Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride on the legacy of 'The Walking Dead,' when they found out the show was ending, and if Negan has really been redeemed

• Insider spoke with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride about the final season of "The Walking Dead."
• Reedus hopes the series is remembered for being about "finding your tribe."
• "TWD" premieres on AMC on Sunday, August 22 at 9 p.m. ET. It's available to stream now on AMC+.

Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus don't want to think about the beginning of the end of "The Walking Dead" just yet.

As the series heads into its final 24 episodes, I caught up with McBride and Reedus earlier this month over Zoom to discuss the popular zombie drama coming to an end - news which caught the cast off-guard - and the lasting impact they hope it leaves behind.

When asked what legacy he hopes the show leaves behind, Reedus didn't mention the undead. Instead, he said "TWD" has been about finding your tribe - the people who give you the strength to get through tough times and the unimaginable together.

That sentiment certainly rings true for the characters they've played for more than a decade, Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon.

Two of the only remaining original characters on the long-running show, both went from being abuse survivors to finding kindred spirits in each other and building a community of their own, ultimately becoming leaders in their own right.

It's easy to see why the duo are getting their own spin-off "TWD" series in 2023 once the flagship ends. Amid laughter, the good friends (both on- and off-screen) playfully passed off questions to one another and sometimes interjected to finish each other's sentences during our conversation.

Most delightfully, Reedus offered up a TV recommendation I never expected to receive from the show's resident badass: "Love Island." It turns out he's a big fan, adding that if Negan were on the reality dating show, he would be kicked off.

Norman Reedus was peeling an orange with his daughter when he learned 'TWD' was ending

Insider: It's difficult to believe we're speaking about the final season. I remember getting a phone call about a year ago early in the morning to tell me that they were going to announce that season 11 would be the last. It came as a surprise to me. Melissa, Norman, do you both remember where you were when you learned that season 11 would be the show's last, and what your reaction was to that news?

Melissa McBride: I had a blackout. I just, I completely blacked out. I was outside sitting on the deck, got a call and I heard [the news]. I was just stunned.

Norman Reedus: I was sitting in the backyard under an orange tree, sitting in the dirt with my daughter, peeling an orange and got the call and I was like, 'What are you talking about?' And they're like, 'Oh yeah, this is happening and that's happening and this is happening.' And I was like, 'What did everybody else say?' And they said, 'We haven't called anybody else yet.' I was like, 'OK.' And they're like, 'Don't tell anyone.' And then I think I immediately called Melissa.

But I was kind of like, 'Well, what are you talking about?' I was thinking, how does it end? Do we all die in slow motion? Do we find a cure? Do they just nuke us from space? Like what happens?

McBride: Norman, ... we knew there would be a spin-off.

Reedus: Before [learning the show would end]. Yeah.

McBride: Yeah, so this news, it was shocking. I thought ['TWD'] would go on with... [trails off]

Neither McBride nor Reedus know how 'TWD' will end

Insider: Norman, you mentioned something I want to come back to. [Showrunner] Angela [Kang] told me a little while back that she believed you guys would be filming the final season up until next spring. Do you guys know how the show will end?

Reedus: I have broad strokes to how it will end, but not exactly. I kind of have an idea of where we're going, but I don't know what it's going to look like at the end. You know what I mean?

McBride: I know exactly how it's going to end. I've been given all of the details.

Insider: I don't know if I believe you. I feel if Norman doesn't know...

McBride: I just wanted to see his face. [chuckling] No, I have no idea. I've heard little things here and there, but, you know, no big details.

Reedus: I don't think I want to know. Yeah, I really don't want to know.

The final season will follow the comic, to an extent

Insider: Do you both feel like this one final season is enough to wrap up your character arcs in a satisfying and meaningful way? I always thought we were going to have at least 12 seasons.

Reedus: This is an extra long season, so it's kind of like 12 seasons. How do you answer that? Like your real life, how many years do I need to wrap it all up? I don't know...We have so many cast members, so it's hard to wrap them all up in a season. You know what I mean? I have no idea how it's going to end exactly.

We follow the comic book to a certain extent and then the comic book kind of stops and then it's kind of up to Angela and ["TWD" universe chief] Scott [Gimple] to take it from there. We've followed the comic book and then we haven't followed the comic book. I'm not in the comic book. I don't know. It's not written in a comic book, how it ends for Daryl. So I don't know.

Insider: Melissa, do you have a response?

McBride: I would agree with Norman's assessment of that situation. [Reedus laughs] Wrapping up Carol, there's plenty of time for a lot of things to happen, that's for sure, regarding my character and going into the spinoff. And I guess there's enough time to set that leap up.

Reedus convinces me I must watch 'Love Island' after asking about Daryl's situation with Connie, Leah, and Carol

Insider: Norman, looking at the season ahead, are we going to get some closure between Daryl and Connie or Daryl and Leah or Daryl and Carol? All three?

Reedus: God, I hope so. All these things bloom and open and then another thing blooms and opens and we bounce to that one and then another one. There's a lot of counseling sessions in Daryl's future. There's a lot of topics that need some closure or at least a conversation. So, I hope so.

At least one of those people that you mentioned, it's "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." At least one of those turns into that, I believe. I've been watching "Love Island" a lot. Don't tell anybody, but it's kind of a thing now.

Insider: Well, there's no judgment here. This is a safe space.

Reedus: I will say I prefer the British "Love Island" over the American "Love Island" or the Australian "Love Island." That's how deep I've gone.

Insider: I've never watched the show. Should I?

Reedus: Oh, you're missing out. First off, it's kind of a character study on relationships, and I will say that all the people on all those shows are very mature. I don't know if they're being told to be mature, but when I was in my 20s, I wasn't that mature. And these guys, they'll start a relationship, then they'll talk about why they're ending it. You know, I didn't do that. I was just like, 'Click.' So kudos to them.

Insider: I will put it on the list. I usually don't watch reality shows, but I feel if Norman Reedus tells you that you need to watch a show, I guess I need to check it out.

Reedus: I saw two episodes on a plane and I was hooked.

McBride thinks Negan has been redeemed for his misdeeds to a degree, but Reedus says he still has work to do

Insider: After watching the first two episodes of season 11, I get the sense that a lot of the season is going to be about some sort of reckoning between Maggie and Negan. Are you guys ever going to stop kicking Negan around like he's a pile of trash? Does he deserve it? Can he be redeemed or is he just lucky that you guys aren't bashing his brains in?

Reedus: Melissa, you want to take that one?

McBride: He's lucky and I think he has redeemed himself to a degree. I don't really know how much room I have to talk about his redemption, but, yeah, that's a focus [in the final season] - these two together, Maggie and Negan, and how they interact.

Reedus: I feel if Negan was on "Love Island," he would have been voted off the island.

McBride: [claps softly] Byeeee. [waving]

Insider: Norman, how do you feel about that, looking at everything Daryl has gone through with Negan? Do you feel that Negan has been redeemed or do you feel like he still has work to do?

Reedus: I feel like he has work to do. But I feel like if there's a situation where it's all hands on deck, it's nice to have another set of hands.

I don't feel like anybody's really listening to his advice and a lot of this season is Maggie trying to figure that out with him. That's a huge part of this season. They're all kind of watching him from the side. If s--t goes down, I think they'll have Maggie's back over his, but they're going to let those two people work it out the way they're going to work it out because there's a lot of stuff going on. And who's got time to interfere with whatever that is?

Fans have reached out to both McBride and Reedus over the years to share what it's meant to see them play abuse survivors on screen

Insider: As I'm wrapping up, I don't know if you guys have thought about this, but what is the legacy that you hope the show leaves behind and that your character leaves behind? Melissa, I know we've spoken a bit in the past about how much it has meant for you to play an abuse survivor.

McBride: That's definitely one of the things about Carol that I will always remember most about her, where she came from and where she's ended up and how that life and that journey of hers has resonated with a lot of fans.

Insider: And Norman, is there a legacy that you hope the show or your character leaves behind?

Reedus: A lot like Melissa's character, Daryl also is a survivor of abuse and it's really shaped his becoming a man. Like Melissa, I've gotten a lot of feedback from people in similar situations, and a lot of that is that the character of Daryl gives them strength and helps them through tough times. I know Melissa's got the same thing.

The idea of finding your own family and making your own family - finding your tribe - and working together to overcome obstacles has been a huge part of the show. I'm sure that that will continue on with the rest of the season.

There's a full circle here on this show that I hope one day gets addressed and it's [that] there's a sense of home with this group. And I hope that full circle comes back and gives the fans what they want, and me what I want, as well. It's a very open-ended answer, I know, but I'm hoping for that sense of home.

You can read our review of the season 11 premiere here and follow along with our "TWD" coverage here. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.