Dexter: Resurrection Could Actually Save The Franchise

Key Takeaways

• Dexter: Resurrection is to begin filming in January 2025 and air on Paramount+ next summer.
• The sequel series has the chance to save the franchise after two failed finales.
• The revival seeks to correct past mistakes, aiming to satisfy fans with a new take on Dexter’s story.

Filming on Dexter: Resurrection will begin in January 2025, and it’ll air next summer on Paramount+ with Showtime. Michael C. Hall will reprise the role of the titular serial killer, and events will pick up immediately after the end of Dexter: New Blood. After two failed series finales, the sequel series has the opportunity to get things back on track, and if the right decisions are made, it could possibly salvage the legacy of the franchise.

The Dexter television universe is just as popular as it was when it began in 2006, with new fans discovering it for the first time on Netflix and Paramount+. The next year is huge for the Dexter franchise, with the launch of two new shows. In addition to the sequel series, there will also be a prequel series titled, Dexter: Original Sin which will debut on December 13, 2024. Michael C. Hall will provide the narration for the origin story (as the inner voice of Dexter).

Dexter: Resurrection Has An Opportunity To Save The Franchise After Two Failed Finales

Dexter has become a franchise after the success of the original series, which ran between 2006 and 2013. Things went quiet for nearly a decade, until the serial killer with a code returned in New Blood, which became Showtime’s most watched show ever. The subsequent merger with Paramount led to a demand for more stories in the Dexter-verse. However, there was one problem: Dexter was seemingly killed off in New Blood‘s biggest mistake. The original plan was for a Harrison spin off, but that was scrapped, and a prequel series was developed instead. At the San Diego Comic Con 2024 Dexter: Original Sin panel, it was announced that a sequel series starring MIchael C. Hall was officially in the works.

The announcement of the Dexter revival confused many fans due to Dexter’s supposed fate at the end of New Blood, which was confirmed by showrunner, Clyde Phillips, in an interview with Deadline after the finale aired back in 2022.

I have three words for you: Dexter is dead. I wouldn’t do that to the audience. It would be dishonest. Here, there is no question that this is the finale of
Dexter.
Dexter is dead.

Michael C. Hall teased that Dexter could actually be alive in an interview with Variety after his appearance at San Diego Comic Con 2024:

I don’t know what I am authorized to say other than, it’s really cold out there.

This refers to Dexter bleeding out in the snowy woods in Iron Lake at the end of New Blood, but it appears he miraculously survived and will take the lead role in Dexter: Resurrection. Most fans were excited rather than outraged by the major Dexter retcon, because there was a desire to see Dexter’s story wrapped up in a more satisfying way, as opposed to both of Dexter’s finales, and Dexter: Resurrection has the potential to achieve this.

Dexter: Resurrection Key Facts

• Season 1 will air in Summer 2025
• The sequel will not be a limited series.

If The Same Mistakes Are Made Again, It Could Spell The End For The Dexter-verse

Dexter: Resurrection will not be a limited series like its predecessor was, and only time will tell if that’s a good or bad thing. Fans want a satisfying conclusion to Dexter’s story, but they also clearly also want many more stories, as proven by New Blood‘s huge viewership. The latest addition to Dexter’s story could run for multiple seasons, so the story needs to be strong, and more importantly, it must eventually end satisfyingly. Many fans aren’t sure what more there is to say about Dexter, but if the creative team can figure out a new hook for Dexter, it could save the franchise, and possibly lead to a further expansion of the Dexter-verse.

Michael C. Hall’s Future Dexter Roles

• The ‘inner voice of Dexter’ narrator in Dexter: Original Sin
• The lead role of Dexter Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection

After two very unpopular Dexter finales, the pressure is on Clyde Phillips and his writing team to stick the landing with Dexter: Resurrection. If the same mistakes are repeated, it could kill the franchise altogether. Having said that, it couldn’t get much worse than it already is, so the only way is up. The prequel series will undoubtedly help to add some texture to Dexter’s continuing story in the current timeline, with possible link-ups with Dexter: Original Sin. Dexter is a fascinating character and Michael C. Hall’s involvement in both shows is vital to the future of the franchise.

Many fans view Dexter as a hero for ridding the world of bad people, while the writers appeared determined to treat him as the ultimate villain at the end of New Blood. Dexter: Resurrection needs to re-establish what fans love about the character, and channel his good traits. A satisfying conclusion might be to give Dexter a redemption arc, and a happier ending than the previous two audiences had been given. That way, fans might react more positively to the conclusion of his story. However, if they go down a similar route, it could spell the end of the franchise.