We've grown to accept the fact that no one is safe on The Walking Dead.
Yet, heading into Part A of the 11th and final season tonight, Aug. 22, we find ourselves concerned for our favorite characters. So, during an exclusive chat with longtime Walking Dead star Melissa McBride, we asked point blank: Can viewers expect lots of bloodshed this season?
"I think they should always be worried about their favorites," she said with a laugh to E! News. "Even I'm worried about them."
Of course, in typical TWD fashion, McBride couldn't say much on what's to come, as spoilers are strictly under lock and key at AMC. Although, we do feel confident about the fate of McBride's character, Carol. Why? Well, because AMC announced a spinoff set for 2023 starring McBride and co-star Norman Reedus, who plays crossbow-wielding Daryl.
While we're certainly looking forward to this new series, McBride made it clear she's focusing on this final chapter of The Walking Dead.
"I haven't really heard anything just because we're blowing out this final season and it is a big one," she noted. "So I mean, it's just so far ahead of us that we're just not talking about it much."
Reedus expressed a similar sentiment in July when answering questions for IMDB. "I can't tell you a whole lot about the spinoff," he said at the time. "I can tell you that it won't look anything like The Walking Dead. It won't look like an episode of Walking Dead with just Daryl and Carol. It'll be completely different."
TWD showrunner Angela Kang, who is set to oversee the anticipated spinoff, also revealed to Deadline in July that there is a tentative idea for the pilot. "We've definitely talked about how we think we land them and where they kind of tip-off to," she explained. "We have pitched out what we think is the pilot, and it's all in development, which is on its own schedule."
Still, Kang emphasized that specifics were still being worked out, adding that they "at least have a plan, which hopefully will work out."
Thankfully, there's still plenty more of TWD to enjoy: The final season will be 24 episodes long and spread out over a two-year period. On what's to come for season 11, McBride teased, "The season is different, it feels darker...And the actors that portray those characters are just amazing."
Watch the season-11A premiere of The Walking Dead tonight, Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. Don't forget, all season-11A episodes will also air one week early on AMC+.