You thought Dexter had slayed his last victim? Think again. Showtime is officially rebooting the long running serial killer drama for a new limited season, with star Michael C. Hall returning. Original showrunner Clyde Phillips is likewise back to helm the relaunch.
Deadline announced this afternoon that the network has ordered a 10-part limited run that’s due to head into production in early 2021, with the hope being that it’ll premiere in fall of that same year. This will be the first time Dexter, a liaison to the Miami police department who’s secretly a serial killer, has been on our screens since the series wrapped after eight seasons in 2013.
Gary Levine, Co-President of Entertainment at Showtime, remarked that the network was only willing to revisit the “unique” antihero played by Hall if they could come up with a creative and fresh take that was “worthy” and it seems they’ve finally found one. In fact, according to Deadline, a Dexter reboot has been in discussion as far as back as 2015, just two years after it ended, but only now is it becoming a reality.
Here’s Levine’s full statement on the news:
“Dexter is such a special series, both for its millions of fans and for Showtime, as this breakthrough show helped put our network on the map many years ago,” said Levine. “We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series. Well, I am happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can’t wait to shoot it and show it to the world.”
Dexter earned itself much acclaim from critics and viewers alike in its early seasons, but it’s widely agreed that it went off the rails big time in the second half of its run. The series finale, in which (spoilers) the titular character faked his death and left his partner and son to start a new life as a lumberjack, is generally seen as one of the worst finales in TV history. So, any way to resuscitate the show’s reputation after that is a good thing. It’s also a big plus that Phillips is on board for this revival, as the dip in quality occurred after he departed post-season 4.
Tell us, though, are you looking forward to Dexter returning, or should they have left the serial killer where he was? Have your say in the comments section down below.