A fan favorite actor has revealed that they will not be returning for Dexter season 9.
Showtime surprised us all by announcing that the serial killer drama was coming back for a new limited series late last year, with Michael C. Hall reprising his role as the eponymous antihero murderer. So far, however, Hall is the only cast member from the show’s original run confirmed to be a part of this revival.
Whether any others will turn up in surprise roles remains to be seen, but we can now definitely rule out one of the series’ stars. In what looks to be a Cameo video filmed for a fan, as shared on Reddit, James Remar explained that he hasn’t been asked back as Harry Morgan for the Dexter revival. Remar played Harry, Dexter’s adoptive father who acted as a manifestation of his son’s conflicted conscience, across all eight seasons of the show, and here’s what he had to say about his absence:
“They didn’t ask any of the original cast back, so I don’t know what they’re doing…I really have no idea. It’s too bad because all of us wanted to go back. But, you know, it’s their show, so they’re gonna do what they wanna do.”
Remar’s comments may add more fuel to a fan theory that’s got going since another classic member of the cast hinted that they’ll be in the revival. Though the actor says that no one other than Hall is involved, Jennifer Carpenter posted a set photo recently that suggested she was working on the Dexter reboot. Seeing as Debra Morgan was killed off in season 8, it’s possible that she’ll return as the new angel on her adoptive brother’s shoulder, thereby replacing Harry, negating the need to get Remar back on board.
Of course, Deb’s death was widely criticized by fans, so resurrecting her like this would be a smart way of undoing her fate without retconning the series finale. That said, it’ll likely upset folks that Harry’s not coming back instead.
Dexter returns to Showtime for its 10-episode ninth season sometime this fall.