It has been a long road for The Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon…literally. Having arrived in the AMC zombie series as a character not featured in Robert Kidman’s graphic novels, Norman Reedus’ Daryl had the task of endearing himself to both new audiences and those who had already devoured the comic books. Needless to say, he did quite a successful job. After becoming a fan-favorite throughout the main show, Daryl is now approaching the end of the first season of his own spin-off series, and has finally been given the chance to return to a story that was set up 12 years ago.

As with any long-running show, The Walking Dead did not always end up playing out stories in the way they were originally planned, or how graphic novel fans anticipated. A prime example of this was Daryl’s original planned appearance as a guest character, before his popularity turned him into a series regular and integral part of the entire franchise. Even though this means that Reedus has appeared in more episodes than anyone else, there are still parts of Daryl’s story that just didn’t fit into The Walking Dead, and now Daryl Dixon has returned to tell one of these lost, personal stories.

The spin-off has given Daryl the task of becoming a father-figure to Laurent, which has allowed the story to address his past and in particular the history Daryl had with his abusive and absent father. This is an arc that originally was touched on in Season 2 of the flagship series, but it was never fully developed in the way the spin-off has been able to take the time to do.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Shatters AMC+ Premiere Records

Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is not just about smashing zombie heads, but smashing debut records too.

The Walking Dead Spin-offs Deliver More Character Development.

The Walking Dead was able to develop many of its character in its early season, with only a limited number of characters being given screen time. However, as the main narrative focused on Rick and his family, as the series progressed and more characters joined the ensemble, it was not always possible for even the most popular characters to get the backstory they deserved.

In Dead City, Daryl Dixon and the upcoming The Ones Who Live, The Walking Dead has the ability to spend more time focused on single characters that fans have come to love over the years. Even though characters like Negan, Maggie, Daryl, Rick and Michonne all had their own episodes in the main show, it was still a much more fleeting glance at their lives than a full series can achieve.

It seems that fans have been responsive to the change in direction too. Although the final seasons of The Walking Dead failed to quite capture the attention of audiences, the spin-off shows have delivered some of the best reviews and viewing figures in years. As Daryl Dixon comes to a close on its first season, fans can now look forward to the long-awaited return of Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, as well as new seasons of Dead City and Daryl Dixon in the coming year.