The Walking Dead Teased Its Carol & Daryl Spinoff Last Year

The Walking Dead spinoff that AMC is developing for Daryl and Carol has already been set up. The tease happened in the beginning of season 10.

The Walking Dead already laid the groundwork for its Daryl and Carol spinoff in 2019. A new series centered on the characters played by Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride was announced by AMC alongside the news that the long-running flagship show will come to a conclusion after season 11.

Daryl and Carol’s new Walking Dead show is expected to premiere sometime in 2023. In the meantime, fans can expect to a great deal of them in the near future. Following the release of the long-delayed season 10 finale in October, AMC will air an additional six episodes from season 10 in the beginning of 2021. As for The Walking Dead season 11, it will release in the second half of the year and wrap up in 2022. The new season will be bigger than ever, considering that it will consist of 24 episodes, which is eight more than the usual 16-episode order.

The Walking Dead will come to an end after that, but at least two of the main characters will have their stories extended. The Walking Dead's ending will presumably open the door for the two to have a new adventure. Though this news came as a pleasant surprise to fans, it’s worth noting that the two having a journey of their own apart from everyone else was already teased on the show. In The Walking Dead season 10 premiere, Carol and Daryl went off on a motorcycle ride and discussed leaving everyone behind now that her son is dead and her relationship with Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is over. Daryl and Carol talked about heading off to New Mexico and seeing what the other parts of the world are like now.

It was speculated at the time that the purpose of this scene was to set up both characters’ exit from the series, but apparently there was more to it than that. It did tease a departure from Alexandria, but not from the Walking Dead universe. In season 10, Daryl and Carol never followed up on the things they discussed, since the conflict with the Whisperers reignited soon after. Plus, their relationship hit a major snag when Carol’s recklessness got their group trapped in a cave. The fate of Connie (Lauren Ridloff) is still unknown, and Daryl may still blame Carol for what happened to her. However, based on everything they’ve gone through together, it’s likely that their friendship will survive and allow them to move on from Alexandria together.

Daryl and Carol deciding to leave at the end of The Walking Dead season 11 could be the culmination of the losses they sustained in the battles against the Whisperers, and the upcoming storyline involving the Commonwealth. Many of the people around Daryl and Carol have died, leaving them with fewer and fewer reasons to stay. What may drive them closer to leaving is the Commonwealth. In the comics, the communities become integrated into the Commonwealth. Being a part of something so big is contrary to Daryl’s character. He’s always been a loner, and recently Carol has become increasingly disconnected from the other communities. If and when the others agree to join the Commonwealth, that may be when Daryl and Carol decide it’s time to part ways with the people of Alexandria.