In the grand tradition of disappointing TV finales, the last episode of Dexter season 8 is way up there, with fans bemoaning its underwhelming nature ever since it aired in 2013. The good news is that Showtime is about to bring Dexter back for a new limited series, which effectively serves as season 9 and promises to act as a superior ending to the serial killer’s journey than what we got last time around.
Michael C. Hall is returning to the role of Dexter Morgan, and in a new interview the star opened up about the infamy of the previous series finale. While speaking to Phil Williams of Times Radio, Hall said it was “gratifying” to make a new ending for the show, seeing as he’s well aware fans found the finale “infuriating.” The actor still defends the creative choices made, but he admits the “execution” could’ve been better.
“It’s been gratifying and I think the show ended in a way that was pretty mystifying at best if not infuriating for people, but that at least set the stage for us to return and answer more definitively what the hell happened to this guy….” he explained. “I totally support what happened, the choice he makes at the end, but as far as the execution goes, we were all running on vapor at that point, so I get it.”
The Dexter revival picks up around a decade after the events of season 8, with everyone’s favorite murderer having relocated to a sleepy town called Iron Lake in Upstate New York. Though he’ll be trying to lay low, we can expect events to to reluctantly pull him back into a life he thought he’d left behind. Hall’s already teased that the revival might be even darker than the series’ original run. At least with showrunner Clyde Phillips, who exited Dexter after season 5, back on board, we can hope it’ll recapture some of the magic from the show’s early years.
Hall is the only returning cast member announced so far, though fans suspect Jennifer Carpenter may be returning as Debra. Clancy Brown will serve as Dexter’s new nemesis, a powerful man in the Iron Lake community who has some sinister secrets of his own. Expect the 1o-part Dexter revival on Showtime this fall.