Dexter: New Blood aired in 2021, and provided a highly desired update/reboot of the Dexter story. The original series of Dexter ran from 2006 to 2013.
Dexter: New Blood was originally going to be a standalone show. While it was reported that New Blood Season 2 had been green-lit, it turns out this was inaccurate. As things stand, there is not going to be a second season.
However, in more positive news for fans of Dexter, there are going to be more updates for the Dexter franchise – with more shows on the way!
Spoilers are ahead. Therefore, if you haven’t seen Dexter or Dexter: New Blood, we would recommend bookmarking this page and coming back to it later.
About Dexter: New Blood
Dexter: New Blood was the follow-up to Dexter, which was one of the most popular shows in the 2000s and early 2010s. It followed Dexter Morgan, who worked for the Police in Miami by day, but was a serial killer by night.
Dexter ended in rather acrimonious circumstances, with a highly polarising series finale. After 8 seasons, many tuned into the finale expecting to see Dexter finally pay the price for all of his murders down the years.
Instead, Dexter faked his death, while his sister Deb died. The show ended with Dexter being a lumberjack in rural Oregon. His son emigrated to Argentina with his old love interest Hannah.
Michael C. Hall, the main actor of Dexter, stayed rather neutral on the finale, although he did refer to Dexter’s ending as the “Greatest Ending” of “Unsatisfying Endings”.
The general consensus among Dexter fans is that the show’s first 4 seasons were excellent, but the show went downhill from there. Season 8 has been lambasted universally.
However, the announcement of Dexter: New Blood was met with excitement, as Clyde Phillips – showrunner for the first 4 seasons, was returning to be the man in charge.
Phillips wasn’t prepared to dampen expectations, instead saying that the ending of the show would “blow up the internet”! There were definitely high expectations as a result!
What Happened in Dexter: New Blood?
Dexter: New Blood picked up the story a few years later. It ran for 10 episodes, with Hall returning as Dexter. Jennifer Carpenter returned too, to play Dexter’s sister, who acted as Dexter’s conscience.
Dexter had moved to New York state. He had integrated himself into a new area, and was living under a fake name. However, things turned upside down when Dexter’s son Harrison showed up, having tracked Dexter down.
The father-son duo combined to kill Clancy Brown’s villainous Kurt Caldwell, who was a serial killer himself. But Dexter’s partner and police officer Angela Bishop arrested him after finding out about Dexter’s background.
Dexter, facing extradition to Miami, managed to escape, which involved killing someone innocent – in violation of the code that he had so strenuously lived by. Harrison was horrified, and killed his father, before fleeing with Angela.
Sadly though, the season finale was heavily criticised, with many upset at the manner of Dexter’s death. However, some found it a fitting finale that righted the wrongs of the 2013 finale.
Phillips said that the team “knew this had to happen” – referring to Dexter’s death. Many fans disagreed with this, stating their disappointment at the turn of events.
Is there a future for Dexter: New Blood?
Following the conclusion of Dexter: New Blood, the obvious question was whether or not the Dexter franchise could go on without Michael C. Hall – given that the titular character is now dead.
So, the initial news that New Blood: Season 2 was going ahead was met with mixed emotions. While many were looking forward to the show, others said that the show should cut its losses after two disappointing finales already.
However, despite reports to the contrary and the fact that Dexter: New Blood was an absolute ratings hit, helping to pull in on average approximately 8million viewers per week for Showtime – a second season will not be going ahead as things stand.
Would Dexter: New Blood Season 2 be popular?
If New Blood Season 2 does ever happen, the Dexter’s son Harrison would be the main focus. There is plenty of potential for the character of Harrison Morgan. There is also the chance that Dexter could even be a conscience of sorts for Harrison, like Deb and Harry before was for him.
But as mentioned, would fans be as positive towards the show if Dexter wasn’t there? Is there enough in the story to have a season where we see what Dexter got up to in those years between Oregon and New York?
These are questions that need to be asked. This will surely decide if Dexter: New Blood has a future.
What have the team said?
A spinoff with Harrison as the lead does seem most likely. In fact, Phillips said that he “would love to do it”, and that he would “say yes in heartbeat”, were Showtime to ask him. He said this in an interview with TV Insider.
Moreover, Phillips said that “it’s all in Showtime’s hands”. Getting the relevant cast members on board is also never easy, but it is possible.
TV executive David Nevins mentioned that he was “actively working on” the future of the Dexter franchise. This certainly put a positive spin on it.
But Showtime Networks president Gary Levine did say that “it’s too soon to say” as to whether or not the show will return for another run.
Announcement of Dexter: Origins
Another interesting development in the Dexter franchise involves the announcement of a new show that will serve as an origin-story prequel to Dexter.
The show will be titled Dexter: Origins. It will involve a dramatization of a younger version of Dexter Morgan, in his early days at Miami Metro. He will meet younger versions of many of the characters we saw in the original show.
There has also been discussions that further spinoffs could take place – including the Trinity Killer – also known as Arthur Mitchell, who was the main antagonist in Season 4, and expertly played by John Lithgow.
The Takeaway
Dexter is certainly a show that has generated a lot of interest down the years. It is possible that there is a future for it, and it would surely result in high viewership.
It is a case that we will need to wait and see. But for many Dexter fans, the hope is that it will return at some point soon!
