probably the most popular character from the series. There were literal shirts at one point that said, “If Daryl Dies, we riot.” I think the producers and writers took that to heart because Daryl made it to the end, and avoided becoming one of the many heartbreaking Walking Dead deaths. 

Even so, Reedus has done a little more on TV besides his role as Daryl Dixon. Among a handful of guest appearances on shows like Law & Order and Hawaii Five-O, Reedus also hosts his show on AMC called Ride with Norman Reedus, where he travels to places in the world with a new guest star each week on motorcycles, a passion of his – fitting since Reedus will appear in the new movie, The Bikeriders. 

Reedus has also been in plenty of films from which fans might recognize him. Some of his most known are Blade II, both Boondock Saints films, American Gangster, Triple 9, Air, Sky, Deuces Wild, and more. Besides Bikeriders, Reedus will also appear in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, so he is having an eventful 2023-2024. 

Clémence Poésy (Isabelle)

The next on this list is Clémence Poésy, who plays Isabelle in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. I would recognize Poésy right away because she portrayed Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter movies for a few movies, most prominently in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before the character later married Bill Weasley in the subsequent films.

Besides that, Poésy has appeared in other films such as the spectacular Christopher Nolan movie, Tenet, as well as 127 Hours, Final Portrait, and more. With television, Poésy appeared as a guest star in the hit CW series Gossip Girl, had a prominent role in the French TV series The Tunnel, and appeared in The Essex Serpent on Apple TV+. 

Adam Nagaitis (Quinn)

Next on this list is Adam Nagaitis, who plays Quinn in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. The actor has been in various movies during his career, including Ridley Scott’s 2021 film, The Last Duel, Gunpowder Milkshake, The Commuter, The Local, and more. 

In television, he had a prominent role in the TV series The Terror and a central role in Red Rose. He also had a recurring role on Banished and had a recurring role on the hit HBO miniseries Chernobyl. 

Anne Charrier (Genet)

Next is Anna Charrier, who plays Genet in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Like many of her co-stars on this list, Charrier has been a part of many French movies and TV shows that might not be readily accessible to the United States, but she’s been active overseas. 

She appeared in the international films Paid, The Last Deadly Mission, Marseille, and more. She has also appeared in various French shows, including Central nuit, Maison Close, and Chefs. 

Eriq Ebouaney

Next up is Eriq Ebouaney, who is one of the prominent cast members of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. He has also been a part of several movies overseas, which include The Children of the Marshland, Lumumba, and La piste, among others. Ebouaney has also appeared in films that you might recognize, such as Femme Fatale, 3 Days to Kill, Hitman, Kingdom of Heaven, and The Nativity Story. 

Ebouaney has also appeared in the French TV shows Liaison, Or de lui, Captain Marleau, and Jo. 

Laika Blanc Francard (Sylvie)

Laika Blanc Francard plays Sylvie, another main character in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and so far, her only credit in film was the French movie My Night (otherwise known as Ma nuit). She also had a role in the French television series, Le monde de demain. 

Romain Levi (Codron)

Romain Levi plays Codron in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and his sole movie credit so far was his part in Sacracide, another international film. He also appeared in several minor roles in French TV shows, such as Spiral, The Tunnel, Les invisibles, and more. 

Louis Puech Scigliuzzi (Laurent)

Lastly, we have Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, who plays Laurent in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. This is the young actor’s first significant role, and judging from the trailer, it looks like it will be a big one, so I’m excited to see where he goes from here. 

These spinoffs have been giving me even more ideas for The Walking Dead spinoffs, and I have a feeling that it won’t be long before I’m thinking of more after watching these cast members in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, premiering on September 10, 2023 on AMC. Is anyone as excited as I am to see how this story continues? 

Though The Walking Dead flagship show ended its eleven-year run only seven months ago, the zombie-centered series is the franchise that refuses to die, with several upcoming TWD series on the horizon. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan’s reprisal of fan-fave rivals Negan and Maggie, respectively, in AMC’s newest offshoot subtitled Dead City, has already hit the 2023 TV schedule with a Dixon spinoff coming soon. However, some fans have already shared some complaints with the Norman Reedus-led production, prompting the Negan actor to respond. 

Addressing the concerns of "toxic fans" who have been critical of the upcoming spinoffs, the Negan actor recently shared an intriguing hint about the forthcoming AMC drama. In a social media post on Twitter, Morgan posted a picture of Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride in character, expressing his excitement and shutting down the negativity surrounding the new shows. 

Back in 2020, a spinoff featuring the beloved motorcycle-riding, crossbow-wielding hero was announced, and fans naturally assumed that Melissa McBride would be a part of the show considering her character's history with Daryl and their undeniable chemistry. However, in 2022, it was revealed that the actress would be exiting the Daryl/Carol spinoff, leading some fans to direct their frustration toward the Dixon actor. 

But in the recent Twitter post, Jeffrey Dean Morgan shared a picture of the fan-favorite duo while expressing his excitement about the news that McBride would appear in the spinoff. In his post, the Watchmen alum showed his enthusiasm and addressed the negativity surrounding the situation, sarcastically apologizing to Reedus for “talking oodles of shit.”

Reports suggested McBride turned down the spinoff due to her reluctance to relocate to Europe for the production. However, some fans online criticized Reedus, implying that he played a role in Carol's departure from the show. This speculation enraged Morgan, prompting him to express his frustration on Twitter. In a passionate defense of Reedus, he wrote:

More recently, Morgan responded to a user questioning whether these toxic fans would take credit for McBride's return to the project due to their constant complaints. In response to the commenter, he said:

Two things are obvious: You want to be friends with Jeffrey Dean Morgan because the dude is gonna have your back. And fans will see Daryl and Carol reuniting after all. 

Morgan currently stars in the new spinoff titled The Walking Dead: Dead City, which our own Nick Venable had some thoughts on. The series, which airs new episodes on AMC every Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET, departs from the wilderness and takes the action to the ruins of Manhattan. Alongside him, Lauren Cohan reprises her role as Maggie, reluctantly teaming up with the once baseball-wielding baddy to rescue her kidnapped son in New York City. You can watch the action-packed trailer below: 

As we anticipate the reunion of the popular zombie-killing team in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon on AMC, you can revisit the entire flagship series with a Netflix subscription. 

The Walking Dead may be done, but AMC's post-apocalyptic series is staying alive by way of spinoff series. One offshoot that fans are looking forward to is focused on Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon. The Daryl-centered show began production last year, and new photos released earlier this year previewed just what TWD's Dixon show is all about. If Reedus’ return weren't exciting enough, he recently reunited with longtime co-star Andrew Lincoln for a sweet photo. And as a result, fans are now hoping that Lincoln reprises his role as Rick Grimes in the new show.

Norman Reedus took to Instagram to share the lovely photo with his former Walking Dead co-star, only captioning a red balloon. While it hasn’t been that long since the AMC series came to an end, it’s still nice to see the two actors reuniting. Take a look at the snapshot for yourself:

Given the love for the two stars and their characters, it's not too shocking that fans are now very excited (if not a bit confused). One the one hand, the Rick Grimes actor could just be visiting his old buddy. But on the other, you can't help but wonder if this is a sign of things to come for the show. It's hard to say at this point, and I think tinyalienx's sums up how most of us are feeling right now:

Fans have been hoping for quite some time that Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes would come together again. While Norman Reedus has worked on his show, Andrew Lincoln has been developing a follow-up series of his own. Both seem to be independent stories that don't require Daryl and Rick to cross paths, but that isn’t stopping the fandom from manifesting. One user, mememem1, says:

A Rick and Daryl reunion isn't too far-fetched, as wilder things have happened within the Walking Dead universe. Quite frankly, it'd be cool to see the two meet up as long as the story makes sense for them. It's worth mentioning that we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves right now. Yet fans like thedarylettes seem certain that something is indeed in the works:

It’s clear that fans are anxiously hoping that these TWD characters get to meet up again. In all honesty, it may not happen, but fans can still dream, right? Until there's movement there, we'll all just be like bloodyrickashay6700:

Despite the uncertainty there, the upcoming Daryl Dixon spinoff and Rick and Michonne series are enough to be excited about. One hopes that both shows will expand on their characters in interesting ways. So while Daryl and Rick may not actually get to stand side by side and take out the undead again, let's just be happy that we're getting more of them -- and that Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln graced us with this excellent pic.

Keep your eyes peeled for news on those shows as well as the Dead City spinoff, which has a trailer. In short, there are plenty of upcoming shows set in the Walking Dead universe. And while you're waiting for news on that front, take a look at the 2023 TV schedule for news on other upcoming premieres.

Another chapter of The Walking Dead universe will be wrapping up this year, with Fear the Walking Dead playing out its swan song across the eighth and final season. But there will still be expansions a-plenty, including Norman Reedus’ globe-trotting trek to France for the upcoming eponymous spinoff Daryl Dixon. The new series kicked off its production back in October 2022, without a whole lot of info revealed. Now, though, we have our first handful of images from the new show, and ooh-la-la, it looks like Daryl will be rocking a new form of transportation that bears little in common with his traditional motorcycle.

Let’s go through the new pics below while awaiting The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s arrival within the 2023 TV schedule, starting with his new wheels (and hooves).  

Daryl Got Himself A Horse And Buggy, Y'all

For the majority of his time within the core Walking Dead narrative, Daryl had a penchant for motorcycles as a way to get around, even when it made absolutely no sense to have a loud-as-shit vehicle bopping around on the highway or down woodsy paths. (It was also questionable why there was always fuel for his motorcycle, but so be it.) Clearly, he couldn’t have ridden any such terrestrial vehicles across an entire ocean — save for another ice age happening, which would be a truly wild reveal for this franchise — so it only makes sense that he has a new set-up while in a completely new setting.

Perhaps understandably, Daryl traded in one straddle-mounted ride for another, and looks to be rocking a horse and quasi-carriage situation now. That’s a beefy looking horse, which is probably required given all the supplies that Reedus’ character appears to be hauling around in the back part. Are there any other characters he’s hiding back there, or is it just like food and bedding and weapons and stuff? Also, while presumably quieter in action, a massive horse and attachment would be a lot harder to hide behind leaves in a pinch. So I’m intrigued to see how the traveling side of Daryl’s journey plays out. 

Interestingly, Norman Reedus shared previously that one of the main reasons Daryl rides a motorcycle on The Walking Dead is because the actor had zero interest in riding a horse, and wanted something else. So does this mean he’s been trained properly in the meantime, or was this just a miserable experience for him? 

French Zombie Fashion Holds Up

We have no idea what the population situation is like in France this many years after the walker-pocalypse, so it’s hard to know whether the walkers that are milling about may be from the earliest stages of infection, or if those remaining are mostly the corpses of latter-day survivors. Judging by the seemingly still intact clothing on the zombies seen above, I’m guessing it’s more of the latter.

Did anyone else out there have a vague anticipation to see new walkers from other parts of the world, thinking that there might be some noteworthy variances in appearance? I did, against my better logic, but there’s nothing too significant about these rotting bastards in particular. I feel like this image was more to show off the architecture as being different from “trees and places made out of wood” that made up a lot of TWD’s location aesthetics. 

Fun fact: Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead comic series does have a canonical standalone spinoff subtitled Alien, respectively written and illustrated by the great Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin, which takes place in Barcelona. I don't necessarily think that project will tie into Daryl's, considering Rick Grimes' brother is a character therein, but that would be a wild way to make this spinoff stand out.

Daryl Gets Caught!

Our third shot is the only one hinting at other living and sentient beings in the area beyond Daryl, though it looks like things don’t immediately get off on the right foot. I can see why that’d be the case, considering Daryl is unmistakably American, and doesn’t exactly come off as an empathetic gentleman in any capacity. So here, it would appear that he’s being forced to kneel before the leader of whatever community he stumbles across first.

Someone’s holding a spear of some kind back there, which looks to be adorned with more materials than just wood and fabric. And there’s also a big tree in the background with something wrapped around it a bunch of times. Was it for holding Daryl captive, or for other reasons?

Also, while it appears as if Daryl’s hands are tied behind his back in this shot, what’s up with the thing around his neck? It looks less like it’s part of the binding process, and more like it’s covering something up, and may have even been part of what he was wearing in the horse shot above. But is it covering up a cut that’s now healing? Or did he possibly hurt his neck in other ways? Or, much less likely, did he get a tattoo of someone’s name that he’s now really, really regretting?

While awaiting news for when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will debut on AMC, you can rewatch the entire flagship series with a Netflix subscription, while HBO’s The Last of Us is currently delivering a different kind of post-apocalyptic adaptation.

If video game fans thought that the early pandemic years were huge for video game legend Hideo Kojima, 2023 and beyond are shaping out to be even more impressive. The imagination-oozing storyteller only just recently delivered a holiday surprise in the form of confirming Death Stranding 2's existence with a teaser, and now he's revealed a film adaptation of Death Stranding will be the first feature project for his company Kojima Productions. I know I'm not the only one with a growing list of questions, such as "Will the movie maintain the game's all-star cast, as led by Walking Dead star Norman Reedus?" (We all say "as led by" in our heads, right?)

A game that has already drawn mass (though certainly not universal) acclaim for its already cinematic scope and narrative, as well as its varied cast, Death Stranding will still no doubt be a challenge to adapt into a format with a limited frame and runtime. It’s unclear just how deeply involved Kojima will be in the creative process at this early stage, though it’s noted that he will “develop and produce” the project through Kojima Productions alongside Alex Lebovici and his Hammerstone Studios banner. (Lebovici was an EP on the Stephen King-approved and crowd-stupefying horror Barbarian, which is a good sign.) So it’s likely the Metal Gear mastermind will be in charge of figuring out the story’s main beats, if not the entire screenplay. 

The Death Stranding feature is reported as being “on the fast track” and is in active development. The game’s specific plot will remain a mystery for the time being, though it’s already been confirmed that the adaptation will introduce new characters and elements into the branching universe. And since new characters means new actors, let’s talk about the game’s stellar cast and whether or not it’s feasible for everyone/anyone to return. 

For a quick rundown of Death Stranding's lead and recurring cast members:

• Norman Reedus
• Mads Mikkelsen
• Léa Seydoux
• Margaret Qualley
• Lindsay Wagner
• Tommie Earl Jenkins
• Troy Baker
• Guillermo Del Toro
• Emily O'Brien
• Conan O'Brien

Interestingly enough, some of the on-screen talent such as Guillermo Del Toro and Nicholas Winding Refn were only recorded through motion-capture, while their characters’ voices were provided by other actors. (Anyone familiar with Del Toro or Refn’s voices no doubt felt a shock upon hearing what came from their digital mouths in Death Stranding.) But for the biggest and most-present characters, the actor and their voices match up. 

Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen would arguably be the must-get actors here, with Reedus’ Sam Porter Bridger the lonely protagonist to Mikkelsen’s militant antagonist Clifford Unger. Which isn’t to downplay the importance of Margaret Qualley or Lindsay Wagner’s characters in the slightest, or anyone else, but considering Death Stranding’s story largely keeps appearances from non-Sam characters to a minimum for much of its playthrough time, it’d be easier to explain away other casting changes. 

Reedus is currently in France filming the Walking Dead spinoff series Daryl Dixon, and has presumably already filmed the next season of his AMC series Ride (with Keanu Reeves as an upcoming guest star). He was recently revealed to be joining the cast of the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, and Death Stranding 2 is also presumably taking up some of his time. Assuming the Death Stranding feature takes a bit to come together behind the scenes, Reedus could possibly make room in his schedule to bring Sam out to deliver an endless line of cargo across the Knot Cities that form the post-cataclysm United Cities of America.

Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen will soon be seen opposite Harrison Ford in the cast of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and was recently announced to be reteaming with Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller for the horror film Dust Bunny. He’ll also be seen in the upcoming Nikolaj Arcel drama The Bastard, Similar to Reedus, an opening in his schedule should make it easier for the actor to take on Unger in live-action, should he so choose.

I can’t wait to hear more about how Death Stranding will change up its story for adaptation purposes, which will likely amount to way more than the alterations made for the Director’s Cut release. Now if we could just get that long-awaited announcement from Kojima Productions about P.T. coming back from the digital grave, that’d be swell. 

Despite originally being envisioned as a standalone movie, John Wick did so critically and commercially that it ended up being the first chapter of a film series that's delivered four installments, and that franchise has now evolved into a cinematic universe. The Continental prequel series was released on Peacock, Donnie Yen's Caine is getting his own movie, and next up, we can look forward to Ballerina, which is being directed by Len Wiseman and was written by Shay Hatten.

This spinoff, which takes place between the third and fourth John Wick movies, is also a tale driven by revenge, with the title protagonist, a fellow assassin from John's unique corner of the criminal underworld, hunting down the people who murdered her family when she was a child. That’s the extent of what we know about the plot so far, but the upcoming 2025 movie's cast is another story. Let’s go over who’s been unveiled for Ballerina so far, starting with the star of his action-packed event, Ana de Armas.

Ana De Armas

In October 2021, four years after Ballerina’s existence was revealed to the public, Ana de Armas was tapped to lead the spinoff. Between taking part in No Time to Die, Craig’s final Bond flick, and the Netflix subscription-exclusive movie The Gray Man co-starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, de Armas has enough action experience under her belt to make her a solid choice for leading Ballerina.

Ana De Armas’ character, i.e. the young woman going on this revenge quest, is named Eve Macarro. Moviegoers will following along with her as she seeks her own vengeance against those who took her her father and the rest of her family away from her.

Ian McShane

The Continental hotel chain caters exclusively to the criminal underworld in the John Wick universe, acting as neutral ground where “business” cannot be conducted, i.e. no killing people on its grounds. For decades, Winston Scott has owned The Continental’s New York branch, but so far we’ve only seen his involvement in what’s been going on in John Wick’s hectic life.

Well, along with Peacock’s The Continental series showing what Winston was up to in the 1970s, Ballerina has also recruited Ian McShane to reprise the older version of the character. As shown in the Ballerina trailer, it's Winston who brings Eve into this criminal underworld as a child to learn the ways of dancing and killing after her family is killed. She'll also be under the New York Continental's protection during the movie.

Anjelica Huston

In John Wick: Chapter 3, Keanu Reeves’ character visited Anjelica Huston’s The Director, the head of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate and John’s mother figure when he was growing up. This is the woman who instructed John and many other orphans in the ways of the assassins, but we also saw her overseeing ballet training among the young ladies under her care with the intent to teach them that art is pain. Eve is one of those students.

With Anjelica Huston set to return as The Director in Ballerina, we'll see The Director and Ana de Armas' character interacting both through flashbacks and its present day narrative. Whether The Director aids the protagonist in her quest like she begrudgingly she with John in Chapter 3 (and paid for it by having her hands stabbed) is another matter.

Lance Reddick

Winston Scott may run the New York Continental, but naturally the hotel’s concierge plays a key role in making sure the operation runs smoothly. That prestigious job once belonged to Lance Reddick’s Charon, whom Ballerina producer Erica Lee described as “an indispensable part of the world of Wick.”

While the first two John Wick movies primarily saw Charon behind a desk or looking after John’s dog while he was on the job, Chapter 3 finally got to see him jump into the action when he helped John defend The Continental from The High Table’s forces after the hotel was temporarily deconsecrated. Sadly, Chapter 4 saw Charon being executed by the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, and Reddick himself passed away shortly before the movie's premiere. Still, we may get the chance to see him gun down bad guys one last time in Ballerina.

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves will indeed reprise John Wick in Ballerina. However, for those of you who were hoping for a full-fledged team-up between John and Ana de Armas' character, temper your expectations. Reeves said at the convention that he's only in the spinoff for "a few sequences." The trailer shows Eve witnessing part of John's conversation with The Director in Chapter 3, and they'll also run into each other during Eve's mission.

Also keep in mind that John Wick: Chapter 4 ended with the implication that Reeves' character has died. So unless Lionsgate decides to move forward with Chapter 5, Ballerina could be the last time we see the actor in this role.

Catalina Sandino Moreno

Now we come to the newcomers who will be joining Ana de Armas alongside these John Wick alums. Catalina Sandino Moreno, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as María Álvarez in 2004’s Maria Full of Grace, has reportedly been tapped for a “sizable role” in Ballerina, although Deadline did not have any details about her character. Maybe she’s a member of the family that de Armas’ character lost (like an older sister), or maybe she’s simply an assassin who’s either an ally or enemy to the protagonist, but evidently we’ll be seeing a lot of her. Moreno’s more recent credits include The Affair, Barbarians and the sci-fi series From.

Norman Reedus

While Norman Reed’s made waves in the late ‘90s and early 2000s with The Boondocks Saints, Blade II and Deuces Wild, but these days, he’s best known for playing Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead. While the franchise’s flagship show ended in November 2022, Reedus is now leading the spinoff show The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Daryl spinoff show. Now he also gets to take part in Ballerina by playing a character named Pine.

Gabriel Byrne

Film-wise, Gabriel Byrne has starred in some heavy-hitters over his acting career of 40+ years, including Excalibur, Miller’s Crossing, The Usual Suspects and Hereditary. Over in TV, he’s best known for Dr. Paul Weston in HBO’s In Treatment, and more recently he’s been seen in shows like Vikings, Marco Polo and War of the Worlds. Producer Basil Iwanyk told Deadline that because you “can never quite be sure” what the actor is thinking, “that’s perfect for this world.” It's since been revealed that Byrne is playing The Chancellor, Ballerina's lead antagonist.

David Castañeda

When Ballerina entered reshoots, two more actors were added to the main cast, per Deadline. The first of this duo is David Castañeda, who is arguably known best for playing Diego Hargreeves on Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, which debuts its fourth and final season later this year. You may have also seen Castañeda in shows like Poker Face and Most Dangerous Game, and the film side of his resume includes Sicario: Day of the Soldado, The Tax Collector and The Guilty.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster

Sharon Duncan-Brewster is appearing in Ballerina as Nogi, who, as shown by the trailer, is one of the instructors whom Eve learns from when she'd brought into the Ruska Roma. In any case, if Duncan-Brewster's role performance as Liet-Kynes in Dune doesn't ring a bell (as seen above), she has an extensive resume of other film and TV work, including Rogue One, Enola Holmes 2, Doctor Who and Sex Education.

Ballerina is slated for release on June 6, 2025. Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on Ballerina’s progress, including other actors who will be along for the ride. Watch The Continental, the three-episode John Wick universe event series, with your Peacock subscription.

While things got pretty hectic for Daryl & Co. during the latest final-season episode of The Walking Dead, fans haven’t had to truly worry about Norman Reedus’ character for months now, considering it’s long been confirmed that the floppy-haired survivor would be crossing an entire ocean for his own standalone sans-Carol spinoff. That series is now kicking off its France-set production in earnest, with the actor himself going public with the news. But is it just a coincidence that this update comes on the heels of TWD vet Andrew Lincoln being spotted in Paris? If so, it’s a whopper. 

Norman Reedus Celebrates Daryl’s Spinoff Kicking Off 

Hours after Sunday night’s episode of The Walking Dead concluded, Reedus chimed in on Instagram from the other side of the planet, revealing that forward progress is now happening with the latest AMC spinoff to go into production. Check out the actor’s post from his Instagram Stories below:

With pre-productions efforts presumably having taken place over past weeks and/or months, it looks like Daryl Dixon has now moved beyond the starting line with the cameras starting to roll. It’ll no doubt be a while before fans get any kind of finalized footage to savor, but at least now we know that far-off future isn’t quite as distant as it could be. 

One has to wonder whether Reedus was offering any cryptic clues with his spinoff update by way of using the Jane’s Addiction album Nothing’s Shocking. It was the group’s debut record, which ties into Daryl’s debut season of his own series. And it was also fraught with behind the scenes issues, which could sort of be a sign for Melissa McBride’s exit, although the exit itself was less controversial than the fan backlash that targeted Reedus in the aftermath.

The actor also shared a pic of himself to mark the first day of filming, even if only certain parts of himself made it to the camera. 

One has to assume that Reedus kept the camera pointed downward to avoid giving away any potential spoilers by way of set decoration and whatnot. Which hopefully means there was 100% something in the room with him that couldn’t be shown for that reason. Such as, say, a former co-star whose name rhymes with Sandrool Ninkun, and whose character’s name rhymes with Slick Slimes.

Why Walking Dead Fans Think Rick May Show Up In Daryl Dixon

To be fair, Walking Dead viewers were already hoping for Rick Grimes to pop up in Daryl’s spinoff as soon as it was announced, during the span before the Rick and Michonne spinoff reveal went public. And that was only strengthened whenever Reedus and Andrew Lincoln were seen buddying it up again in Georgia earlier this year. But such hopes and dreams were renewed in the days prior to Reedus’ post, thanks to a French fan sharing a pic he’d taken in Paris with Lincoln, as seen below.

This version of Andrew Lincoln clearly doesn't resemble the burly-bearded survivor who was last seen blowing up a bridge in The Walking Dead before he was removed from the area via CRM helicopter. Which makes it slightly easier to believe that he was in Paris for reasons that had little to do with AMC spinoffs. But then it's possible, perhaps even likely, that Rick would have been made to shave his beard while a prisoner (or captive or whatever). So for now, the jury is still out on this one, but fans on Twitter aren't exactly shielding their beliefs that the brawling BFFs could reunite in the City of Love. 

But let's not forget that in the comic book canon, Rick Grimes does have a brother named Jeff who was living in Spain after the walker apocalypse began, so there's actually valid reason for the character to be in Europe. Though I'd imagine he'd want to take care of all of his affairs in the States before journeying so far outward. Such becoming a dad again for Judith. 

While waiting to see more from Daryl Dixon and its scruffy lead actor, The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are popping up soon.

Daryl Dixon has gotten his fair share of bruises, cuts, and beatings (although fortunately no zombie bites) over the years of AMC's The Walking Dead, but actor Norman Reedus had a real-life scare earlier this year. Reedus suffered a concussion on set while filming the final season of the series, and now the actor is opening up about that scary moment.

In March, Reedus’ spokesperson stated that he suffered a concussion on set and would be resting for a few days. It pushed back the production of The Walking Dead, and while at the time it wasn’t known how serious it was, Reedus recently told EW about it and how he was shaken up by the incident:

This isn't the first time that Norman Reedus has sustained an injury, but this one clearly shook him more than the others. Understandably, the experience has stuck with him. Following the injury, doctors ran all the tests they could to ensure that Reedus was on the mend, and the actor looked back at those moments. At the time, he didn’t know if he would be okay, as he shared:

Norman Reedus had already had to deal with headaches and light sensitivity due to a metal eye socket. Luckily, the actor apparently got right back into zombie-fighting shape to finish The Walking Dead. He's also not leaving the zombie apocalypse behind, with a highly anticipated Daryl Dixon spinoff on the way.

Not long after Reedus suffered his concussion, he was back on set to finish out the filming of The Walking Dead. He and Greg Nicotero celebrated 12 years of filming the series while wrapping up on the last day. He looked to be in good health, but now that he has shared more of the story of what he went through, it's clear that it wasn't easy for him.

Meanwhile, Norman Reedus has been busy since finishing his work in front of the camera on The Walking Dead (and hopefully making sure he doesn’t get knocked on the head again). The actor was filming new episodes of his travel show Ride with Norman Reedus, which even included Keanu Reeves. Hopefully, he will also be careful with the upcoming Daryl spinoff, which has seen controversy in recent months due to Melissa McBride leaving.

The final run of The Walking Dead episodes begins on Sunday, October 2 on AMC, with the finale set for Sunday, November 20. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else is coming up!

While Norman Reedus is wrapping up his run as Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead, his travel show Ride with Norman Reedus is still ongoing on AMC. The series first premiered in 2016, and it features the actor traveling around the world with a different guest to explore a city’s biker culture and various local spots. In an upcoming episode, he will do some exploring with Keanu Reeves, and it seems very Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, though more like Daryl & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

The official Instagram account for Nic & Norman’s, a restaurant owned by Norman Reedus and director and executive producer Greg Nicotero, posted a photo of Reedus and Keanu Reeves, who is known as Ted in the Bill & Ted franchise. It looks like the two will be teaming up for an upcoming episode of Ride in the Beehive State, a.k.a. Utah:

The upcoming episode will be part of Ride’s sixth season, which has yet to receive an official premiere date from AMC. It will be interesting to see what Reedus and Reeves will get into on the episode, and Reeves is definitely one of the bigger names who has appeared on the show.

It should be noted that Keanu Reeves hasn’t done much television over the years aside from TV movies, guest appearances, and the animated spinoff Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures in the '90s. He did appear as Tex for 13 of the 20 episodes of the American-Swedish comedy web series Swedish Dicks.

Some notable guests on Ride with Norman Reedus in previous seasons include Easy Rider’s Peter Fonda, TWD co-stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Melissa McBride, comedian Dave Chappelle, Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Rooker, Ryan Hurst, and Milo Ventimiglia, among others. There is no telling who else will join Reedus on his adventure, but with Keanu Reeves in tow for an episode, it's safe to say that fans have a lot to be excited about.

Aside from evidently checking out some of Utah’s greatest locations, Keanu Reeves is getting ready for John Wick: Chapter 4. The highly-anticipated fourth installment in the John Wick franchise will release next year, with Reeves returning as the titular character. The actor will also portray Caped Crusader Batman/Bruce Wayne in a voice role for DC League of Super-Pets, due to come out at the end of July 2022.

Norman Reedus, meanwhile, is staying busy as The Walking Dead prepares to end in the coming months. Initially, there was going to be a spinoff following Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol, though after McBride’s exit, there is no telling what will happen with it. Especially since it led fans to throw hate towards Reedus, though he found support from Jeffrey Dean Morgan and the franchise.

Fingers crossed that Ride with Norman Reedus gets a Season 6 premiere date soon! In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to keep updated on upcoming shows!

The Walking Dead franchise has been going strong for over a decade, with the AMC pilot airing back in 2010. While the flagship series is nearing its end, there are a number of spinoffs either in the works or already in existence. And the franchise’s official social media has issued a response over Melissa McBride’s exit from the Daryl/Carol spinoff, and the fan hate coming at Daryl actor Norman Reedus.

This week it was revealed that Carol actress Melissa McBride would no longer be leading a Walking Dead spinoff alongside Norman Reedus. The fan reaction has been wild, with some folks directing hate and blame at Reedus. Now the franchise has issued a statement on Twitter about the online discourse, which reads:

There you have it. While there was originally a ton of discourse about Melissa McBride leaving the planned Walking Dead spinoff, this sets the record straight. She simply didn’t want to spend so much time filming in Europe, which is an understandable reason for not moving forward with the project. And the powers that be at the franchise want to make sure that Norman Reedus stops being the subject of so much negativity.

The above post from The Walking Dead’s Twitter comes as a ton of hate has been thrown Norman Reedus’ way over the Daryl/Carol spinoff series. Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan previously put his support behind both of his co-stars, while slamming the “toxic” fans out there who are making the situation so negative. He’s also expected to have his own spinoff once the apocalyptic drama comes to a close.

Later in that same statement, The Walking Dead franchise gave love and respect to Melissa McBride, and the work she’s done as Carol over the years. And it sounds like the fan favorite survivor still might show up here and then in the future, as it reads:

Well, color me intrigued. While Melissa McBride won’t be leading a Walking Dead spinoff alongside Norman Reedus, perhaps we’ll see her as Carol in a guest capacity. Any fan of the flagship series would love to see those two characters appear on the small screen, as they represent the final OG’s who are left in the series.

The Walking Dead is in the midst of its extended final season, which airs on AMC. Be sure to check out the midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. 

The future is already set in gore-splattered stone for The Walking Dead on AMC, with the final eight episodes dropping later this year, and thus the franchise’s future is now taking up more of the spotlight. Of the various spinoffs in development, the biggest no-brainer was the Daryl and Carol offshoot that was announced back in 2020, but things took an unexpected turn when star Melissa McBride dropped out of the project. Fans have shared all manner of reactions to that news, with some outright blaming Norman Reedus for how things played out, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan had some strong words for anyone taking part in such “toxic” behavior. 

No stranger to being candid on social media, Jeffrey Dean Morgan took to Twitter in the early morning hours with a pointed condemnation of Walking Dead fans who were quick to rail on Norman Reedus over the Daryl and Carol spinoff’s setback, despite him not being actively involved. Here’s how Morgan put it, presumably while adjusting his leather jacket and cracking his knuckles.  

Fans are definitely known for taking things too far on social media, regardless of what the context is, so it’s perhaps not entirely surprising that a swath of viewers would instinctively choose to rain blame down on Norman Reedus for Melissa McBride bowing out of their Walking Dead offshoot. For anyone who doesn’t actually look into the matter with fact-checking in mind, it may have seemed wonky that Reedus’ Daryl Dixon was given solo star status in the spinoff as soon as McBride’s exit was announced. But correlation is not causation, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is not here for shitty people sharing shitty opinions. 

While it’s absolutely possible that there is more happening with this situation than meets the eye, AMC followed up on the initial news with a statement saying the spinoff’s European filming schedule “became logistically untenable” for Melissa McBride to currently handle. It’s unclear why the overseas production is untenable, whether it’s due to personal or professional reasons, but that’s not even the point. 

Regardless of what the deal is, it was presumably McBride’s call, and as Jeffrey Dean Morgan noted, that should be respected by any and all fans. Even if someone doesn’t fully believe that to be the case, that doesn’t at all justify aiming one’s negative and hateful views onto Norman Reedus just for being the only other star involved. Ironically, those people will probably end up being the ones who stump for the spinoff the hardest whenever it actually gets here. Fandom is a complicated mess.

While Jeffrey Dean Morgan is clearly unhappy with the aftermath of McBride’s exit from that particular spinoff, his own upcoming follow-up Isle of the Dead unveiled its first new-to-the-franchise cast addition. Morgan and co-star Lauren Cohan will be joined by Grey’s Anatomy and Friday Night Lights vet Gaius Charles will be joining the NYC-set fun as a menacing family man named Izaak. Could Melissa McBride somehow factor into that spinoff now, presumably its production details are more agreeable for the actress? Or is she just completely done with the franchise altogether? 

Only the future can reveal such things, and speaking of the future, The Walking Dead will return to AMC with its final eight episodes later in 2022. In the meantime, the flagship’s first spinoff Fear the Walking Dead is playing out the back half of Season 7, with episodes airing every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. While waiting for the next one, relive all of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s biggest and best moments as Negan.

With just eight episodes left to air in The Walking Dead's flagship run, this final hiatus has a lot of fans looking ahead to where the franchise will go next with these familiar characters. After the still-airing Fear the Walking Dead and the limited World Beyond spinoff, the next big TWD spinoff was long ago revealed to be an on-the-road buddy drama focusing on two of the show's fan-favorite characters, Norman Reedus' Daryl and Melissa McBride's Carol. Those plans have now changed, however, as it appears McBride is no longer involved with the project. Feels like a perfect time for Daryl to drop another F-bomb.

To be co-created by current Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang and the franchise's CCO Scott Gimple, the Daryl and Carol spinoff was an easy-to-understand option for a spinoff starring legacy characters, considering they're the only two survivors that have been there since the earliest days. But it looks like plans have changed, as TVLine reports that Carol was excised from the spinoff as a creative decision through and through. 

That element implies there wasn't any bad blood between Melissa McBride and the network or show producers. But without the star or others commenting publicly on the matter, it's hard to know exactly what happened behind the scenes that set up this shocking turn of events. 

For those worried that the project might be canned altogether, quell the fears, because the spinoff is reportedly still going forward, but with Norman Reedus' consistently filthy survivor set to lead the new project all by his lonesome. Considering how everything went down in Season 11's finale, we can't very well expect him to take his one-time lover Leah out on the road with him, either.

As far as behind-the-scenes shocks go for The Walking Dead franchise, the Daryl and Carol spinoff losing its Carol aspect is as major as it gets. Nothing will beat Andrew Lincoln's mystery-bound exit as Rick Grimes on that front, but it's legitimately hard to envision this franchise's future without Melissa McBride involved. By all means, TWD's Carol-based narratives are fairly cyclical after so many seasons, but the actress' skills are the biggest reasons why the character has remained so beloved over the years. 

Of course, that beloved nature had a LOT to do with Carol's romance-adjacent friendship with Daryl, with their outsider personalities meshing perfectly in a variety of ways, even when they're butting heads. As such, it was celebrated (both by fans and the actors themselves) once AMC revealed the spinoff's imminent existence in the same breath used to announce The Walking Dead ending with Season 11.

Assuming the Daryl spinoff goes forward as it, the project will be one of three currently announced spinoffs that will expand the Walking Dead franchise into 2023 and beyond. Fans can also look forward to Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan teaming up for the NYC-bound Isle of the Dead, while the anthology project Tales of the Walking Dead will focus on a variety of different stories within the post-apocalyptic universe. Maybe we'll see Carol's return in one of those stories.

There are currently no publicly known plans for when the Daryl-centered spinoff will go into production, but The Walking Dead proper is set to return to AMC for the final eight episodes later in 2022, with an exact premiere date yet to be revealed. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what else is confirmed to be premiering in the coming months.

Spoilers below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, so be warned if you haven't yet watched!

The Walking Dead set up its final spring finale with Episode 1115, "Trust," which spent part of its time bringing characters closer together, such as Eugene & Max, Ezekiel & Carol (even if she denies it), and Lance & Leah. The latter is going to be a big problem  for Maggie and her Hilltop crew, or at least the less important ones, but that battle likely won't play out in full during the next episode, but rather later in Season 11. However, we're not discussing the ins and outs of these characters' future at the moment, because there are more pressing matters at hand: Norman Reedus' Daryl dropping a big honking F-bomb.

Josh Hamilton’s Lance took exactly zero time to start losing his cool once Maggie denied entry to the Commonwealth soldiers, which led to him impulsively going after li’l Hershel with the “found” baseball cap. Might have been a smart move had Elijah not been within “pinning-Lance-against-the-wall” distance. Yet he was, and things became extremely tense after that, with seemingly everyone else pointing weapons standoff-style. It’s here when Daryl dropped what will now be considered one of the character’s most iconic lines, as seen in the clip below:

I guess all the other characters are used to hearing Daryl say “fuck” a lot, from whatever dialogue takes place outside of what’s seen in the episodes, since no one jumped up and down pointing at him with both hands. He seems like the kinda guy who would say “Goddamn, these fuckin’ mosquitos,” if it was a hot day and he was getting overwhelmed by mosquitos, but he’d never say that at a time when viewers were listening in. 

To be sure, The Walking Dead has featured specific moments featuring F-bombs in the past, though usually through uncensored scenes on Blu-ray releases, or in a largely muffled manner. Here, however, Norman Reedus delivered one of the clearest swears of any kind in the horror drama’s eleven seasons. (And yes, I'm counting the one from his time in that hole with Rick a few seasons back.) To be expected anytime Norman Reedus does something badass, such as returning to filming with the quickness after an on-set injury, the Internet was here for his foul mouth, as it went with the Twitter user below.

The fact that Daryl was granted the opportunity to utter such a relatively clear "fucking" in a Season 11 episode is a weird slap in the nuts to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, whose arrival back at the tail end of Season 6 made it seem like The Walking Dead was about to deliver a smorgasbord of F-bombs, though it never happened. (Though it might have had he noticed his phone sticking out of his jeans in a recent episode.)

Even the viewers who haven't necessarily been having the best time with The Walking Dead recently were more than pleased to hear Norman Reedus let his "fuck" flag fly, as it were.

Something of a similar sentiment from the fan below, who seems slightly more proud to be one of The Walking Dead's core viewership. 

Because Twitter is very rarely a place where everyone can come together in agreement, there were obviously some who weren't all that into Daryl's filthy language, and others who didn't think it was that big of a deal to begin with. But anyone who's been waiting for just such a moment definitely had gleeful emojis to share.

But just to get one out there that reflects the thoughts of Comic Book Negan:

I have to think fans would let their own F-bombs start flying if Andrew Lincoln's recent visit to Atlanta, which included a meet-up with Norman Reedus, had anything to do with the final Season 11 episodes being filmed. The production wrapped up as March 2022 came to a close, though, without any Rick-related rumors popping up, so we'll have to wait and see how things pan out.

One of many big TV shows ending in 2022, The Walking Dead will air the last episode of Season 11B on AMC on Sunday, April 10, with the final eight episodes arriving later this year. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way in the meantime. 

 I still have trouble believing this sentence is one that matches up with confirmed reality, but The Walking Dead is coming to an end on AMC this year. The flagship zombie drama will shamble its final shamble in late 2022 with an eight-episode final stretch that will somehow find a way to conclude this eleven-season saga, and those episodes have now finished the principal filming process. Executive producer, frequent director, occasional guest-walker, and special effects master Greg Nicotero definitely made sure to mark the milestone occasion in video form, and he shared one with fans that features him and longtime star Norman Reedus' wistfully celebrating the end of an era.

While the cast and crew will no doubt be celebrating The Walking Dead conclusion in more jubilant and rowdy ways down the road, it's clear that Greg Nicotero and Norman Reedus (who was only recently injured in an on-set accident) are still smack dab in the middle of those feelings in the Instagram video below.

It’s no secret that neither Greg Nicotero nor Norman Reedus are actually finished with the Walking Dead universe themselves, with with the Daryl and Carol spinoff that’s on the way, not to mention Negan and Maggie’s Isle of the Dead, the anthology series, and the long-established Fear the Walking Dead. (Along with any other spinoffs on the way.) However, the existence of new projects on the horizon doesn’t take away from the significance of this particular series closing its “Dead Inside”-emblazoned doors for the final time.

Especially for these two in particular. Both Greg Nicotero and Norman Reedus were seasoned in TV work by the time The Walking Dead came along, with the former having worked on Deadwood and The Pacific, while the latter appeared on shows like Hawaii Five-0 and Law & Order: SVU. (Plus, they both worked on Showtime’s anthology series Masters of Horror.) But they were both far more well-known for their respective work on the film side of things, and rightfully so at the time. Twelve years can definitely change anyone’s career arc, though, and the AMC series was a complete game-changer for Nicotero and Reedus.

So I can imagine it’s going to be a massive change to move on from filming Season 11 knowing that they may never be within the Alexandria and Hilltop sets again, after calling them a second home for nearly half of the show’s existence. Thankfully, there are plenty of other co-stars and crew members to celebrate with, and some of the show’s current and past alum chimed in on Nicotero’s IG post with kind messages. 

•  Sending you and the entire TWD family so much f’n LOVE and congratulations!!!! XOXO - Stephen Ogg (Simon portrayer)
• Wow wow wow wow. So surreal. All my best to all of you. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ - Matt Negrete (writer/World Beyond showrunner)
• Love you both!!!! - Hilarie Burton (Lucille portrayer)
• 😍 - Emily Kenney (Beth portrayer)
• ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ - Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko portrayer)
• Fuck, I can't believe it's over. What an epic journey for one of the greatest & most original TV series ever! - Slash (rock legend)

Okay, so Guns 'n' Roses guitar god Slash isn't part of The Walking Dead universe, but I couldn't resist. Walker Slash would looking exactly the same as normal Slash, I'd think. 

Oh, and let's not forget Norman Reedus' own response to Greg Nicotero's post.

• Love u so much buddy. As u know❤️ - Norman Reedus

As one of many shows coming to a close in 2022, The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m., with the show’s final midseason hiatus coming soon ahead of the final eight episodes. And don’t forget to tune into Fear the Walking Dead’s Season 7 return on Sunday, April 17, also at 9:00 p.m. ET.

AMC’s The Walking Dead has been making the rounds with its final season victory lap, as we’re in the middle of Season 11’s expected 24-episode run. With the filming of the final episodes still underway, the stars of the hit cable drama are preparing for the future and closing the book on the story that started it all. However, this last ride comes with its own complications, as we’ve most recently seen with series star Norman Reedus suffering an injury during this last leg of production. 

According to reporting from Deadline, The Walking Dead set saw this unfortunate accident occur on March 11th. Through a statement from Norman Reedus’ spokesperson, Jeffrey Chassen, the full extent of the situation was laid out as follows: 

Due to this concussion, the schedule for The Walking Dead’s production of those final episodes will have to be shifted by “a few days.” Thankfully, it sounds like the actor's injuries are not too severe, with caution still being taken for his safety. Present in the series since its inception, with Season 2 marking his start as a regular cast member, the star is best known as fan favorite character Daryl Dixon.

Details surrounding the accident itself, including whether or not Norman Reedus was filming at the time, are absent at this time. While the flagship title in AMC's small-screen horror universe is coming to a close, Reedus isn’t finished playing Daryl just yet. Especially when the future is promising to add to the list of the best friendship moments between Daryl and Carol.

As AMC continues to spinoff other series that follow characters originating from this root story, one of the upcoming adventures we have to look forward to is the Daryl and Carol-le spinoff promised back in 2020. Set to co-star Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, this is in addition to the more recently announced Isle of the Dead spinoff, which will follow Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie in an undead New York City.

There’s a lot to look out for on the horizon of The Walking Dead’s post-finale universe, and Norman Reedus is still an important part of what comes next. We here at CinemaBlend wish a speedy recovery to Mr. Reedus, and hope he’s back in action in no time. Especially if the episodes to come involve him punching out a potentially returning Rick Grimes. 

The Walking Dead currently airs on AMC, Sunday nights at 9 P.M. ET, so be sure that you're up on everything we know about Season 11. And if you’re looking for the latest updates on premieres through the winter and spring seasons, check out the 2022 TV schedule.

As fans of The Walking Dead prepare to say goodbye to the zombie apocalypse drama they’ve been watching for years, it seems like one former star is stirring up quite the speculation about his future with the series. Andrew Lincoln reunited with Norman Reedus in Georgia recently, as the AMC series is said to be filming its final episodes, so what’s going on?

Andrew Lincoln portrayed fan-favorite Rick Grimes on AMC’s The Walking Dead from 2010-2018, as well as one episode of Fear the Walking Dead in 2018. With TWD coming to an end, fans have been itching for one last glimpse of Rick on the small screen, in whatever form that may be, with the film trilogy taking a while to come to fruition. Over President’s Day weekend, a restaurant-owning fan in Georgia posted on Instagram that Lincoln and his BFF/former TWD co-star Norman Reedus came chow down. Now the question is why Lincoln is in the Peach State.

Looks like a fun time, even if Lincoln isn't wearing anything offering clear signs of Rick Grimes' return. But let's dig into what could have led to the above photo happening in the first place. 

Could It Mean Rick Grimes Will Appear In The Walking Dead’s Final Episode(s)?

Obviously the biggest question that comes to mind is whether or not this means that fans will see Rick Grimes once again on The Walking Dead proper before it ends. While it’s certainly possible that Andrew Lincoln is in Georgia to film some type of cameo or flashback scene, it’s not very likely if we're actually seeing the actor in public. AMC would have definitely wanted to keep his return on the down-low, so him being out and about with another huge star from the series is not so secretive.

Last fall, Andrew Lincoln did celebrate the anniversary of his exit, and it's always been clear that Rick still means a lot to to him. And it's been said that he isn't meant to be returning for the TV show, but whether or not those plans may have changed is yet to be seen, though his story won't end with the series' conclusion either way.

Will Andrew Lincoln Direct One Of The Walking Dead’s Last Eps?

Another possibility could be that Lincoln is actually directing an episode of The Walking Dead, rather than appearing in it. While AMC has a knack for announcing when a show alum is directing an episode, it’s possible they want to keep this one more secretive, even if Lincoln's presence in Georgia isn't completely clandestine.

It’s entirely possible that if that is the case, AMC is waiting until the episode is finished filming so to give fans a sneak preview of Lincoln's return. However, they may also not want to get their hopes up in case a cameo is not happening.

Or Is The Rick Grimes Movie Finally Happening?

The other possibility may even be bigger than a potential Walking Dead cameo. A Rick Grimes movie has been in development for quite a while now. Last summer, The Walking Dead universe EP Greg Nicotero opened up about the long delay and at the time, he didn’t know when it was happening and noted that everyone on the movie is trying to get the script perfect. Has the time finally come?

Perhaps Andrew Lincoln was in Georgia for a meeting with Scott Gimple and other TWD producers to talk about the movie. It’s definitely the most likely possibility of the three, though it’s still possible he was in the state for a completely different project or reason. Reportedly, Andrew Lincoln has already filmed his episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities so it’s unlikely it had anything to do with that. 

Hopefully soon fans find out just what Andrew Lincoln was doing in Georgia with Norman Reedus, but in the meantime, the final season of The Walking Dead airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on AMC.

The Ghost Rider property has scored some solid live-action representation over the last decade and a half, with Nicolas Cage playing Johnny Blaze in two movies and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Gabriel Luna appearing as Robbie Reyes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4. However, given the latter series’ questionable status in the official Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, it’s safe to say we could be seeing a different Ghost Rider in this superhero franchise at some point. Evidently The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus is interested in the role judging by his social media activity.

Best known for playing Daryl Dixon on the long-running AMC series and Murphy McManus in the Boondock Saints movies, Norman Reedus has been liking tweets from supporters who think he’d make a good Ghost Rider. Reedus also shared an Instagram post depicting fan art as the fiery superhero and passing along the rumor that Marvel Studios has already picked an actor to bring the character to life. Assuming this is true, it remains to be seen if Reedus is that actor, but The Walking Dead star has made it clear on numerous occasions that he wants to play Ghost Rider, including telling Comicbook.com back in July that he wants his “face to turn into a fire skull and whip a chain around.”

If Norman Reedus were to join the MCU as Ghost Rider or any other character, he’d just be the latest Walking Dead actor to step foot in this massive franchise, with others including Michael Rooker, Danai Gurira, Ross Marquand and Lauren Ridloff. And as if droves of fan support wasn’t enough to at least put Reedus on Marvel Studios’ scopes, The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang also recently voiced her support for the actor playing Ghost Rider.

Norman Reedus already has a little Marvel experience under his belt voicing Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, in the animated movie Iron Man: Rise of Technovore. Needless to say though that playing the latest live-action interpretation of Ghost Rider is a higher-profile gig, whether it happens in a movie or Disney+ series. Of course, scheduling would need to be an issue overcome to make this happen, because even though The Walking Dead will conclude in 2022, Reedus is set to star in a spinoff centered on Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier.

While there haven’t been any Ghost Rider-related teases yet in the MCU, between Doctor Strange opening this franchise’s supernatural doors and more horror-centric projects like Blade and Werewolf by Night (the latter being a Halloween special for Disney+) on the way, it’s a solid bet that we could see Ghost Rider, specifically the Johnny Blaze version, racing around in the coming years. Following his time on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., there were plans for Gabriel Luna to reprise Robbie Reyes in a Ghost Rider series for Hulu. However, the streaming service scrapped the show in September 2019.

If/when Marvel announces who will play the new Ghost Rider, whether it’s Norman Reedus or someone else, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know. In the meantime, check out what the MCU has coming up in our Marvel movies guide and Marvel TV shows guide. The second half of The Walking Dead’s final season will premiere in late February on AMC.

It seems that you can’t keep the MacManus Brothers down. While it’s been more than a decade since the sequel to The Boondock Saints was released, which in turn came out a decade after the original cult classic, it looks like we’re due for a trilogy. Franchise director Troy Duffy has confirmed that The Boondock Saints III is happening, and both Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery will be back for it. 

It’s been a long and a rough road for the Boondock Saints as a franchise. An attempt to reboot the series for television five years ago never actually materialized. And there had been a very public split between the two lead actors and the franchise for reasons that have never been made entirely clear, which killed earlier plans for a third movie. But it seems that everything has now been repaired. As Troy Duffy tells Deadline, a new movie is on the way that will take the story forward from where it ended in Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. According to Duffy... 

The new script for Boondock Saints III was actually co-written by Sean Patrick Flanery with input from Norman Reedus and Troy Duffy among others. The movie hopes to film next year when Reedus has a break from his Walking Dead commitments and Flanery is not filming The Boys. It’s unclear if this version of a third film is related to the earlier attempt to make the movie or an entirely new story.

The original Boondock Saints was the definition of a cult classic. It had the unlucky fate to debut just after the high school massacre at Columbine, which resulted in the movie barely getting released at all. Fans, however, found the movie on DVD, and it became a huge hit. The desire for a sequel led to All Saints Day being released in 2009.

The first film followed the MacManus Brothers Connor and Murphy, who killed a pair of Russian mobsters in self defense, but were branded as heroes in the media for doing so. The two then decide they’ve been chosen to become vigilantes and rid their Boston home of crime. 

At this point it seems only Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are set to appear. It’s stated in the report that there are hopes to bring Willem Dafoe back in his recurring role as Smecker, but thus far he is not attached to the project. One wonders if Billy Connolly will also return as the patriarch of the MacManus family. 

Boondock Saints fans will certainly be excited to hear that a third movie is on the way. After all this time the film could only be a couple of years away from being a reality. 

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Fear the Walking Dead's third episode of Season 7, so be warned!

It's easy to believe that AMC will keep the Walking Dead franchise going for as long as humanly possible, with future plans already including one spinoff devoted to Norman Reedus’ Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol, and one anthologized spinoff with one-off episodes tapping into previously unexplored areas of the zombie apocalypse. It’s somewhat easy to understand why network execs are eager to keep those wheels spinning, since the three current horror dramas make up the core of AMC’s identity at this point outside of Breaking Bad’s perfecto spinoff Better Call Saul. So since there’s no end in sight, I’m making a plea for a Dead-adjacent spinoff that would excite me more than the two projects mentioned above: The John Sr. and June Show. 

Okay, yeah, that’s a terrible working title, but my basic point is that Fear the Walking Dead’s episode “Cindy Hawkins” proved with ease that Jenna Elfman’s June Dorie and Keith Carradine’s John Dorie Sr. deserve to be at the center of their own show. (With the massive assumption that John doesn’t do something impulsive that leads to his immediate death in any future Season 7 episodes.) Showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg and their creative team have largely done a great job at expanding certain stories within character-specific episodes in recent seasons, and I feel like that’s best exemplified through installments focusing on the various Dorie family members, though Garret Dillahunt’s John Jr. was tragically killed off in Season 6.

Still, though, last season’s “The Key” put Dillahunt’s John Dorie Jr. in the middle of a methodical murder-mystery, and the episode was a standout across the entire series’ run. (And also sparked a “Give me a spinoff!” argument from yours truly.) While it wasn’t quite as gripping, “Cindy Hawkins” played out as a paranoid thriller that followed a frazzled and obsession-driven John Sr. attempting to bring justice to the one victim of John Glover’s Teddy that remained undiscovered by authorities. Only, it’s never exactly clear if John’s instincts are actually trustworthy or not, as he was forced into cold-turkey sobriety and was very obviously seeing hallucinations along the way. (A notion somewhat foreshadowed by the psychedelic grooves of The Mamas & the Papas in the earliest minutes.)

Even though the episode entirely wrapped up the whole Cindy Hawkins story, as her corpse was found hidden behind a wall of the bunker John and June were living in, it’s not as if that discovery closed the door on interesting narrative paths for the two characters to travel down in the future. The episode ended with the pair being “saved,” as it were, by Colman Domingo’s Victor Strand, who is destined for a potentially deadly faceoff with Lennie James’ Morgan by this season’s end. (Also, fuck Victor for his supercilious “Maybe later” response to John saying he’s “off the sauce.”) So after all that stuff happens, I’m sorta hoping John and June will get forced into a situation where they will need to splinter off from the rest of the protagonists in order to go on their own spinoff adventures.

Because while The Walking Dead’s Carol and Daryl have been fan-favorite characters for many years, that’s largely due to fans having followed them for eleven seasons now. We’ve seen Carol go through just about every kind of tragedy known to man, from the early-on deaths of Ed and Sophia to murdering Lizzie to Henry’s death to losing Connie, with a plethora of other moments sprinkled between. Meanwhile, fans have watched Daryl pull off countless badass moments (often with his illogical post-apocalyptic weapon-of-choice, the crossbow), as well as him getting captured numerous times by various lage villain groups, only to come out alive every time. Anyone who can go through an ugly cry like Daryl did over Merle and still come out ahead with audiences has definitely earned his or her place.  

But my point there is that Daryl and Carol have gone through the physical and emotional wringers on The Walking Dead, which makes it hard to think of what kinds of story beats their spinoff can introduce that won’t just be retreading past moments. On the flip side, however, Jenna Elfman’s seasons on Fear the Walking Dead haven’t explored June as a character nearly as much, in part due to the series’ transition into character-specific episodes. And the same goes for Keith Carradine’s John Sr. on a much larger scale, considering “Cindy Hawkins” was only his fourth episode. 

Sure, John Jr. is the link that ties June and John Sr. together, with the serial killer Teddy as the biggest lynchpin behind the elder John Dorie’s obsessions. But we still don’t know THAT many details about June’s past, since one of her character traits has long been “lie-based secrecy,” which was demonstrated in Episode 703 when she confessed to having made up stats about how long they should stay underground. So there’s lots to explore there. And the same goes for John, whose long life cannot be represented entirely by “the killer that got away.” Even though Fear the Walking Dead very rarely utilizes flashbacks to inform its narratives, dipping back into John and June’s pasts would be a great way to strike narrative balances between what they’d go through in the spinoff, and what they’d already been through before. 

It’ll definitely take more than just me hollering about a John and June spinoff to make it happen, and I admitteldy have 1% confidence that it could ever happen, considering The Walking Dead universe also still has to bring Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes back with his spinoff features, with even more unconfirmed spinoff ideas being tossed around behind the scenes with franchise overseer Scott Gimple. But how awesome would it be to see Rick and John Dorie Sr. bullshitting together about the good ol' days of pre-outbreak law enforcement? Oh, I guess that's a different idea altogether. 

Fans can keep up with Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 when it airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m., followed by new episodes of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. And check out our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see all the other new and returning shows yet to debut in the next two months.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Walking Dead, titled "On the Inside," so be warned!

The Walking Dead delivered a double stack of returning characters with the sixth episode of its eleventh and final season. Kevin Carroll's Virgil was last seen discovering Lauren Ridloff's long-missing Connie in the AMC drama's first attempt at Season 10's finale, prior to the six-episode extension. "On the Inside" confirmed the duo stuck together afterward long enough to pay a visit to one of The Walking Dead's most legitimately frightening locations and villains with the House of Ferals. Tis the season for visiting haunted abodes, after all.

The episode, directed by horror mastermind Greg Nicotero, paid quite the gripping homage to such genre classics as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes, and George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. What's more, it delivered some of this show's scariest moments of any given season, thanks in large part to the sound design bouncing between its stress-inducing orchestral score and the silence of Connie's point-of-view scenes. With those two overarching plusses already noted, let's go through the seven scariest moments from "On the Inside."

Virgil Running Through That Bigass Spider's Web

From its very first moments, The Walking Dead delivered dread-soaked foreshadowing by having Virgil plow through the home of a deadly creepy-crawly creature as he was in the process of being herded along by those very creatures, dubbed Ferals. But "foreshadowing" doesn't make every body part between my neck and my knees squirm and restrict independently of each other the way that "the very notion of trying to shake a hand-sized spider off of my clothes in the dark only after slowly realizing that son of a bitch is on me" does.

The House Of Ferals' Wall Decorations

Upon entering the main living areas of that creepy ass house, Connie was quite a bit more unnerved by the house's aesthetic. And while the plethora of mounted animal heads and on-display taxidermy instantly brought to mind Norman Bates' house of horrors, it didn't automatically imply freak show occupants therein. But once Connie came across the hallway of portraits with holes poked into everyone's eyes, it severely lowered their chances of finding anyone even orbiting around the concept of being mentally sound.

The Old "Eye In The Used Razorblade Hole" Trick

Considering all of the horror love shown throughout, I absolutely expected Connie's bathroom trip to involve a mirror-related scare, whether it'd have been legitimate or a fake-out. So I was bamboozled to see Lauren Ridloff turn it into arguably the ep's funniest moment, with Connie commenting on her appearance. Behind the mirror was a different story, however. First, the idea of throwing used razors away via wall-hole as opposed to a trash can weirds me out for reasons I can't explain. But then to have someone's eye suddenly manifest itself on the other side of that hole? That's not how logic or anything else works in my world, friends. It's how nightmares work.

Connie Being Chased By The Feral

Punctuating a fairly silent sequence was the episode's first full arrival of a Feral family member, and the approach deserves a big thumbs up for putting the audience into Connie's shoes as she realized through vibrations in the wall that something was quickly approaching her from behind. She might have even though it was an actual wild animal, considering that crusty bastard was running around on all fours and bouncing off of the walls as he turned corners. (If only Connie knew how hungry he was, she's nice enough to have offered her arm for him to gnaw on.) There's something uniquely terrifying about feeling as if you're about to be caught by something you can't identify. Is it a murderer? An ice cream man with ample wares? A giant spider creature? Two giant spider creatures?

Virgil Getting Snuck

I'm not sure what I would have done if I were in Connie's place, stuck behind the walls without a clear way of communicating with Virgil. But I can 100% relate to her abundant panic as she watched one of the Feral creepsters emerge from an unexpected crawlspace and eventually attack Virgil. I like to think the smell coming off of those things would be enough to draw attention, but Angel Theory's Kelly threw that idea out the window elsewhere in the episode after she didn't bat a nostril at that rotting horse corpse.

The Possibility Of Connie's Death

Despite everything that would stand against the idea of Lauren Ridloff's Connie being killed off in her first episode back after an elongated absence, I truly thought she was doomed for at least three seconds. Long enough to consider the fact that it would be right up The Walking Dead's alley to deliver a gut-wrenching death just when audiences would be expecting a heartwarming reunion. Thankfully, it was all paying into the classic knife-through-the-wall scare, and Virgil thankfully didn't make himself a TWD pariah by unwittingly murdering a fan-favorite character .

The Moments Just Before Connie And Kelly's Hug

This final entry technically wasn't "scary" in the same sense as most of the above moments. But it was still strangely haunting to see the episode end without really addressing the live-or-die fate of Virgil, who was selflessly saved by Connie after being stabbed by one of the Ferals. He just sort of rolled over on the ground as Kelly showed up to kill off the remaining Ferals, leading to her and Connie's emotional reunion. Beyond Virgil's situation, it was also disturbing to consider that Kelly probably thought she'd just taken out some walkers, rather than having murdered two other people. Not that it wasn't deserved, but that kind of thing weighs on a person.

The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming a week early for AMC+ subscribers. I'm hoping this show continues to keep its feet firmly rooted in horror storytelling while also dealing with its other narrative approaches. While waiting to see where this final season goes next, head to our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen soon.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched The Walking Dead's fourth episode of Season 11, so be warned!

With the episode "Rendition," The Walking Dead paid off on both Daryl's previously introduced relationship with Lynn Collins' Leah, and on the Season 11 trailer that hinted at Leah's return. Unfortunately, the characters' reconnection wasn't quite as loving as their initial courtship was, and it involved Daryl once again being held prisoner in a miserable situation, as well as the first appearance from Ritchie Coster's villainous leader Pope. As it turns out, the creative team's original ideas for this storyline were quite different from what viewers saw.

It turns out the first threads of Leah's existence were birthed back in Season 9, the same season where Andrew Lincoln's Rick, Lauren Cohan's Maggie, and Danai Gurira's Michonne made their big exits. Here's how showrunner Angela Kang explained it to EW:

It's interesting to think about what The Walking Dead's current situation would be like had Angela Kang & Co. went forward with introducing Leah into the main story during Season 9. It would have made just about every one of Daryl and Carol's interactions that much more interesting to witness, for one, since we might have seen Norman Reedus' emotionally stunted character in a few more heartwarming situations. It's not clear if the Reapers storyline might have been seeded into the narrative earlier on, even before Lauren Cohan's return to the show, but that's obviously something to consider as well.

That wasn't the only change-up, either. Once showrunner Angela Kang and the writing staff figured out most of the story mechanics for how Leah and Daryl's story would actually play out on the show, the original plan was to have everything we've seen so far play out in one fell swoop. In Kang's words:

I kind of love the idea that everyone's moral-based opinions about Lynn Collins' Leah were basically moot from the get-go, because that introduction was always guaranteed to be followed by the Reaper reveal. I was on her side simply for being the one person in The Walking Dead's universe that was able to fully pierce Daryl's built-up emotional armor, though I definitely had suspicions after she went missing. Not that Daryl was exactly on the right side of things for not offering a straight answer to her ultimatum, but still. Things are definitely more complicated now than they would have been then, that's for sure. But obviously still with all the weird sexual energy that would come with such a relationship.

With a return to the Commonwealth coming in the next episode, which will hopefully give us some answers about Eugene and faux-Stephanie, The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights on AMC, with episodes airing a full week early for AMC+ subscribers. While waiting for the next episode, be sure to stay updated on all the big shows heading to the small screen soon with our 2021 Fall TV schedule.

As The Walking Dead creeps towards its Season 11 premiere, which will kick off the zombie drama's extended final stretch, fans are no doubt waiting to see what showrunner Angela Kang and her creative team have in store for the show's core protagonist ensemble. And you just know that a large subsection of the fanbase is blindly holding out hope that Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes will make a final TV appearance ahead of the character's feature film debut. It almost definitely won't happen, but if it does, Rick should probably steer clear of Norman Reedus' Daryl, at least early on.

Norman Reedus has a pretty specific idea for how his character Daryl would react to seeing Andrew Lincoln's Rick more than half a decade after he first disappeared (in Season 9's "What Comes After"). It isn't necessarily the sweetest and kindest reaction, but it's perfectly on brand for Daryl. Here's how he put it to Insider:

Daryl is obviously a character who is driven by the darker side of his emotional spectrum, and often acts out vengefully, impulsively and without an abundance of forethought. That all tracks with his ideas for how Daryl would react to Rick's return, since it seems entirely antithetical to immediately bring facial pain to the dude that everyone has been missing so hard over the years.

As if the physical attack wasn't enough on its own, Norman Reedus (kind of hilariously) also thinks Daryl would add insult to injury by making fun of Rick's weight, which is the kind of petty mess that presumably doesn't happen as much in the post-apocalypse. Especially weight jokes, considering weight gains in the zombie apocalypse have to be relatively non-existent outside of singled-out instances. (The walkers' metabolism must be extremely impressive.)

After the topic of Judith and R.J. Grimes came up, Norman Reedus had another complaint that he'd want to throw Rick's way upon their reunion:

Not that Daryl has spent any money on either Judith or R.J., but certainly there's a lot of value in the time he's spent providing care and food for the kids. Especially after Danai Gurira's Michonne also packed up and shipped off on her child-less quest to find Rick. At least Rick was taken away from everyone without his knowledge or consent. Michonne straight up volunteered to go solo. Not that I'm saying Daryl should punch her in the face or anything.

No doubt Daryl will find someone else's face to smash up once The Walking Dead Season 11 debuts on AMC on Sunday, April 22, with the season premiere and all other episodes available to stream a week early on the streaming service AMC+. While waiting for the zombie action to return, be sure to take note of all the other exciting shows hitting the 2021 Fall TV schedule.

I have been a fan of The Walking Dead since the very beginning, from the premiere all the way back in 2010, and never in my life have I seen a friendship better than Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier in this show.

While I know that plenty of fans have rooted for the two of them to get together, I’ve always been the biggest supporter of their companionship, almost like kindred spirits. There’s just something about the chemistry between Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride that makes me smile, which is why today, I’m going to honor the characters with their best moments in the series.

When Daryl And Carol Search For Sophia (Season 2, Episode 4)

Arguably what began their friendship way back when in Season 2 of The Walking Dead. I feel like Season 2 was the first time we ever really saw Daryl show a hint of emotion, and that was all because of the connection he felt with Sophia and her mother, Carol.

Daryl continuously tries to aid Carol in finding her daughter, even giving her a Cherokee rose (like the title of the episode), to give her hope – even if the overall search ends in heartbreak a couple of episodes later.

When Daryl Saves Carol In The Prison (Season 3, Episode 6)

Carol has become one of those characters that I just know will survive until the end, but this scene still scared me back then. I remember when it happened I freaked the heck out, but it wasn’t long before Daryl found her, hiding from the walkers that had been in the prison. She was weak, malnourished, but saved just in the knick of time.

And of course, who can forget that moment when he carries her out? My heart. I love them so much.

When Carol Calls Daryl “Pookie” For The First Time (Season 4, Episode 1)

Honestly, if I was ranking these, this would be one of my favorite moments between the two in The Walking Dead. Daryl Dixon is this hard-as-nails redneck who’s a survivor, someone who doesn’t take crap from no one – but of course when his best friend calls him “Pookie,” and his half-hearted attempt to get her to stop, it’s the funniest comment ever.

I just can’t imagine a world where someone like Daryl Dixon is called “Pookie,” but of course, only Carol of all people could get away with that.

When Daryl And Carol Reunite After The Prison Fell (Season 5, Episode 1)

This hands down has to be one of the most heartwarming moments of The Walking Dead. The group has just somehow survived Terminus, this supposed “sanctuary” that is actually filled to the brim with cannibals, thanks to the help of Carol from the outside. There, when Daryl sees Carol for the first time after the prison fell, he runs up to her and hugs her so tightly, crying.

It’s one of the few moments during the show that we really get to see Daryl express legit emotion about how he feels about his family. Again, he’s so tough and tries to hide his feelings, avoid attachments, but at that point, he had lost so much – he didn’t want to lose his best friend too.

When Carol And Daryl Have A Heart-to-Heart In Atlanta (Season 5, Episode 6)

Okay, I’m going to admit it here for the world to know – I was a Beth and Daryl fan in The Walking Dead. I loved those two together. Don’t know why, just did, which is why this moment has to be on this list. Daryl had lost Beth after surviving with her when the prison fell, watching helplessly as she was taken away in a mysterious car.

Daryl tracks down the same car she was taken into Atlanta, where Carol follows him after. It’s there, while they’re looking for her in Atlanta, that the two have a heart-to-heart about everything that’s happened, like how Carol has been holding up, and why Daryl is the way that he is. We even get hints of Daryl’s past in this, something that has been long-guarded in The Walking Dead. It’s a nice moment, one that I wish lasted longer before one of the most heartbreaking moments of the show.

When Carol And Daryl Meet Up Again Outside The Kingdom (Season 7, Episode 10)

You know, for a bit, I was mad at Carol for leaving Alexandria behind in The Walking Dead and all her family, but after some reflecting, I realized I would have done the same. Carol was tired of all the killing and people getting hurt that happened in Alexandria, so she moved out and decided to reside in a little cottage on the outskirts of the Kingdom.

However, after Glenn and Abraham are killed by the ultimate villain, Negan, Daryl sets out on his own to find Carol. But when he sees her life and how peaceful she was living out there compared to what was happening in Alexandria, he decides to not tell her about what’s happened to them. He doesn’t want to ruin the peace she had found. After so much pain, he wants her to be happy.

When Daryl Gives Carol His Blessing To Be With Ezekiel (Season 9, Episode 1)

Look, I loved Carol and Ezekiel on The Walking Dead. I thought they were one of the best couples on the show. And way back in the beginning of Season 9, Daryl even gave his approval for her to marry him – not of his own accord, though. Carol asked him what he thought since Ezekiel proposed, and Daryl just said that he was a nice guy and wanted Carol to be happy.

It’s a sweet moment that shows how far their friendship has come, and even has a callback to when Carol called him “Pookie” back in Season 4.

When Daryl Attempts To Shield Carol From Henry’s Death (Season 9, Episode 15)

The Whisperer War was an intense battle that started out with some horrible deaths, ones that will always haunt me from The Walking Dead. One of those unfortunate ones was Carol’s adopted son, Henry, who was decapitated, his head placed on a stick to reanimate.

Daryl, who sees this first, steps in front of Carol before she could see, knowing what happened with Sophia. He instead says, “Look at me,” over and over, trying to make sure she doesn’t look. As someone who’s watched the show for so long, it always tugs my heartstrings whenever I see this scene, knowing how much these two have been through.

When Daryl And Carol Discuss Their Difficult Days (Season 10, Episode 21)

At this point in Season 10 of The Walking Dead, it was revealed that Carol was the one to let Negan go out and kill Alpha. Daryl, understandably, isn’t super okay with this, and due to their conflicting interests, this drives a wedge between both him and Carol. In one of the six additional episodes that came out for Season 10, we focus on both Daryl and Carol, who both had pretty rough days.

When they meet up in Alexandria again, they both discuss everything they went through, but there’s a clear awkwardness in the air. It’s not a heartwarming welcome or funny – which is honestly why this is one of their best moments. It’s the first real test of their friendship, showing that it is strained and it’s not going to be an easy fix, showing how dynamic the two of them truly are.

The Walking Dead Season 11, which will be the final season, is going to be premiering soon on the 2021 Summer TV schedule, so keep an eye out for this show and its (hopefully) amazing conclusion, where we’ll see Daryl and Carol fight together for the last time - until their Daryl/Carol spinoff premieres, that is. You should catch up on The Walking Dead while you can.

The Walking Dead stoked interest for its final season by dropping its first big Season 11 trailer, which gave fans a good look at the villainous threat that will make life hell for Lauren Cohan's Maggie and the rest of the protagonists. (At least the ones that aren't being put through the motions by the Commonwealth soldiers.) The trailer features a big introduction from The Commonwealth as well as several big returns, including Lauren Ridloff's Connie and Kevin Carroll's Virgil. But there appears to be a more unexpected character return that could mean big things for Norman Reedus' Daryl.

As seen in the trailer, there's a big group of masked marauders coming to Season 11 dubbed The Reapers, and they look like quite the formidable force. Speaking of masked characters, fans do get a quick shot of Maggie's friend Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari), but there's yet another mystery character whose identity is obscured that shows up a couple of times in the trailer. While it's not explicitly clear if that person is actually part of the Reaper group or not, their identity is seemingly easier to figure out.

Considering this person is standing around in the background with Dog while Daryl (I assume) is in the foreground, it seems almost too obvious that it'll be Lynn Collins' Leah under that mask. As fans no doubt remember, Leah was introduced in the Daryl-focused Season 10 episode "Find Me," in which fans learned that she was Dog's original owner. Fans also witnessed her and Daryl's time-lapsed relationship evolve into a full-blown romance, which was one of the most shocking moments with the Walking Dead universe that didn't directly involve a death. (It technically didn't even show any kissing.) That episode ended with Daryl discovering Leah's disappearance just as he was willing to accept her ultimatum, with Dog left behind.

At this point, Lynn Collins' return as Leah hasn't been announced or confirmed by AMC or anyone involved with the show, so these are just educated guesses happening. And had the trailer not used a close-up of the masked person's face, particularly those eyes, it might have been more of a guessing game for that character's identity. Or if Lynn Collins had dark brown eyes, but that one seems harder to change on the fly.

So I'm fairly convinced that's indeed Lynn Collins' Leah under there, but I'm still curious about where her loyalties will lie. On the one hand, she's standing there non-threateningly, as Dog appears to be fully comfortable, and Daryl's position wouldn't necessarily make it hard for him to see Leah and Dog. So it's not being overtly set up as "Uh-oh, better watch out, Daryl!" Plus, I might be totally wrong here, but I don't think Leah's mask matches up with any of The Reapers in that big group shot, and the rest of her clothing also looks less heavy and layered than the Reapers' protective gear.

Do I have any amazing, brain-melting theories behind why Leah would be masked up and NOT part of the Reapers? Not really, but Elijah's presence at least sets a precedence for it, and he's clashed with the villains before. It's certainly possible she was with them and defected, or that they took her and she's on a revenge mission. By all means, there are plenty of ways for the creative team to justify these assumptions if they're indeed reflective of reality. I guess the biggest question is: are we about to see Daryl get his heart broken all over again?

While keeping tabs on all the other big shows coming to 2021 Fall TV, remember The Walking Dead will no doubt have lots of other surprises in store for fans that weren't teased in the big Season 11 trailer when the premiere hits AMC on Sunday, August 22, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched The Walking Dead's latest flashback-filled episode.

For anyone who might have thought The Walking Dead didn't have a lot of new tricks up its sleeve, the episode "Find Me" upended fan expectations by giving Daryl an honest-to-Dog romantic partner in the form of Lynn Collins' Leah, even though there wasn't actually a whole lot of visible romance to be seen. But was the lack of physical intimacy detrimental to Daryl and Leah's vibe? Definitely not, according to Collins, who thought the characters' situation was still really sexy regardless.

Now, by this point, Walking Dead fans know better than to actually expect the sometimes hermitic and introspective Daryl to turn into a lip-locking Casanova the first time he got together with another woman on the show. As such, it actually felt pretty natural for his relationship with Leah to grow and evolve without passionate kisses. And though pandemic safety protocols were the key reasoning why nobody got to first base, it might surprise viewers to know that the writers weren't too high on making that happen anyway. When CinemaBlend spoke with Lynn Collins ahead of the episode's airing, here's what she said about Leah, Daryl and the latter's 'sacred bubble.'

Obviously, The Walking Dead doesn't allow for a ton of situations where characters are allowed to enjoy long-term, semi-traditional romances, what with the looming danger always at arm's length. But at the same time that Carol and Ezekiel were in the midst of raising Henry, Daryl and Leah's mutually exclusive solitude provided something of an ideal situation for sparks to fly. They could be themselves without worrying about others, and they (presumably) had each other's backs when things got dangerous.

In that same vein, being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse – even this many years after it started – makes any circumstance ten times more heightened. So combine that nervous energy with that of a new relationship, and it can definitely create a sexual and alluring intimacy that could potentially be strengthened by the lack of touch. You'd think that trying to outlive monsters would completely kill the mood, but sometimes that tension is exactly what can create such a mood.

The Walking Dead viewers got to see both Daryl and Leah receive way more up close and personal love from Dog as opposed to each other. But in Lynn Collins' mind, leaving the characters' more illicit acts off of the screen, and solely in the imaginations of viewers everywhere, it's a more fulfilling experience for audiences. In her words:

Of course, it's not like Daryl and Leah (or any other couple in the world) need to kiss or have sex in order to prove their pairing is justified. And in fact, Lynn Collins pointed out how the characters' less-than-perfect issues actually made them feel even more realistic.

Lynn Collins herself doesn't appear to be 100% certain herself where Leah's story will go from here, but her disappearance definitely ties into the TV trope of "if you didn't see a character's dead body, then that character probably isn't dead." (Could Maggie's nemeses The Reapers have had something to do with it?) Here's hoping she's not only safe, but is also able to return to Daryl's life in the future to learn that he did intend to choose staying with her instead of going out to look for Rick.

The Walking Dead has four episodes left in its extended Season 10 on AMC, with Season 11 set to kick off at some point in the summer.

Spoilers below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, titled "Find Me."

Holy hell, Walking Dead fans, the day finally arrived! Showrunner Angela Kang and the rest of the AMC drama's creative team at last delivered an episode giving Norman Reedus' perma-loner Daryl Dixon a 100% official love interest, Leah, as portrayed by True Blood and Bosch vet Lynn Collins. Granted, Daryl and Leah's flashback-set relationship didn't exactly start off on the right foot, and it definitely didn't end well for anyone, not even Carol. But for some of that time-lapsed period before it all went south, Daryl seemed to find genuine love and companionship, with the bonus of meeting Dog for the first time.

CinemaBlend spoke with Lynn Collins about making her entrance into (and possible exit from) the Walking Dead universe and taking on such an unexpected role within these extended Season 10 episodes. When I asked if it was intimidating to join the series for such a compacted character storyline, here's how she answered:

Thank goodness Lynn Collins was already a big Walking Dead fan before she landed the role of Leah, since it would have been somewhat disappointing to have such a memorable new character being played by an actress who didn't fully realize Leah's impact on one of the drama's longest-surviving characters. Indeed, Collins was absolutely aware that Leah's relationship with Daryl would face much scrutiny from the show's outspoken audience. Especially since that relationship was kicked off by Leah pointing a gun at Daryl and temporarily holding him captive. Probably not a story that many other longterm couples share.

As time went by in the episode, Leah and Daryl not only started to get along, but their feelings for each other combined and morphed into a genuine romance, despite a lack of horny make-out sessions. Because viewers didn't have access to the full breadth of the experiences that Leah and Daryl shared during that lengthy span of time, Lynn Collins understood that it was just as vital to win fans over as it was for her character to win Daryl over. In her words:

Walking Dead fans are rarely ones to bite their tongues about new show elements that don't sit right, giving Lynn Collins even more motivation to make Leah as three-dimensional as possible. That goal was definitely helped along by Leah's heartbreaking story about losing her sister and seeing her nephew-turned-son being bitten, which gave context to why she was all alone out there for years on end. Her past tragedies likely also tied into why she presented the ultimatum that ultimately drove them apart, with Leah going missing before Daryl could return to say he chose her over going out to look for Andrew Lincoln's Rick again. Po' Daryl.

With Leah's "take me or leave me" ultimatum coming as a rather sudden new hiccup in their courtship, I asked Lynn Collins what she thought about how her character handled that last big conversation with Daryl. She admitted it wasn't the easiest thing to pull off opposite such an enjoyable co-star, but she explained her thought process behind justifying Leah's impulsive choice.

Which isn't to say that Leah actually had a big secret in mind within the show's narrative. (As much as it would rock if she secretly knew where Rick was.) But rather, Lynn Collins used this hypothetical situation as an acting exercise to convince herself why Leah might put Daryl in such a situation. And in the actress' thought process, Daryl interrupted Leah's chance to share her not-really-a-secret, leading to her untimely ultimatum. Collins continued, saying:

The fact that Leah goes missing probably shouldn't have surprised many Walking Dead fans, since this show has a way of ending relationships in devastating ways, and it's also pretty well-versed in making characters disappear at inopportune times. But still, that timing couldn't have been more awful, with Daryl finally wearing his heart on his sleeve and ready to commit himself to another person. If Leah doesn't come back at any point, I doubt Daryl will ever allow himself to be that vulnerable again.

In an awkward way, Leah and Daryl's relationship also fed into another implosion for Daryl's friendship with Melissa McBride's Carol. Despite her caring attempts to meet Daryl on his level during his time away from the main communities, as well as during the present-day storyline, his anger got the best of him, and he once again blamed her for Connie's disappearance before saying he wouldn't stop her if she wanted to run away again. Harsh words, Daryl.

When will AMC's The Walking Dead provide answers behind Leah's whereabouts? Probably not in the remaining Season 10 episodes, which will continue shifting its limited focus to other characters groups. But maybe in the eleventh and final season, or as a major plot line in Daryl and Carol's impending spinoff.

Spoilers below for The Walking Dead's latest episode, "Home Sweet Home," so be warned!

With the big Whisperers War having officially concluded with Beta's death in the sixteenth episode of Season 10, in what was supposed to originally be the season finale, The Walking Dead returned to viewers for a six-episode epilogue for those events, while setting up bigger stories to come in Season 11 later this year. Before exploring Negan's backstory and showing fans what's happening with Eugene, Princess and the (presumed) Commonwealth soldiers, the zombie drama started off by catching everyone back up with Maggie's situation and what she was up to prior to returning.

With this latest episode, The Walking Dead introduced a new villainous faction, a few new characters from Maggie's recent past (that didn't all survive) and it fully brought Lauren Cohan's badass back into the fold for good. Naturally, though, everything we saw in the episode sparked a few questions, so let's run through those below while waiting to see next week's Daryl-centric episode.

Who Are The Walking Dead's Reapers?

Unlike many of The Walking Dead's other villain groups, the Reapers didn't originate in Robert Kirkman's comic book series, and are an original creation for the TV show. Which means we unfortunately don't know much beyond the minimal details that Maggie and her crew offered up. We know that their M.O. apparently involves setting fire to buildings that others are staying in, and that they're formidable enough to have Maggie, Cole and others shaking in their shoes at the very idea of them being around. Assuming the dude who blew himself up was indeed a Reaper, we also know that they're apparently really into camouflage, hiding, and setting up traps for unsuspecting humans to get caught in.

What Happened To Georgie, Hilda, And Midge?

The Walking Dead finally gave audiences another update on Jayne Atkinson's one-and-done character Georgie, who first appeared in Season 8's "The Key" along with Kim Ormiston's Hilda and Misty Ormiston's Midge. Maggie told Daryl she hadn't seen Georgie in around two years, after having previously helped out several communities together. While they were around Knoxville, Georgie heard about a "city out west" that caught her attention, and Maggie hadn't heard from her since. Is Georgie still out there helping people, and will Atkinson (who is currently part of the Clarice cast) return to The Walking Dead at any point in the future?

When Will Connie Reconnect With Daryl, Kelly And The Others?

Thankfully, The Walking Dead revealed in Episode 1016 that Lauren Ridloff's character Connie is indeed still alive after going missing underground in the caves earlier in the season. However, it doesn't look like's she'll be quickly reunited with her sister Kelly, her buddy Daryl, or anyone else. In "Home Sweet Home," Kelly straight up put others in harm's way on the off-chance that Connie was hiding out nearby, but her search came up empty. I certainly hope we don't have to wait until Season 11 to witness that sibling reunion, but it's looking pretty likely.

Is Cole Now The Walking Dead's Newest Badass?

As portrayed by James Devoti, the new character Cole is clearly one of Maggie's more trustworthy compadres from her time away from Alexandria and Hilltop, and it looks like he might be The Walking Dead's newest badass for fans to get hyped about. It's an interesting update, considering the masked Elijah absolutely looked primed to take over that role when he first appeared. Cole has major walker-killing skills, he's a practical thinker, and he even got to show off a mini-sense of humor with Kelly. He's basically Daryl with much-cleaner hair and a more sensible weapon.

How Did Elijah's Sister Die?

After Maggie learned about Connie's disappearance, she revealed that Elijah's sister was recently killed. It probably doesn't matter that much to the plot what happened there, but it would certainly give the wordless character more development at some point down the line. Is it just me, or did it seem more relevant due to Maggie talking about Emily Kinney's long-gone Beth a couple of times? As well as Judith's role as a big sister.

How Will Maggie Deal With Negan's Presence?

After witnessing that tense moment between Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan in the opening scene, The Walking Dead then gave the explicit reveal that Maggie left the Hilltop Colony because she didn't want Negan taking up more of her headspace as she raised Hershel. She brought Glenn's death up during her conversation with Daryl, driving home the fact that Negan's freedom and continued survival is not ideal for her. And to his credit, Daryl said that Negan's situation wasn't set in stone, so it's feasible that Negan might get ostracized in some way, setting up strange complications when the time is right.

We probably shouldn't expect to learn many or any of these answers soon, since each of these final Season 10 episodes of The Walking Dead is focusing on a different small group of characters, and we might not get much more Maggie until Season 11. Be sure and tune in every Sunday night on AMC to see what happens next for Daryl, Ezekiel, Gabriel, Carol and the rest.

The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus and his partner Diane Kruger have been officially dating since 2017, but you may not have known it or forgotten as they’re good at flying under the radar as far as celebrities are concerned. Reedus and the National Treasure star are pretty private, despite being a pretty powerful Hollywood couple. The two have now made it through isolation together strong as ever, making for a lot more personal inside looks to their life together, and in the process, reminding us all that they're dating.

Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger are both pretty active on social media but, as active as they are, they don’t share very many looks into their personal life as compared to many other celebrities who actively post to social media. On Valentine’s Day though, Kruger shared a very loving image of the couple to her Instagram with the short, but beautifully sentimental, caption of “To Love. Always”, tagging Reedus:

Even though fans may not be constantly reminded that the stars are an item, they love seeing the couple together. Fans are adoring the intimate photo of Diane Kruger with partner Norman Reedus, as the post has what seem like hundreds of heart emojis in the comments.

The couple are not the only ones fans love seeing together, though. Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger share a daughter and, although they have been even more private where she is concerned, they do post the occasional photo involving her, much to the delight of their social media followers.

And when we say glimpses, we mean it! The photos of the couple’s daughter usually only involve her hands or feet and very rarely have we seen her face. Diane Kruger has even chastised paparazzi on the occasion they have released images of their child, asking fans not tot share images in order to maintain the privacy of the child. The couple’s daughter is going on 3-years-old and is so shielded from the fame of her parents that her name has not yet been released to the public.

Norman Reedus and Diane Krugers’ dedication to privacy is worthy of applause and wonder, considering they are still able to actively bring their personalities to the public through their social media. Both celebrities have unique personas surrounding them, which is maybe what makes them such a great couple, and it really shines through o their Instagrams. Reedus’ in particular can be a bit odd, if you don’t count the awesome The Walking Dead behind-the-scenes posts.

It’s also a wonder how Norman Reedus is maintaining a pretty private personal life, as the actor’s career has blown up since his time on The Walking Dead. He plays a huge fan-favorite character and one of the only key characters to be created for the show that does not appear in the comic. And there’s not an immediate end in sight for that Daryl Dixon hype he has going for him. The end of the OG The Walking Dead series may be looming, but Reedus is one of the cast members who has secured his own spinoff.

While Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger should be commended for their efforts to keep their lives their own, it's nice to get a peek into their life together every once in a while. Kruger’s Valentine’s Day post is a lovely reminder that she and Reedus are together and strong as ever, despite their lack of constant internet family photos and the recent pandemic isolation that many couples must deal with. If only there would have been a mini Norman Reedus foot sneaking into the picture, then we would have had a decent family photo.

The Walking Dead is one of many shows that have changed up filming in a world impacted by the pandemic. From The Bachelorette’s current search for love to veteran sudser Days of Our Lives, series have dealt with the impact in different ways. In that regard, The Walking Dead is certainly not walking solo, and Norman Reedus has broken down some of the ways that the zombie drama has had to shift things mainly due to the actors coming face-to-face with the undead on the small screen on the regular.

The Season 10 finale of The Walking Dead was delayed due to the COVID pandemic, and things are finally starting to get back on track. Extra episodes were added to Season 10’s run, and that has meant filming under COVID restrictions. Norman Reedus has been one of the many actors shooting under the new conditions, and it has led to some surprising changes as Reedus told EW Live (via EW):

Netflix’s boss might be seeing the bright side in on-set COVID protocols, but Norman Reedus is experiencing the downside of them thanks to their impact on The Walking Dead’s fight sequences. It sounds like he is not having to use too many acting skills to play the physical fallout of a zombie fight. It turned into a rough showdown that Reedus believes he got the worst of, and I think he is probably right.

The other guy is presumably a pro at stunt work, so he knows how to keep from getting damaged too badly. On another behind-the-scenes note, the sight of a zombie wearing a mask is definitely a new one for the memory bank. It sounds like Norman Reedus was able to remain professional despite the somewhat peculiar sight. Zombies need masks too! As for coming onto the set, Reedus shared:

Safety first! On the topic of new sights and changes, Norman Reedus shared more about his time on the COVID-conscious set. While he is a busy guy, he acknowledged that the crew has it worse than he does in his interview. Norman Reedus revealed that it has been tough not being able to give one another hugs or see each other smile. Hopefully, things are better by the time Reedus gets to work on Daryl and Carol’s spinoff.

Speaking of not wanting to miss things, The Walking Dead will return with new episodes in 2021 on AMC. In related news, the show will also be ending. If you need a pick-me-up until 2021 when Daryl and his fellow zombie apocalypse survivors come back, you can watch this fall’s premieres. You can also relive Daryl’s best moments by streaming past seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix along with tons of 2020 releases.