Dexter: Original Sin - Who Is Sarah Michelle Gellar Playing?

Dexter

By Callum Murray

Published 2 days ago

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Dexter

Highlights

Sarah Michelle Gellar joins the Dexter prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin, as Tanya Martin, a CSI Chief and Dexter's boss.
Gellar's iconic status may attract Buffy fans to the prequel series, boosting its success.
Tanya Martin's recurring role could potentially expand to a series regular if popular, opening possibilities for spin-off shows.

Sarah Michelle Gellar has recently been cast in the upcoming Dexter prequel series, as a character called Tanya Martin. She joins fellow big name actors, Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey in Dexter: Original Sin. Gellar's casting is a major coup for the show, with her iconic status bound to attract viewers to Showtime's newest iteration of the serial killer with a code.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is best known for her role as Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she's racked up an impressive resume of other acting performances since her breakout role as the slayer. She starred in Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions and The Scooby-Doo movies, and was most recently seen in the Paramount + series, Wolf Pack, but it was canceled after only one season.

Should Dexter: Original Sin Have A Voiceover?

Michael C. Hall's voiceover was iconic in the original Dexter series, and prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin needs to decide whether to use it.

Who is Sarah Michelle Gellar playing in Dexter: Original Sin?

Sarah Michelle Gellar will play the CSI Chief at the Miami Metro Police Department and, most notably, Dexter Morgan's new boss as he embarks on a forensics internship. Gellar's character, Tanya Martin, will be a recurring guest star in Dexter: Original Sin, but if the character is a hit, it could see her being bumped up to a series regular as the show progresses.

Nina L. Diaz, the president of content and chief content officer of Showtime released a statement on the casting:

Sarah Michelle Gellar is a pop culture icon who perfectly rounds out our best-in-class cast featuring Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey, among others. We’re thrilled to have her return to the SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios family and join the origin story of the Dexter franchise.

Sarah Michelle Gellar also commented on her casting in Dexter: Original Sin on her Instagram page:

It’s going to be a bloody good ride.

Not much else is known about Gellar's character, Tanya Martin, outside of her being Dexter's boss, but she is bound to feature in many scenes with Patrick Gibson, who is playing the young Dexter Morgan. It'll also be interesting to see how she interacts with Vince Masuka, who is bound to have a crush on his boss, if his behavior in the original show is anything to go by.

Sarah Michelle Gellar's casting is a big deal for Dexter: Original Sin

It's been a big week of big casting news for Dexter: Original Sin, with Grey's Anatomy actor, Patrick Dempsey being announced to join the cast as the Captain of the Miami Metro Homicide division, followed by another television icon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, joining him in the star-studded cast.

Gellar has had a stunning career in television, theater and movies, with a Daytime Emmy Award to show for her exploits. She bagged the Emmy for her portrayal of Kendall Hart in ABC’s All My Children in 1995, but this was just the beginning of her outstanding string of popular characters. It was her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997 that made her a household name, and gained her iconic status. It ran for seven seasons and ended in 2003, but she hasn't stopped working since.

Gellar's casting in Dexter: Original Sin is a very big deal for the prequel series, as it looks to emulate the success of the original Dexter series and its spin-off follow up, Dexter: New Blood. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the biggest television series of all time, with a legion of loyal fans still picking apart the many plots and theories from the show. Many fans aren't totally convinced that a Dexter prequel series is necessary, but Gellar's casting is bound to entice a slew of Buffy fans to the new series.

Despite her role as Tanya Martin starting off as a recurring guest starring role in Dexter: Original Sin, her popularity could lead to a bigger role in the series if the show progresses past its debut season on Showtime. Tanya Martin wasn't mentioned in the original Dexter series, so the possibilities are endless for her character.

Dexter: Original Sin needed to create new characters to add stakes to the show, and Gellar's casting as Tanya Martin, alongside Patrick Dempsey's role as Aaron Spencer, will surely do just that. The creative team behind Dexter are clearly keen to expand the universe, and if these new characters are well received, they could potentially feature in spin-off shows. Gellar is no stranger to leading roles, so it's more than possible that her casting in a recurring role could lead to her fronting her own show in the future.

Gellar has had a successful career since Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, but nothing has come close to the cultural phenomenon of that show, and after her last show, Wolf Pack, failed to live up to expectations and was canceled after one season, she is in need of a big hit, and Dexter: Original Sin will likely put her back on the map.