With The Walking Dead continuing to explore the direction of spinoffs, Daryl Dixon risks repeating the same ending problem as Dead City.
SUMMARY
- The Walking Dead spinoffs like Dead City and Daryl Dixon risk repeating the problem of unresolved endings, which has hindered the franchise.
- The success of Dead City may have defended the number of Walking Dead spinoffs, but if Daryl Dixon follows the same pattern, interest in future projects could suffer.
- The expanding universe of The Walking Dead is hurting the storytelling of the show, as spinoffs focus more on setting up the next chapter rather than delivering impactful stories.
The Walking Dead's latest spinoff, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, is already risking repeating the same ending problem that The Walking Dead: Dead City faced. While Dead City proved to be an overall successful spinoff for the franchise, its ending continued a theme hindering The Walking Dead. There has been a bit of a resurgence for the series over the past few years which has allowed it to continue even after the main show came to an end. While this may be good from a financial perspective, keeping the franchise alive comes with its own share of problems.
Dead City set a new viewership record for AMC+ but there are still questions if there is too much The Walking Dead content. Even if numbers have continued to decline regarding the franchise, AMC's president has defended the number of Walking Dead spinoffs. Dead City's success may have proven him right; however, if Daryl Dixon's ending follows in the same footsteps of other shows within the franchise, it could backfire. The Walking Dead may still have loyal fans willing to stick with it, but if they don't provide more satisfying conclusions to their shows, interest in future projects could suffer.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 1 laid the groundwork for what's to come in the series. It introduced a zombie-infested Manhattan alongside some new characters, yet it failed to deliver an ending to the story. In hindsight, its entire plot felt more like setup for the future more so than a resolution to Negan and Maggie's arc. The events of the series were essentially a bridge between their endings in the main show and Negan returning to a familiar position of power. Herschel was saved, but the fight is obviously far from over, considering that the Croat is still alive and a new threat - the Dama - has only just emerged.
Since Dead City leaves plenty of questions, it's clear that season 1 was always meant to set up a bigger Manhattan storyline, not resolve it. Throughout the season, there are several Walking Dead questions that Dead City ignores, instead opting to focus on its own contained story. Cliffhangers can build suspense for the next season but given the franchise's main show ended without a precise conclusion, it is becoming a problematic theme. What's more, there's no guarantee that Dead City season 2 will end this conflict either. Given their short seasons, it could be dragged on for years.
Daryl Dixon Season 2 Is Happening - Don't Expect A Conclusive Ending For S1
Daryl Dixon season 2 was confirmed, which makes it all the more unlikely that season 1 will end conclusively. Knowing that there will be a season 2 without even seeing the first creates less tension going into the show. A second season essentially confirms he'll survive whatever harrowing situation the season 1 finale puts him in. While his death would have been difficult to imagine in the first place, it makes the first season a lot less dramatic and makes predicting what happens a little easier. Daryl's journey in France will probably fail to conclude in the first season; chances are, any effort to return home at the end of the season will be in vain.
Given the show's location, Daryl Dixon could answer The Walking Dead's biggest mysteries but even if it does, it will probably just create more. The franchise continuing to leave things unresolved has the potential to cause frustration, alienating its audience rather than growing it. Dead City was successful, and Daryl Dixon may also prove to be, but without concluding these stories they risk prolonging them, which will only hurt the franchise's future. Big cliffhangers and storylines overstaying their welcome are what lost a lot of the original show's audience. The spinoffs already seem to be repeating the key mistake that hurt The Walking Dead so much.
The Walking Dead's Growing Universe Is Hurting The Show's Storytelling
The Walking Dead has continued to grow its universe over the years, but that approach has been detrimental to the show's storytelling. Daryl Dixon adds to a list of spinoffs that have expanded how big the universe has become. While it is interesting to see different survivors and locations, it has hurt the series' overall ability to tell a story. There is now the risk of one show undoing the work of another. Any lore set up by a show like World Beyond, such as the origin of the virus, must be adequately addressed at some point or another. By making each spinoff about setting up the next chapter, the stories being told in shows like Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon feel much less impactful than they should.
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