The new Dexter will not be anything like the old Dexter, except it sort of will be.
TV fans were shook on Wednesday when Showtime announced that after six years off the air, Dexter was returning for a 10-episode limited series.
The serial killer drama was popular back when it aired between 2006 and 2013, but it lost some favor when the series finale sent Dexter's girlfriend and son off to Argentina while the man himself faked his death and famously became a lumberjack.
It was an infuriating ending that promised more was coming, and now we're getting more whether we wanted it or not.
Michael C. Hall is returning along with original showrunner Clyde Phillips, who left the show after season four to spend more time with his family. On Friday, THR's TV's Top 5 podcast welcomed Phillips to talk about the revival, and he offered some very helpful (if vague) info about exactly how it will work and why it's happening in the first place.
First of all, a Dexter revival has been in the conversation for years, so while the news feels out of the blue to some, it's actually been a long time coming. Phillips revealed that over the years, he and Hall regularly talked about ideas for new seasons, but the official call from Showtime President Gary Levine came in July 2019. The network wanted one more season of Dexter, and soon the writers room was up and running.
Then the writers room had to disperse when the pandemic forced everyone back to their homes, but the writing continued.
Phillips and his writers had to keep the project a secret—even when it was officially greenlit earlier this summer—but now he can at least explain how the new show will fit in with the old and where the lumberjack of it all fits in.
Scroll down for everything we know so far!
The Dexter revival will begin production in 2021.