Norman Reedus reveals how Daryl and Carol were originally supposed to leave The Walking Dead

Things were set to pan out quite differently for The Walking Dead’s Carol and Daryl before their spin-off changed things…

Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier are among The Walking Dead‘s most popular characters. They’ve even earned themselves spots among some of TV‘s all-time greatest characters. And, in spite of the fact that TWD is leaving our screens in the not-so-distant future, these two badass warriors will continue to survive against all odds as they carry the torch for a new era of the TWD Universe.

It’s still hard to fathom that the long-running zombie apocalypse series will air its last episode in 2022 but we can take comfort in the fact that it will spawn two new spin-offs – one of which is headlined by Daryl and Carol.

With curiosity high in regards to a spin-off that focuses on the leads of the main show, Norman Reedus has revealed that this wasn’t actually how things were supposed to pan out and that The Walking Dead was not supposed to end with the departures of Carol and Daryl.

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Speaking to EW Live, Reedus confirmed that he and showrunner Angela Kang first discussed the idea of a spin-off featuring his and Melissa McBride’s characters two years ago, adding that they were very much on the same wavelength.

However, though he was thrilled to get the call that confirmed it would be happening, he revealed that he was caught off-guard by the decision to end the parent show as he believed the spin-off would run parallel to The Walking Dead.

"“The whole thing was we would take off and we’d come back and check in and we would take off… I’m scared to leave the mothership. That’s scary new ground. I mean, I’m excited for the spin-off and I’m excited for the type of show it will be, but I didn’t see that coming that.”"

The conversation also suggested that the spin-off will differentiate itself from the “mothership” as it will focus on Carol and Daryl’s time on the road (as opposed to The Walking Dead‘s slower pace in which the characters tend to spend long periods of time in one location or another).

It certainly would have been something to have the pair headline their own show and recur at the same time, but on the other hand, it’s hard to imagine The Walking Dead without either of the two vets as they essentially became the leads after Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes left the show.

The Walking Dead returns for season 11 in 2021.

Are you looking forward to The Walking Dead‘s TV spin-off? Let us know in the comments below!