Daryl Dixon: Is the new ‘The Walking Dead’ series as successful as Negan and Maggie?

What are you doing?

Daryl Dixon finds himself in France and tries to understand how and why he got there. Searching for a way home, he discovers a broken but resilient country. Encounters throughout his journey make his departure plans more complicated every day…

who is he with

After eleven seasons of good and faithful service on The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus returns to the role of Daryl Dixon. An extraordinary journey for this character, who was created for the needs of the TV adaptation (he does not appear in the comics) and was originally designed to be killed off in the first episodes.

In this new series, Daryl will have Carol by his side. However, the character was axed from the program after her translator Melissa McBride decided to leave the project due to filming moving to France. However, it has been confirmed that Carroll will be attending Season 2 of the show, which has already been ordered.

The show’s cast includes many French performers, including such international performance specialists as Clémence Poesy and Dominique Pinon. The cast also includes young film talent such as Kim Higelin (Consent), Carmen Kasowitz (The Tempest) and Ethan Isidore (Indiana Jones 5).

Is it worth checking out?

The final episode of The Walking Dead airing in November 2022 felt more like a relief than an actual television event. Once the most-watched horror series on television, the horror comic book adaptation has suffered a significant drop in popularity during its final seasons.

It didn’t take long for The Walking Dead to return, with a brand new series released last March called Dead City. This spin-off, centered on the unlikely duo Maggie and Negan, is set in New York, where the psychopath known to the former leader of the Saviors is on the rampage. Against all expectations, the series was a success and its success led to its renewal for a second season.

New country, new dangers

Also created for the duo, Daryl Dixon was eventually rewritten after actress Melissa McBride (Carol) opted out of the project. Filming moved to France (the original series was filmed in the Atlanta area in the United States) forced the latter to live away from the rest of the family for many months.

Therefore, the new adventure of Daryl played by Norman Reedus takes place in a completely foreign and therefore completely hostile environment. Consisting of six episodes, the series innovates with numerous flashbacks that explore the pasts of new characters.

Between discovering new territory and maintaining the mystery that explains how Daryl ended up in France, the series shows some form of efficiency. A new type of undead (fuel) is introduced, and the language barrier creates a new threat for Daryl.

Darryl in Paris

Language management is not the greatest achievement of the series. Of course, this fantastic program requires a form of disbelief on the part of the viewer. Still, it’s surprising, if not impossible, that so many of the characters, especially the children, are fluent in English (especially more than a decade after the outbreak).

Filming the series in a natural setting in France gives the series a sense of authenticity that the script unfortunately lacks. To be honest, Daryl Dixon is more like a spin-off of Emily in Paris than The Walking Dead, as all the “so French” clichés are here: a beret-wearing zombie, dated references to Asterix and the Count of Monte Cristo. …

Daryl Dixon is quite efficient in his construction, but very lacking in originality. The innovation of Dead City, a true open air behind closed doors, is showcased in this new series. At best, it’s a nice but shallow sequel to the original series. At worst, a desperate attempt to revive a sinking franchise.

The Daryl Dixon series can be seen every week exclusively on Paramount+.

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