The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus defends Melissa McBride’s exit from Daryl and Carol's spinoff. Making its debut in 2010, The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors and their lives in a zombie apocalypse. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead has witnessed the introduction and exit of numerous characters during its run, including Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). Daryl Dixon (Reedus) and Carol (McBride) appeared in season 1 and have become two of the most popular and longest-surviving characters.
In 2020, AMC announced that the zombie-apocalypse drama would end with season 11. Since the announcement of The Walking Dead coming to an end, AMC revealed that several legacy characters’ stories would continue in various content, including Isle of the Dead with Negan and Maggie and a spinoff centered on Daryl and Carol. Recently, McBride exited The Walking Dead spinoff. Following the announcement of McBride’s departure, the actress received backlash on social media. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) quickly came to McBride’s defense against fan ridicule. Now, Reedus defends McBride's unexpected exit.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Reedus opens up about McBride’s exit from The Walking Dead spinoff series. Reedus said The Walking Dead had a grueling schedule for twelve years, and McBride deserves to take some time off. Speaking on the future of Daryl and Carol, Reedus hinted that he thinks the two characters will meet up again. Read Reedus’ full comment on McBride’s exit below:
Twelve years is a grueling schedule. She wanted to take some time off and she's doing that. She deserves it. I imagine those characters are going to meet back up at some point, and they might even meet up with some other characters down the road. In the meantime, they were like, 'Hey, you wanna go on a mission?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go on a mission.'
At this time, the Daryl spinoff is expected to air in 2023. According to AMC, the spinoff will be filmed in Europe, which is one of the reasons why McBride declined to participate in the series. McBride is no longer set to star in the Daryl and Carol spinoff, but the actress has solidified her legacy in The Walking Dead universe. The Daryl spinoff has a few hurdles to navigate before the series can take off, as the untitled project recently experienced another setback with the exit of showrunner Angela King.
For 11 seasons, Reedus and McBride have provided some of The Walking Dead’s most entertaining banter, potent chemistry, and memorable moments between two characters. Reedus’ support towards McBride’s decision to exit the spinoff will hopefully ease the tensions that sparked among fans. For now, The Walking Dead plans to expand its universe and zombie outbreaks with Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, and The Walking Dead movies. The conclusion of The Walking Dead is set to air later this year.