Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall as a Miami Police forensics tech who moonlights as a serial killer, was Showtime's most-watched original series during its 2006-2012 run. Since then, Showtime was swallowed up by Paramount+, Hall tried out other roles (ranging from John F. Kennedy to Hedwig of The Angry Inch), and an extended Dexterverse has slowly begun to emerge.
Gearing up for the latest Dexter reboot series premiering this month, here's a refresher course on the long, bloody trip of TV's most beloved serial killer.
Dexter (2006-2013)
Before binge-watching was a thing, millions tuned in to Showtime weekly to watch a buzzy new series about Dexter Morgan (Hall), a forensics expert with a knack for blood-spatter patterns and droll inner monologues. Dexter also possesses an innate drive to murder, which his police detective father (James Remar) helped him channel toward offing "bad" people, like fellow serial killers. This ironic twist is the engine of the series.
The original Dexter hit its critical zenith in Season 4 with his most formidable nemesis, the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow). From there, unfortunately, the show struggled to maintain that heart-pounding rush, culminating years later in a series finale more hated than even that of The Sopranos (but at least Journey wasn't involved). Redemption for Dexter's botched ending was nearly a decade away.
Dexter: Early Cuts (2009-2012)
To keep up with demand for Dexter content at the time, the Early Cuts animated web series was launched during Season 3. Stories were told in two-minute shorts, with Hall's now-familiar narration accompanying comic book-style graphics. Dexter: Early Cuts isn't all that essential to the series' overall canon, but it's a fun reminder of how TV networks attempted to capitalize on the internet back before they actually became the internet via streaming.
Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022)
In the waning days of the pandemic, audiences were ready to try anything they hadn't already binged during a couple of years stuck at home. Including a Dexter reboot. Dexter: New Blood picks up 10 years after the original show's finale, with a supposedly dead Dexter living as "Jim" in a small upstate New York town.
It's an idyllic, murder-free life, even though Dexter/Jim has to contend with the ghostly presence of his foul-mouthed sister Deb and the unexpected, flesh-and-blood arrival of his estranged son Harrison (Jack Alcott). The killer "Dark Passenger" has recently reawakened in Dexter, and he senses it in Harrison, as well. It's a satisfying-if-uneven 10-episode arc that covertly sets up a bigger and badder comeback.
Dexter: Original Sin (2024-2025)
In the meantime, the excellent Dexter: Original Sin signals a return to the series' classic, serialized roots. Like all things, it features Hall's narration, as a young Dex (Patrick Gibson) joins the Miami PD in 1991 while his father, Harry (Christian Slater), works to redirect his son's surfacing killer tendencies.
As good as Gibson and Slater are in their throwback roles, they're regularly upstaged here by Molly Brown as a teenage Deb, who's already a boss-level expletive machine. It's also a riot to see younger versions of established series characters played with such spot-on detail — Original Sin could have been titled Dexter Babies. Along with New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin (which has been renewed for a second season) is a much-needed brand refresh for what's next to come in the Dexterverse...
Dexter: Resurrection (2025)
All previous Dexter series had fall/winter runs; the new Dexter: Resurrection subverts the old as a summer show premiering on Friday, July 11 (July 13, if you're still on cable or satellite TV). Resurrection refers to the events of New Blood's finale, wherein Harrison apparently shot and killed Dexter before driving off into the sunset. Spoiler: Dexter's alive.
In Dexter: Resurrection, Dexter is trailing Harrison to New York City — as Dex monologues, "What better place to hide?" Resurrection brings back Remar as the guiding apparition of Dexter's father, as well as suspicious former colleague Batista (David Zayas), and a new cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Uma Thurman, and Krysten Ritter as a sommelier who may also be a serial killer. (Nothing against sommeliers, but duh.) ♦
