The Walking Dead's Melissa McBride Addresses Carol's Future

The Walking Dead will air the final episode of its final season later this year, with fans eagerly anticipating what will happen. AMC has been developing a plethora of spinoffs set in that universe including Fear The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Dead City, a Rick and Michonne spin-off, and a spinoff focusing on Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) that was originally supposed to include Carol (Melissa McBride) until the actress exited the series and it had to be retooled to focus on Daryl. McBride recently had a discussion with Entertainment Weekly where she discussed the future of her character after the original series wraps up.

"I feel like Carol has more story to tell," McBride told the magazine. "I'll leave it at that." Another pause. "I think she's got some more story." 

"I mean, they both put it right, There's just more story to tell. And I love both characters so much that we will be telling stories with each of them moving forward. And who knows beyond that? But I've never stopped talking to Melissa about this. I'm thrilled at the idea of it and I'm very optimistic for the future of telling some cool Carol stories." The Walking Dead Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple added.

"The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it's bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol," said TWD showrunner Angela Kang when the spinoff was announced. "Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa Mcbride has been a highlight of my career and I'm thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

The 2021 episode of The Walking Dead, "Diverged" acted as something of a test pilot for the Daryl & Carol show, focusing on just those two characters, struggling with their relationship bond and respective personal issues. 

"Diverged" was one of the most hated-on episodes of TWD in years, so maybe Melissa McBride is right to get off the ride with end of the main The Walking Dead series? 

"I can't tell you a whole lot about the spin-off. I can tell you that it won't look anything like The Walking Dead," Reedus once told IMDb. "It won't look like an episode of Walking Dead with just Daryl and Carol. It'll be completely different."

What do you think about her comments? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!