The Walking Dead is saying goodbye to Rick in Season 9, which means other major characters like Daryl will be getting a bigger chunk of screen time in the series going forward. This almost surely means Dixon will be seeing deeper story arcs that travel further into his life, but does he have any hope of finally finding love? New showrunner Angela Kang wouldn't give a definitive answer, but assured fans Daryl's storyline in Season 9 is fairly significant:
What I will say is that we will be telling a great story with Daryl this season. He has some really meaty material coming up, so Daryl fans will get their fill.
The post-apocalypse of The Walking Dead hasn't been that great for hookup culture, and that's especially true in the case of Daryl Dixon. Norman Reedus' character had a brief close relationship with Beth throughout the show's run, but never anything close to a love-interest. Angela Kang seemed to skate around the question posed by TVLine which could mean Daryl is going to knock boots with someone in Season 9, although the new showrunner was noted to be laughing heavily before the response, which keeps things a bit ambiguous at this point in time.
The Walking Dead's fans have discussed the possibility of Daryl getting a lover throughout the show's run, and while everyone has their own ideas, a few names seem to pop up frequently as Daryl's potential boo. Rosita and Carol often top fans' lists, although other fans have mentioned that Maggie could be an option for Daryl as well. There's also the possibility the show could create a new character specifically for the purpose of creating a love interest for Daryl, which might be the only way to make things work without causing a small uproar amongst fans.
After all, Daryl Dixon is a character utterly original to The Walking Dead television series. With no comic canon to dictate who he should or shouldn't be with (not that the show respects the comics much anyway), a new original character might be the best way to give Daryl a relationship without impacting any other major character arcs in a great way. Of course, Andrew Lincoln leaving the show is likely going to throw a wrench in everything with fans anyway, so perhaps now might be the perfect time for writers to put Daryl with whoever and let the chips fall where they may.
The Walking Dead returns to AMC for Season 9 this fall. For a look at other shows coming to television before then, head on over to our summer premiere guide and find a new favorite series to watch while you wait for the return of the zombie series.
