Jim Fiscus/SHOWTIMETears and hugs and emotional high fives. Not exactly the sendoff you might expect for a totally gruesome show about a serial killer!
But such was the case for Showtime's Dexter, which said goodbye to fans Thursday at San Diego's Comic Con.
Dexter brought back a few blasts from its past including showrunner Clyde Phillips, Lauren Velez (LaGuerta), Erik King (Doakes) and Julie Benz (Rita), with the man himself Michael C. Hall bringing the audience to its feet among a sea of flashbulbs and raucous applause.
The cast revealed they concluded production last week, and Hall explained to fans that he was still in denial. "There's some unconscious part of us that hasn't accepted or recognized it yet," Hall said. "Five or six months from now, there will be some wave of something we'll all experience."
John Lithgow, who was perhaps Dexter's best ever nemesis, appeared during a taped segment, telling fans: "I wish I could be with you all today but as you know, I'm dead. … Not a day goes by where someone doesn't recognize me as a psychopath, I thank you for that."
As for what's coming up on the show, Yvonne Strahovski (Hannah) tried her best to not spill the beans on her return to the series, but pretty much failed miserably. "I still can't say anything," Strahovski first said when asked if she will return. Then she caved and said, "We don't know when." And then she hinted strongly that Hannah's motivation might be revenge…and felt she gave too much away and covered her face with the placard in front of her. Hooray for candor and the awesomeness that is Yvonne Strahovski.
And in perhaps the most stunning moment of the panel, Jennifer Carpenter (who was robbed this morning at the Emmy noms!) told fans that she is rooting for her character Deb to be killed off in the end. "I wanted and want Deb to die," she said. "As an actor, it's because I love her. It's a little like how Michael treats his victims: I want her to go to the bottom of the abyss instead of in my head for eight years after the show is over to wonder 'what if?' and I'm calling [showrunner] Scott [Buck] to write her a scene."
Stay tuned for more TV scoop from San Diego Comic Con for the next few days!