Why The Walking Dead Can't Survive Without Rick Grimes

2. Daryl Dixon Isn't Enough To Carry It

'If Daryl dies we riot'.

It was a common refrain during the first few seasons of The Walking Dead, when the character - who was invented for the TV show - became a firm fan-favourite thanks to being a total badass but with a heart of gold.

Nowadays, if Daryl dies we... shrug? The character is still popular, but the past few years have done hardly anything with him. We're long past the point of him being the best character in terms of development or how he's written, with him so often shunted to the sidelines.

That, in turn, makes it difficult to suddenly make him the lead of the show, which Collider's report suggests AMC are aiming to do (including a bumper payday for Norman Reedus). Daryl is the archetypal breakout supporting character: he's cool, he's great in the action sequences, he's slightly mysterious and aloof. He's essentially the Han Solo to Rick Grimes' Luke Skywalker, and there's a reason Han wasn't the main character of Star Wars. Reedus is excellent, but it's impossible to imagine Daryl as the series' narrative, character, and emotional anchor. But then, that's true of all the characters.