Even when it occasionally went too far, “Dexter” was one of the best crime shows around for its first few seasons. It petered out toward the end — resulting in one of the most infamously bad TV finales of all time – but it’s also yielded copious spinoffs, perhaps in an attempt to make people forget about the original finale. One such spinoff is “Dexter: Original Sin,” a prequel series that followed a young Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson, taking over for Michael C. Hall) as he discovers a penchant for killing.
Unfortunately for fans, “Dexter: Original Sin” has been canceled after one season despite an initial Season 2 renewal. The show aired on Paramount+ with Showtime from December 2024 to February 2025, and two months after the finale, Paramount announced another season. However, word officially arrived on August 22 that Paramount wouldn’t move forward with the series. No concrete information has been given as to why “Dexter: Original Sin” was canceled, but the news came on the heels of Paramount’s merger with Skydance, which has led to a lot of shake-ups within the company — like “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” getting the axe.
Inside sources at Paramount suggested that the company wanted to concentrate on its other current spinoff, “Dexter: Resurrection,” in which Hall himself continues to play the title role. But while “Original Sin” may be gone, Paramount and Skydance may still have long-term plans for the “Dexter” franchise.
Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 will probably happen
“Dexter: Original Sin” was the latest in a long line of prequel series featuring a younger version of a main cast member, in the vein of “Young Sheldon” and “NCIS: Origins.” But while “Original Sin” is now canceled, “Dexter” fans still have reason to hold out hope: Although “Dexter: Resurrection” has yet to be officially renewed for Season 2, Paramount is putting together a writers’ room, so it’s likely that Dexter’s adventures will continue there.
“Dexter: Resurrection” takes place after the events of “Dexter: New Blood” and sees Michael C. Hall back as the serial killer who tries to only kill bad people. The show’s announcement may have come as a surprise to fans, since Dexter was shot and presumably killed at the end of “New Blood.” But if Paramount were to continue with only one “Dexter” series, “Resurrection” makes sense since Hall himself is the face of the franchise, whereas “Original Sin” tried to introduce a new cast.
“Dexter: Resurrection” was received favorably by critics and presently stands at a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, “Resurrection,” which came out in July, had a 46% larger audience for its premiere compared to “Original Sin.” It’s possible that fans were invested more in seeing Hall himself as Dexter as opposed to someone else. Either way, if you haven’t seen the latter yet, now would be a great time to brush up on everything you need to know about “Dexter: Resurrection” before the potential arrival of Season 2.