Showtime‘s new leadership has made their first major programming decision, and it involves the network’s flagship Dexter franchise.
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| Patrick Gibson in 'Dexter: Original Sin' and Michael C. Hall in 'Dexter: Resurrection' | Patrick Wymore / Zach Dilgard / Paramount+ / Deadline |
The Paramount TV Studios team has signaled its commitment to the mothership series starring Michael C. Hall — whose current incarnation, Dexter: Resurrection, is airing its first season — while prequel series Dexter: Original Sin will not be returning for a sophomore season after all.
Variety has learned from sources that Paramount has opted not to move forward with another season of the prequel series. A Season 2 renewal announcement went out in April, but sources say the series has in fact been on hiatus and no plans to shoot a second season had moved forward and no production dates were scheduled. The show had originally debuted in December 2024 and wrapped up its first, and now only season, in February.
With the health of the Hall-led mothership considered key to the longevity of the franchise, Variety has also learned that Paramount is imminently planning to open a writers room for a potential Season 2 of Dexter: Resurrection, a followup to Dexter and Dexter: New Blood in which Michael C. Hall stars in the role of Dexter Morgan once again. The first season debuted on July 11 with the finale scheduled for Sept. 5. While a renewal is by no means a guarantee, the show has garnered strong viewership and reviews. The premiere episode drew 4.4 million multiplatform viewers in its first seven days, while the first season holds a 94% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The decision to not proceed with a second season of Original Sin comes not long after the closing of the Skydance-Paramount merger. Matt Thunell, who counts Showtime’s production operations as part of his new purview, and the new senior leadership team are said to be assessing the entire slate at the premium cabler and beyond. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Thunell and his team decided to focus on Resurrection and Hall’s role as Morgan as they look to continue the Dexter franchise.
Sources have indicated that the reasons may have been logistical, with Dexter franchise showrunner Clyde Phillips moving writers to Resurrection after Season 1 of Original Sin was done as the former got fast-tracked. The writing team will now return for Season 2 of Resurrection.
News of Original Sin’s untimely demise comes as Showtime’s gradual decline has continued unabated for years. Once a bastion of premium scripted content on par with HBO, the network’s current slate has been winnowed down to just a handful of scripted originals and a rebrand as Paramount+ with Showtime. The current Showtime lineup includes The Chi, The Agency, and Yellowjackets along with Dexter: Resurrection.
Prequels were key to former Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy’s strategy for building expansive universes around popular IP. Following his departure, the future of other Dexter prequels that had been put in development, including one focusing on the Trinity Killer, is uncertain.
Original Sin served as the origin story of Dexter Morgan, with Patrick Gibson playing the young version of the iconic killer of killers. Hall provided the young Dexter’s inner monologue.
Set in 1991 Miami, the series follows Dexter, a student refining his killer skills with the help and support of his adoptive father Harry. In his dad, he finds solace and understanding, especially as his bloodthirsty urges grow and can no longer be ignored.
Along with Gibson and Hall, the cast also included Molly Brown, Christina Milian, Christian Slater, James Martinez, Alex Shimizu, Reno Wilson, special guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Patrick Dempsey.
Clyde Phillips, the original showrunner and executive producer on Dexter, returned in that role for Original Sin and was also the series’ creator. Hall was also an executive producer on the series, as was Scott Reynolds, Mary Leah Sutton, Tony Hernandez, and Lilly Burns. Michael Lehmann, the director of Heathers, served as director and executive producer. Robert Lloyd Lewis was a producer on the series. Showtime Studios and Counterpart Studios produced. Gary Levine and Urooj Sharif oversaw for Showtime Studios, with production supervised by Tara Power. The series was produced by Showtime Studios (now Paramount Television Studios) and Counterpart Studios and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution outside of Paramount+ markets.
Dexter: Original Sin premiered Dec. 13 with 2.1M global viewers across Paramount+ and Showtime in the first three days of availability. The finale audience grew 27% over the December premiere with a tally of 2.68M global viewers.
From showrunner and executive producer Phillips, Dexter: Resurrection takes place weeks after Dexter Morgan (Hall) takes a bullet to the chest from his own son, as he awakens from a coma to find Harrison (Jack Alcott) gone without a trace.
The series also stars Uma Thurman, David Zayas, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Kadia Saraf, Dominic Fumusa, Emilia Suárez, with James Remar as Dexter’s father Harry Morgan and Peter Dinklage as Leon Prater. Neil Patrick Harris, Krysten Ritter, Eric Stonestreet and David Dastmalchian guest star.
Dexter: Resurrection launched with 3.1M cross-platform viewers for the premiere episode over the first three days, with the cume going up to 4.4M in its first seven days, outperforming the premiere of Original Sin by about 25%.
Hall also serves as executive producer along with Scott Reynolds, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns and Marcos Siega. Monica Raymund directs four episodes with Marcos Siega directing six episodes for the series. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
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