For a character as morally flexible as Dexter Morgan, death is just a minor inconvenience. Despite taking what seemed to be his final breath at the end of Dexter: New Blood, the iconic serial killer is back—albeit with a twist. Showrunner Clyde Phillips has finally explained how we got here, why Dexter: Original Sin now exists, and how Yellowstone (yes, the cowboy drama) is partly to blame.
A Surprise Revival: Dexter Lives!
Dexter: Original Sin may be a prequel set in 1991, but fans were thrown a curveball in the premiere’s opening scene. It turns out Dexter (Michael C. Hall) didn’t actually die when his son Harrison shot him in New Blood. Nope, paramedics came to the rescue, carted him off to hospital, and voilà—he survived.
But this resurrection didn’t just happen out of thin air. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Clyde Phillips explained:
“He dies in the end. I wrote the finale—he died at the end of that show. And then it was the most-watched episode in the history of Showtime.”
In TV-land, if something’s a ratings juggernaut, you don’t leave your main character in a snowbank forever. Showtime gave the green light for a sequel almost immediately, and Phillips got to work.
Blame Yellowstone for the Prequel
Just as work on a Dexter sequel was underway, a curveball arrived in the form of MTV Entertainment and Paramount boss Chris McCarthy. According to Phillips, McCarthy had one rule:
“I’m not in the sequel business, I’m in the prequel business.”
Inspired by the success of Yellowstone spin-offs 1883 and 1923, McCarthy challenged Phillips to pitch a Dexter prequel in just two weeks. Not one to say no to a challenge, Phillips delivered, and Dexter: Original Sin was born.
A Young Dexter, Old Habits
Set in the early ‘90s, the prequel dives into Dexter’s origin story. It follows a younger Dexter Morgan (played by Patrick Gibson) as he learns his “Code” from his father Harry (now played by Christian Slater). Fans will also see Dexter starting out as a forensics intern at Miami Metro Homicide—long before he became the polished blood-splatter analyst we know.
While Michael C. Hall’s appearance at the start of the prequel was a nostalgic treat, Phillips confirmed that’s all we’ll get of him in Original Sin. Hall will, however, return in Dexter: Resurrection, the next sequel series set in the present day. Phillips chuckled as he described the ever-expanding universe:
“They’re starting to call it the Dexter-verse, which I’m fine with.”
Easter Eggs Galore
For fans who love nods to the original series, Dexter: Original Sin will deliver plenty of treats. Phillips teased:
“If people like Easter eggs, this show is an Easter egg hunt. We’ll finish a script, and someone will say, ‘What if we add this little piece of information? The fans will go nuts.’ And we do it.”
Where to Watch
New episodes of Dexter: Original Sin drop every Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime and air Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime. As for what’s next? Well, it seems Dexter isn’t done with us yet—death clearly doesn’t suit him.
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