Melissa McBride has exited AMC's upcoming Daryl and Carol spin-off, which will be completely reworked to focus solely on Daryl instead.
According to TVLine, McBride has left the show due to logistics – despite earlier rumors suggesting that it might have been a 'creative' decision. A rep for AMC praised McBride's 12-year-long performance as Carol Peletier and told TvLine that the show just ultimately wouldn't work out for her in terms of relocation.
"[Daryl and Carol] will be set and filmed in Europe this summer and premiere next year. Relocating to Europe became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time," the rep explained. "We know fans will be disappointed by this news, but The Walking Dead Universe continues to grow and expand in interesting ways and we very much hope to see Carol again in the near future.”
This is true, seeing as the flagship show now has a total of five spin-offs: Fear of the Walking Dead, the short-lived The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the forthcoming Tales of the Walking Dead, a Maggie and Negan adventure titled Isles of the Dead, and Daryl and Carol (which we guess will be just called... Daryl?)
Daryl and Carol are a fan favorite duo, while many were surprised at Maggie and Negan's pairing (especially considering the fact that he murdered her husband right in front of her with a spiky baseball bat.) Some were also confused at the decision to announce the spin-offs ahead of The Walking Dead's series finale, as it let the audience know that four major characters would, in fact, live.
Isles of the Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, and 'Daryl' are all slated for a 2023 release. For more, check out our list of the best upcoming TV shows in 2022.
