The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Final Season Gets First Teaser — Jimmy Smits Joins the 2027 Farewell

AMC has released the first teaser for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s eight-episode final season, giving fans their first look at Jimmy Smits as Captain Alejandro Perkins alongside Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride. The season is still scheduled for 2027, a window AMC confirmed back in July — today’s news is the teaser itself and Smits’ character reveal, not the ending or the timing.

What’s Actually New Today

Two things: AMC/AMC+ have released the first substantial promotional footage from the final season, and Jimmy Smits has been formally introduced as Captain Alejandro Perkins. Everything else — Season 4 being the last, the 2027 air window — was already public.

A Quick Timeline

• July 2025: AMC announces Season 4 will be Daryl Dixon’s final season, running eight episodes instead of the usual six.
• July 2026: AMC confirms the final season will air in 2027.
• September 8, 2026: The first teaser arrives, and Jimmy Smits’ Captain Alejandro Perkins is formally introduced.

What the Teaser Shows

The roughly 20-second tease opens on Daryl (Reedus), pale and bruised, lying still with his eyes closed. It cuts to rugged terrain where a walker turns toward camera, then to a group of walkers chasing fleeing survivors. Carol (McBride) also appears. It closes on Daryl waking to the words “Welcome home, son.” AMC hasn’t identified who says that line, what location Daryl wakes up in, or what it means for where he actually is — the teaser sets a tone, not a plot summary, and this isn’t the moment to guess at answers AMC hasn’t given.

Who Jimmy Smits Is Playing

Smits joins as Captain Alejandro Perkins, described by AMC as a former U.S. Navy officer and medical doctor who found a unique way to thrive during the apocalypse. That’s a notable background, but AMC hasn’t characterized him as friend, foe, or anything in between — his introduction raises questions about how exactly he “thrives” rather than answering them.

Where Season 4 Picks Up

AMC’s current synopsis: while crossing the ravaged badlands of Spain, Daryl and Carol hold onto hope — and each other — as uncertainty about their future grows. That’s deliberately spare, consistent with how AMC has described this season so far.

The Rest of the Cast

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride return as Daryl and Carol, joined by Romain Levi, Eduardo Noriega, Óscar Jaenada, Candela Saitta, and Hugo Arbués. David Zabel returns as showrunner, with Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Brian Bockrath, Angela Kang, Jason Richman, Dan Percival, and Steve Squillante among the executive producers. The season filmed across Spain, including Madrid, Bilbao, Galicia, Andalucía, Segovia, and Toledo.

What “Final Season” Doesn’t Mean

AMC has confirmed the series is ending with these eight episodes. It hasn’t said Daryl or Carol dies, and neither Reedus nor McBride has said this is the last time either character appears anywhere in the Walking Dead universe. “Final season” describes this show’s run — not a confirmed fate for anyone in it.

What’s Still Unknown

AMC hasn’t announced an exact premiere date beyond “2027,” hasn’t detailed Perkins’ full role in the season, and hasn’t said how Daryl ends up injured or where he wakes up. Those are the real open questions heading into the last stretch of Daryl Dixon — not whether the show is ending, which has been settled for over a year.

For more on what’s coming to TV this season, visit our TV hub.