Dexter is getting new life at Showtime - but there's a catch. Dexter: New Blood, the sequel to the original series, has been cancelled, while a Young Dexter prequel series has gotten the greenlight.
Dexter has a complicated history. Its finale often appears on lists of the most disappointing series finales of all time, a feat which Showtime hoped to rectify by bringing Dexter back as Dexter: New Blood. That series was not very well-reviewed, either, however, and though it was successful, the project appears to be dead in the water now.
According to TVLine, Showtime decided not to renew Dexter: New Blood, the second season of which would have picked up after Dexter's (Michael C. Hall) demise. However, the network is still looking to develop the young Dexter spin-off. Interestingly, the network is mentioned to be looking into multiple different iterations of the Dexter franchise.
Dexter: New Blood season 2 would have been a spin-off focused on Harrison (Jack Alcott). Harrison is Dexter's son; when Harrison discovers that his father is a serial killer, he's forced to kill him. That doesn't mean that Dexter would not have appeared, however. In the original series, Dexter's own father Harry (James Remar) dies before the events of the first season, but appears to his son in visions.
In the wake of Showtime merging with Paramount Plus, cancellations were expected. This move is a little unusual, however. The fact that Dexter: New Blood was one of Showtime's most successful series means that its cancellation is something of an aberration. It's possible that fan backlash, and uncertainty if fans would follow Harrison as a new protagonist, meant that the network's hand was forced, so to speak. It is interesting, though, that the network is looking to explore other iterations of the franchise.
The fact that both Dexter finales have been negatively received by fans may mean that any spin-off faces an uphill battle. A prequel means that Dexter can never get caught, and the fact that Dexter kept getting away with his murders in later seasons began to stretch credibility. A young Dexter spin-off may run into this problem eventually - and fans may not have the patience to try again after the last two shows ended poorly.
Source: TVLine