The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been one of the most positive projects The Walking Dead has done in a while, mainly due to the show making massive changes. While the franchise has established itself as one of the biggest in the zombie genre, over the years the show has struggled to reinvent itself and has become somewhat stale. The Walking Dead is certainly still popular and pulls in plenty of viewers, just not as much as it did at its peak. Although the series has found the formula it’s comfortable with, Daryl Dixon changes things up and makes significant alterations that have made the spinoff stand out.

Daryl Dixon has made a big impression in a number of ways, achieving strong reviews and surpassing the viewership of other spinoffs. Daryl Dixon performed better than The Walking Dead: Dead City in both departments despite having fewer main characters involved. While it does have the benefit of focusing on one of the series’ most popular characters, it also thrives in other ways. The show feels genuinely fresh, possessing some of the aspects that made the original series so good in its early days. As spinoffs go, it was a huge success and that was largely down to making some bold deviations from the main show.

8Daryl Dixon Takes The Franchise Abroad

For the past 13 years, The Walking Dead has based its story in America. Despite going 12 seasons (complete with spinoffs), exploring the post-apocalyptic world outside the US hasn’t been a priority. Daryl’s spinoff changes this by taking one of the show’s most popular characters and putting him in Europe, allowing the series to showcase the goings-on in France. It was never his goal to get there, but this brand-new setting indicates the first time the franchise has taken this risk. Showing the impact on the rest of the world seems a no-brainer, yet Daryl Dixon is the first time the series has truly gone out of its geographical comfort zone.

7Daryl Dixon Spinoff Explores The Character’s More Personal Side

Being the protagonist of his own spinoff has allowed Daryl to open up and reveal his more personal side. While he still retains his most recognizable characteristics, there is more insight into Daryl’s personal life in the spinoff than what could fit into the main show. He talks about his absent father which is vaguely mentioned in the main series and how he felt it was a result of Daryl’s grandfather dying in World War 2. He grows to understand his grandfather’s decision to fight and even visits his grave, showing character development. There is also a brief exploration of his love life, with a potential romance with Isabelle teased as well as mentions of Connie.

6Daryl Dixon Focuses On One Sole Protagonist

The Walking Dead has often had several main characters to focus on and therefore divided their stories. While Rick Grimes started as the main character of the show, others became of equal importance with many episodes failing to feature Rick entirely. It is not uncommon for the main show to split storylines and focus on one single character or group of characters at a time. Even Dead City had both Negan and Maggie as its main characters. Daryl Dixon changes this format and focuses entirely on his story and what goes on in France. There are other important characters for sure, but Daryl is always the driving force behind the new spinoff.

5Daryl Dixon’s Spinoff Replaced His Iconic Crossbow

Weaponry is an important aspect of the characters in this series. Rick has his iconic revolver, Michonne has her Katana, and Daryl Dixon has his crossbow. Although this has been a signature weapon for him that’s become synonymous with Daryl Dixon, the spinoff show opted to go in a different direction. Given Daryl washed up in France, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to maintain his weapons and instead, the show got creative. Rather than have Daryl remain the stealthier and longer-ranged fighter he was in the main show, he now uses a flail, allowing him to take on numerous zombies at once in a more chaotic fashion. It’s also an excellent choice for the character, given that the medieval weapon was designed for crushing skulls.

4Daryl Dixon Made Zombies Way More Dangerous

Arguably the most important thing in the entire Walking Dead franchise is its zombies. They are the heart of its universe, yet they haven’t been a huge threat as of late. Season 11 of the main series introduced variants, making them more dangerous than traditional zombies, but it is Daryl’s spinoff that showed just what their capabilities really are. Daryl Dixon introduced acid zombie variants known as burners and then went one step further, introducing strong zombies which were showcased in the finale. It adds a level of danger and fear to zombies that have become far too easily dealt with in other Walking Dead shows.

3Daryl Dixon Made The Walking Dead More Fantastical

Although a zombie apocalypse may not be a very grounded concept to start with, The Walking Dead has tried to maintain some sense of realism. Doing its best to establish ground rules and stick with them, there have been few fantastical elements until Daryl’s spinoff. The introduction of Laurent, seen as a Messiah figure, sees the show put an emphasis on religion. With the story focusing on getting Laurent to safety due to this belief, the show puts plenty of stock in the idea that people truly believe in Laurent. There are even some dream sequences showing zombies not attacking him, further amplifying this concept.

2Daryl Dixon Added A Sci-Fi Element To The Walking Dead

Along with being more fantastical, Daryl Dixon also introduced elements of science fiction. The franchise’s genre might not seem to suit it, yet the spinoff show has done a great job of blending this with the already established world. The main villain, Genet, uses scientists to create a variant serum. This is how Daryl Dixon gets its zombie variants, with the serum being injected creating a new type of zombie. It appears this gives the zombies advanced strength and extra aggression with some even developing into burners. Using this sci-fi style has helped create a more compelling show without crossing the lines of realism within the universe.

1Daryl Dixon’s Spinoff Proved The Walking Dead Could Be Genuinely Different

By far the biggest change the spinoff makes to The Walking Dead is proving the show can be genuinely different. One of the biggest criticisms the franchise has received is that it is too repetitive. This is despite the fact that both Fear The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond offered multiple seasons with different characters. While Dead City offered some deviation, it is Daryl Dixon that has thrived the most in this regard. Interesting variants, compelling new characters, and a complete shift in tone and scenery have all contributed to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon feeling fresh and unique in comparison to everything that has come before it.