For years, If Daryl dies, we riot , was a popular mantra among The Walking Dead fans. Welp, its finally time to simmer down, people. Your crossbow boy is safe.

The announcement that both Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) will continue on in a Walking Dead spinoff in 2023 suggests the fan-favorite pair appear to be safe through the conclusion of the main series. With 30 episodes of The Walking Dead left through 2022, that seems like a pretty big spoiler, which Scott Gimple, chief content officer of The Walking Dead Universe, recently confirmed to Decider .

Uh, yes. Gimple said when asked if he was concerned about dropping the news early, adding that he doesnt like spoilers and tries to keep the story on screen as much as possible. Still, Gimple explained to Decider that announcing the end of The Walking Dead was a bummer, and he wanted to be honest about the story continuing in the Daryl and Carol spinoff, as well as in a new series called Tales of The Walking Dead:

Throughout his run on The Walking Dead, initially taking over as showrunner in Season 4, Gimple has been particularly averse to spoilers. When HuffPost chatted with Gimple in 2017 following the reveal of Carls death , a go-to answer for the then-showrunner was that he really cant get into that.

Apparently, the Daryl and Carol news was something Gimple just couldnt avoid. Though he teases that the pair could be zombies in the new show, its doubtful hed want to start a spinoff with fans reaching again for their riot gear.

H/T Decider , io9