‘The Walking Dead’ Is Falling Apart Without Season 12 — And the Franchise Might Not Survive Without It

AMC’s ever-expanding zombie universe may be thriving with spinoffs, but the latest delays and disconnects are proving one shocking truth: The Walking Dead needs a proper Season 12 to survive.

When Dead City season 2 ended in June 2025, and Daryl Dixon season 3 was confirmed to drop on September 7, 2025, fans expected the franchise to feel seamless. Instead, the cracks are showing—and they’re deep. The two flagship spinoffs are telling wildly different stories, but worse than that, they’re now running on entirely different production timelines, and it’s starting to tear the universe apart.

Delays, Production Chaos, and a Franchise Losing Its Rhythm

Daryl Dixon has maintained its rhythm since launching in 2023. Season 2 wrapped before the Hollywood strikes and season 3 had already finished filming. The show is now prepping for season 4, keeping its cast and crew in a steady flow. It’s business as usual in France.

Dead City, on the other hand, is chaos. Filming for season 2 didn’t even begin until April 2024—almost a full year after season 1. The production moved from New York to Boston, endured delays from the strikes, and ended up nearly two years behind its sister series. And while fans are eagerly awaiting a season 3 renewal, nothing is set in stone.

It’s a jarring split for a franchise that used to thrive on consistency. Before the era of spinoffs, The Walking Dead aired every October without fail. Each season dropped 16 episodes, split between fall and spring. It was reliable, it was cohesive, and it gave every character—from Rick to Daryl—a chance to grow within the same, connected timeline.

Now? It’s fragmented. Messy. Confusing. And that’s why AMC may be forced to do the unthinkable: bring back the main show for Season 12.

Why Season 12 Is More Than Nostalgia — It’s Survival

This wouldn’t just be fan service. Rebooting The Walking Dead with a twelfth season could fix multiple problems at once:

• Unify timelines across Daryl Dixon, Dead City, and The Ones Who Live

• Standardize production, bringing back the familiar October/February release formula

• Capitalize on fan hunger to see Rick, Michonne, Maggie, Negan, Daryl, and Carol share the screen again

Dead City’s uneven pacing is a cautionary tale. Without the central spine of The Walking Dead, the universe feels disjointed. Rick returned in The Ones Who Live and made it back to Alexandria. Carol is set to rejoin Daryl in Daryl Dixon. Maggie and Negan’s stories are inching toward another location shift. All paths lead back home—and that home is Season 12.

The Characters Are Screaming for Reunion — So Why Wait?

Daryl and Carol are coming back to America. Rick and Michonne are already there. Maggie and Negan are stuck in a crumbling Manhattan. It’s only a matter of time before their paths collide. So why keep them scattered across three separate shows?

The fanbase has stuck with this universe since 2010. If AMC wants to keep them, now’s the time to bring it full circle. A twelfth season could tie up legacy arcs, stabilize the production nightmare, and deliver the epic reunion fans have waited years to see.

The Walking Dead doesn’t need more disconnected stories. It needs one great one. It needs Season 12.

Upcoming Walking Dead Universe Projects

• Daryl Dixon Season 3 — September 7, 2025

• Daryl Dixon Season 4 — TBA

• More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe — TBA

Will AMC finally listen to the fans and bring the dead back together? Or will the spinoffs drift too far to ever reunite?