America’s favorite serial killer is returning to Showtime, which has ordered a new 10-episode Dexter limited series that will once again star Michael C. Hall., the network announced Wednesday.
Clyde Phillips will return as showrunner, and the limited series is set to begin production early next year, with a tentative premiere date in the fall of 2021. No supporting cast was mentioned, and given the ultimate fate of Dexter's sister, Deborah Morgan, it's unlikely that Jennifer Carpenter would return, unless the series incorporates flashbacks. One would assume, however, that Yvonne Strahovski will come back, seeing as how her character Hannah is raising Dexter's young son, Harrison, who has surely grown up since the original series finale in 2013.
“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 Showtime president Gary Levine, who made the announcement with Jana Winograde. “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!”
The original eight-season run of Dexter premiered in the fall of 2006 and starred Hall as Dexter Morgan, a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. All seasons of Dexter are currently available on Showtime via Showtime On Demand and Showtime Anytime as well as the network's stand-alone service.
Hall is a six-time Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor, the last five nominations coming in consecutive years for his work on Dexter. He also received five consecutive Golden Globe nominations and six Screen Actors Guild noms for the role, winning both honors in 2010. In addition, Hall received an Emmy nomination for his performance on HBO's Six Feet Under.
Phillips earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work as executive producer and showrunner of Dexter. Phillips has an overall deal with Showtime and CBS Television Studios through which he is developing projects for both entities that can air on platforms within or outside the ViacomCBS family.
I absolutely adored Dexter throughout its eight-season run (guest stars John Lithgow and Jimmy Smits were so good), but there's no question that the character didn't get the send-off he deserved, as the series finale wasn't especially satisfying. Phillips and Hall now have the opportunity to right that creative wrong, and I'm not so sure Dexter deserves a "happy" ending this time around. Either way, I can't wait to see where they take the character, and only hope the new denouement is worthy of the original show. To read Strahovski's reaction to the controversial series finale, click here.