The three newest The Walking Dead spin offs took original series characters and scattered them, and the beloved Daryl Dixon is somehow the guy who’s on a whirlwind world tour. Is that too surprising? Norman Reedus’ survivor is the dude who hadn’t taken a vacation before the zombie apocalypse began, and he deserved to see the world, albeit in a more relaxing context.
So it’s fitting that while The Ones Who Live was meant to take Rick home, and Dead City has also been held out as Maggie and Negan temporarily hitting NYC (with some hangups), Daryl’s unplanned trip to France lingered. Now, he’s on the cusp of his third season after Carol (Melissa McBride) found a way to join him, and Daryl’s “vacation” will go elsewhere. Let’s not waste any more time in figuring out what’s next for the platonic dup.
Plot
Viewers will recall that (a full season after Daryl took his first bath of the franchise, including that CDC visit in The Walking Dead) the second season finale saw Laurent and Ash hop onto the latter’s plane, bound for America and presumably Alexandria, where Laurent will likely not impress Judith Grimes (oh no). That miracle aircraft couldn’t have carried four people, and of course Daryl and Carol cannot quit each other again, so the third season will now take them to Spain with AMC providing a logline:
Season three will follow Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier as they continue their journey to somehow return home and to the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.
Brief teaser footage has shown the pair zooming across a desert and through various climates. In that teaser, Daryl admits, “I was ready to give up. Thought it was all over,” to which Carol answers, “You and me both.”
The season has been filming in Madrid along with “extensive location shooting planned in the Galicia, Aragón, Catalonia and Valencia regions, each providing a new and unique backdrop for the post-apocalyptic world,” according to an AMC press release. Naturally, The Walking Dead architect Scott M. Gimple is a guiding light here along with showrunner David Zabel, Angela Kang, and Greg Nicotero, so the fan-favorite spin off (which launched as AMC+’s biggest series premiere ever) remains in familiar hands. Previously, Reedus let slip to Radio Times that plans for a fourth season are also percolating.
While reflecting upon new character additions (as detailed below), Zabel promised that “this great cast, alongside a fantastic local crew in Spain, whose expertise and creative vision are pivotal in bringing these landscapes to life and adding a new culturally rich dimension to the series.”
Cast
In addition to Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, the third season cast includes regulars Eduardo Noriega, Alexandra Masangkay, and Oscar Jaenada as well as Hugo Arbues and Candela Saitta as recurring members.
For now, the third season won’t include Ash (Manish Dayal) or Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), who hopefully will make it to Alexandria following the death of Isabelle (Clémence Poésy).
Release Date
The first and second seasons released a year apart in September, so if that pattern continues, Daryl and Carol should be back in Fall 2025, perhaps also in September.
Trailer
It’s teaser city over here with Daryl taking in European scenery. Good for him.
