Some familiar faces return on The Walking Dead spin-off series The Ones Who Live and Daryl Dixon. The zombie-apocalypse flagship series The Walking Dead ended its run in 2022 on AMC after 11 seasons.

Melissa McBride, who plays Carol, just made a voice cameo on episode five of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and is expected to appear in the season finale this weekend. The showrunner intended for McBride to have a bigger role in season one, but filming in Europe prevented her from participating more. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon, announced at New York Comic Con that McBride will join season two of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon as a regular. “We love the character and we want to keep her in the world of the show,” showrunner David Zabel told Entertainment Weekly after her voice cameo.

In a statement from AMC, McBride said, “I've known there was much more to be told of Carol's story as I felt her so unsettled when we last saw her, as she watched her best friend, Daryl, ride away. Apart or (hopefully!) together, their stories run deep, and I'm so excited to continue Carol's journey here. This team of storytellers have done amazing work to land these two established characters in an entirely new world to them, and I'm loving the discoveries!”

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Features Return of Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira's Michonne, and Others

Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes and Danai Gurira's Michonne return for the new spin-off show The Walking Dead: The One Who Live. In addition, Entertainment Weekly reports, “Pollyanna McIntosh returns to the world of walkers as Jadis, who previously appeared in three seasons of the main Walking Dead series as well as the spin-off The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

“Named after a seminal line from the original show, The Ones Who Live will see Rick and Michonne attempt to reunite after years of separation. Rick exited the original series after he was presumed dead during season 9, while Michonne departed the show during season 10, leaving the group as she searched for Rick. Both Rick and Michonne appeared in the TWD series finale — but not together.”

Joining Lincoln, Gurira, and McIntosh on The Ones Who Live are Lost star Terry O'Quinn as Beale, Matt Jeffries as Nat, and Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl.

Both The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live have interim agreements in place with SAG-AFTRA to continue postproduction during the strike.

The season one finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs this Sunday on AMC. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres in February 2024 on AMC.