It may be impossible to remember now, but at one point Dexter was one of the best shows on television. Even the kids on The Wire, legitimately one of the all-time best shows on television, were watching it. The serial killer who kills serial killers—it was a great hook, and indeed for awhile, a really great show.
What Dexter has become famous for, in the intervening years since it aired (from 2006 to 2013) was having one of the worst finales in all of television. And not just a truly, truly horrendous finale, but of crashing and burning so hard somewhere after Season 4 (which was perhaps its highlight) that its legacy remains forever tarnished.
So now, perhaps, a chance at redemption? Showtime announced today that it will be reviving the series for a 10-episode limited run. It will again star Michael C. Hall as the serial killer who kills serial killers and then insanely becomes a lumberjack, with Clyde Philips showrunning once again (tellingly, Philips left the show after Season 4).
Look, no one asked for this. On Becoming a God in Central Florida was canceled, yet this lives? However, I’m willing to give it at least some of my curiosity to see if they just ignore those last, horrendous episodes or try and actually use them as a launch point. Maybe Philips will just pick up where he left off, which wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Gary Levine, President of Entertainment for Showtime Networks Inc along with Jana Winograde, said:
“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,” said Levine. “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!”
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