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:
I’ve known there was much more to be told of Carol’s story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I’m so excited to continue Carol’s journey here. This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I’m loving the discoveries!
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.
