Dexter Showrunner Says Revival Isn’t Season 9 But More A Second Finale For The Show

Dexter is getting a revival on Showtime – but don’t necessarily think of it as season 9. Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips said in a recent interview that “This isn’t Dexter season nine. … This was an opportunity to write a second finale for the show.” That’s a redo that a lot of Dexter fans may be eager for, as season 8 (and the series finale) has gone down as one of the most disappointing series finales out there – a final low for a show that fell from some pretty big heights in its latter seasons. So what does a “second finale” for Dexter actually look like? Here’s what Phillips has to say:

“We basically do get to start from scratch,” Clyde Phillips told THR‘s TV Top 5 Podcast. “We want this to not be Dexter season 9. Ten years have passed – or however many years have passed by the time this will air – and the show will reflect that time passage. Insofar as the ending of the show: this will have no resemblance to how the original finale was – and it’s a great opportunity to write a second finale for a show, and Showtime was very gracious about that.”

Phillips also talks about Michael C. Hall returning to play Dexter, hinting that it was a consideration for the actor, who has endured the intensity of a passionate fanbase – through both good and bad times. Ultimately, Phillips says that what got both himself and Hall back into the franchise was that sustained hunger from Dexter fans – and not the lingering shadow of disappointment over the finale.

Dexter will be getting 10 episodes that will air on Showtime in 2021. The show “shutdown the Internet” as Phillips says in the interview) when Showtime posted the bold reveal about Dexter’s return (see below):

Showtime president Gary Levine issued a statement, stating, “Dexter is such a special series, both for its millions of fans and for Showtime, as this breakthrough show helped put our network on the map many years ago. We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series. Well, I am happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can’t wait to shoot it and show it to the world!”

Dexter will return on Showtime in Fall of 2021.