The Walking Dead boss says there's "no discernible reason" why so many TV shows have such long gaps between seasons nowadays, and says he wants fans to "set their watch by" when Daryl Dixon is on

Due to increased production costs, actors' busy schedules, and select streamers preferring to create new shows rather than nurture existing ones, it's not unusual these days for audiences to have to wait several years between seasons of their favorite TV series – and well, The Walking Dead boss Scott Gimple isn't into it.

When Stranger Things season 5 eventually drops on Netflix, it'll have been three years and four months since we last saw the Hawkins gang. In 2026, when The Boys returns on Prime Video and House of the Dragon is back on HBO, viewers would've been sitting pretty for two years. On the flip side, The Walking Dead fans are gearing up for the release of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 on September 7... with season 2 having concluded in November 2024.

"I think there are certain core elements of television that are oddly being left behind for, to me, no discernible reason," he tells GamesRadar+. "The Walking Dead, just as a case study, was shot pretty much – up until COVID, that changed some things – May/June to October/November. Come Hell or high water, that's what we did, because we needed to have a regular output of shows for an audience to expect and to frame their life by. I'm fully soapboxing now. I believe television is at its best when it forms that connection with an audience, when they can, you know, set their watch by when it's going to be on."

After The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 concluded with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) using the Chunnel to flee to England, season 3 will see the duo wind up in rural Spain. There, they meet a ragtag team of survivors who've set up shop in Solaz del Mar, a seemingly civilized community harboring sinister alliances and upholding twisted traditions.

"I don't know if I'll sound like an old man, I don't think that's it, but I think YouTube has really stolen that from television. Your favorite YouTuber pretty much comes out with their videos at the same time every week. Even podcasts are the same way, and it's that relationship to an audience, that ritual that's established, I think that's so important to what TV is," Gimple continues.

"Yes, COVID was difficult for everyone; that kind of shook everything up. We really tried to stabilize back into a regular schedule of programming, where audiences can expect when we're on. I'm very proud that all of these, all of these shows that we're doing – we're doing two [Daryl Dixon and Dead City] now – have trended up in the number of episodes that we give audiences. I'd love to give them more, but having at least a couple months of programming for them coming out of a regular schedule. That, to me, is the dream. I mean, the dream is four months, but I'll settle for two right now."

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 premieres on September 7 on AMC and AMC Plus in the US. Fans across the pond should expect the first episode to drop a few days later – though we'll be sure to keep you posted on an exact release date.

In the meantime, check out our guide on how to watch The Walking Dead in order and The Walking Dead recap.