How Does Norman Reedus Want ‘Daryl Dixon’ to End? ‘The Walking Dead’ Team Reflects on Final Season (VIDEO)

October 31, 2025, marks the 15th anniversary of The Walking Dead series premiere. The AMC series, inspired by the comics of the same name, became a sensation, and it’s still making new stories about its original characters. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is currently filming its fourth and final season. With this chapter of Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol’s (Melissa McBride) story soon coming to a close, we had the team behind the series reflect on how it feels to be nearing the end. Plus, what would peace look like for these characters who have been fighting for survival for so long?

Reedus came to TV Insider’s New York Comic Con 2025 studio before The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon panel on October 10, where fans got a sneak peek at the October 19 finale and a behind-the-scenes look at the final season. He was joined in our studio by executive producer Greg Nicotero, head of The Walking Dead Universe Scott M. Gimple, and Daryl Dixon creator David Zabel.

“There’s a famous quote from David Bowie where they said, ‘What do you think your final words are going to be when you die?’ And he goes, ‘They’re going to be, but, but, but, but!’ That’s kind of how I feel right now,” Reedus says, above, of how it feels to be working on the show’s final season.

“It just feels like we’re just getting started, but the reality is, Halloween night this year is 15 years since The Walking Dead premiered, so I’ve been in the universe for 16 years, and the last three and a half, four years with David and the team on Daryl Dixon has been tremendously rewarding for me, just from a story element and just neat experiences. Right when you think, oh, they’ve done it all, what can we do differently? David and the writing staff come up with unique and different ideas and fun things that keep it interesting for even someone like me who’s been in the world for a long time.”

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Gimple says that the spinoff will remain one of his favorite shows in the franchise after it’s all said and done. “It really has emerged as its own thing, and one of the best things that the universe has produced,” he raves.

Daryl Dixon set out to show how the walker apocalypse hit different parts of the world that fans of the long-running franchise have never seen. Seasons 1 and 2 took place in France, and Seasons 3 and 4 are both set in Spain, with Season 3 taking a quick trip to England in the first episode, which premiered in September 2025 on AMC.

McBride reprised her beloved role as Carol Peletier in the second season (she also executive produces along with Reedus), which was named The Book of Carol. The friends have been back together onscreen ever since, but they’re still very far from home.

This series satisfied Reedus’ dream to create a Western within The Walking Dead world. Now, they’re looking ahead to a satisfying conclusion. What would peace look like for Daryl and Carol?

“We talked about that, too,” Reedus shares. “Walking into some village and he’s got all of these scars all over his face, but he just never mentions where they’re from because he doesn’t want to wreck their day.”

He still has the same vision for the end of Daryl’s story that he’s had since the very beginning.

“I don’t know what peace would look like,” Reedus says. “I’ve always said, How do I want this story to end? Because people die on this show all the time. I’ve been saying this since Season 1: I’ve always wanted [Daryl] to walk up over a hill, a little dog jumps out of the bushes, and then he goes up and over the hill, and then people go, ‘Whatever happened to that guy?’ That’s how I’ve always wanted it to end.”

Check out the full video interview above to learn more about Daryl Dixon Season 3 and the vision for the final episodes.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 4 Premiere, TBA, AMC