AMC has confirmed when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will premiere on AMC+, and it’s a big change from other Walking Dead shows this year.
Summary
- ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ will premiere on both AMC and AMC+ at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 10.
- AMC’s decision to air the episode on cable and streaming at the same time may be influenced by the desire to create a big premiere night and generate more overall viewership.
- Daryl Dixon is the most popular original character in ‘The Walking Dead’ TV universe, which may have influenced AMC’s decision to make his show’s premiere special.
AMC has confirmed when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will be airing on AMC+, marking a departure from other series in the franchise that have premiered this year. The new spinoff follows Daryl as he washes ashore in France, forced into a mission to guide a young boy named Laurent across the country for prophetic purposes. The series is set to air on September 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.
Now, AMC Talk has confirmed The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will also be available on the AMC+ streaming service on September 10, at the time same the episode airs on the cable network. This is a departure from the premieres of Fear the Walking Dead season 8 and The Walking Dead: Dead City season 1 earlier this year. These previous series had their premieres available on AMC+ three days in advance, something that won’t be happening for Daryl’s new spinoff.
Why Daryl Dixon Isn’t Premiering Early
This is the first spinoff in the franchise featuring flagship characters to premiere at the same time on both AMC and AMC+. The Walking Dead: Dead City premiered early on AMC+, meaning people were watching the series begin on different nights. Because The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon isn’t premiering early like previous spinoffs in the franchise have this year, all viewers will be watching the show start at the same time the night it airs.
It’s possible the performance of premiering episodes early on AMC+ has influenced AMC to take a different approach to Daryl’s spinoff. While it’s unclear if viewership is impacted by episodes getting launched on AMC+ early, AMC may be hoping one big premiere night will help bring more viewers in overall. If that’s the case, then it remains to be seen if future episodes of the show will air early, or if they’ll all be available Sunday nights.
Daryl is also the most popular original character in The Walking Dead‘s TV universe. This could have influenced AMC to make sure the premiere of his show is special by starting on the same night across cable and streaming. It also helps facilitate discussion of the premiere, since all who want to see it will be watching at the same time. It seems AMC is determined to show just how much of an event The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s premiere will be, and what it means for the future of the franchise.
Source: AMC Talk