Months before Dexter: Resurrection brought the anti-hero serial killer back to life, the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin revitalized the franchise by examining Dexter Morgan’s very early career both as a forensic blood analyst and serial killer. The show was renewed for a second season but was suddenly and surprisingly cancelled a few weeks ago.
Dexter: Original Sin creator and showrunner Clyde Phillips, who created the original series and served as showrunner for the first four seasons and came back for its first continuation New Blood and Resurrection, spoke out for the first time on the sudden decision to cancel the prequel series and is “not happy” about it.
Appearing on the Dissecting Dexter podcast, Phillips aired his frustration when he found out about the news. “It was a tough phone call that I got that night. They had already picked up the show, and I had informed all of the writers and informed all of the actors. And then un-picked it up. They created their own word. They un-picked it up, while picking up Resurrection, which was no surprise. And it wasn’t handled well, and I’m not happy about it.”
A specific reason for the cancellation has not yet been given, but it is likely to do with the Paramount and Skydance merger that was officially approved with the latter purchasing Paramount and all its IP, which includes Dexter after Paramount bought Showtime a few years ago. Phillips said former Paramount CEO Chris McCarthy “wanted the Dexter-verse to expand” and Phillips to become a “new Taylor Sheridan,” referencing Sheridan’s massive TV empire with Yellowstone and its many spin-offs, Lioness, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown and more on the way.
Dexter: Original Sin revealed new details on Dexter’s origins, both as a child with the traumatic event that shaped him and his brother Brian Moser into killers and his first set of kills, which future seasons were going to explore even more of. Even though a writer’s room had not been formally put together for a second season as their focus turned to Resurrection, Phillips teased:
“We plotted out a couple of years of this and looking forward to introducing new characters, like Doakes — imagine Doakes at 25 or 30 years old — and Captain Matthews. And also watching Dexter’s evolution and Harry’s evolution. If you remember them in the pilot to riginal Sin, which I wrote, the swimming pool scene. That was news. Nobody knew that. It was just something I came up with. And it defined Harry, and we wanted to continue that definition and continue developing the characters and developing Dexter, played by Patrick Gibson — played extraordinarily well by Patrick Gibson, I thought.”
With Paramount and Skydance’s focus on Dexter Morgan’s present day activities, Phillips said the proposed Trinity prequel based on John Lithgow’s infamous Trinity Killer is “backburnered, and I honestly don’t think they’re going to go for it. I just think they’re interested in Resurrection. I mean, if they killed Original Sin, which is a built-in hit, how are they going to pick up Trinity. If they do, I’d be delighted, but I don’t see them doing it.”
SEE ALSO: “Dexter In Space” – Michael C. Hall talks 20 years of Dexter and where the killer will go next
Are you upset we won’t get any more of Dexter: Original Sin? Do you hope Resurrection might be able to work Original Sin‘s cast or future stories into the series? Let us know on our social channels at @FlickeringMyth…
Ricky Church – Follow me on Bluesky for more movie news and nerd talk.
