Dexter: Resurrection star Michael C. Hall says the controversial ending to the original series made “narrative sense” but fans “didn’t want to see that”: “It was a rocky road to get here”

Michael C. Hall expresses that the concluding episode of the original Dexter was essential for Dexter Morgan’s narrative to progress into revival spin-offs like New Blood and Resurrection.

“I believe the notion that Dexter, given all that transpired in the series overall, you know, a while back, [putting] himself into voluntary isolation – I think [it] made narrative sense, but people were not inclined to see that,” Hall shares with GamesRadar+.

“I feel New Blood served as a means to acknowledge the fact that he was still out there, and people were curious about his fate. Ultimately, I think it functioned as a pathway to where we are currently. It was the sole method to bring him back to a position where he’s able to reclaim his identity, release the heavy past that he has been shouldering, and progress with a newly embraced identity and a dedication to the code. It’s the only way we could have arrived at our current situation, despite the turbulent journey to get here.”

The initial series, inspired by the Dexter novels by Jeff Lindsay, debuted on Showtime in 2006, spanning eight seasons and concluding in 2013. The series finale, season 8 episode 12, featured Dexter staging his own demise following a boat accident, followed by a flash forward revealing his new existence as a lumberjack in Oregon – complete with a stereotypical woodsman beard that was (in my view) quite evidently a prosthetic.

The finale appeared on numerous “Worst Series Finales of All Time” lists, with viewers and critics noting it as dull, strange, and anticlimactic. Some believed it made the most sense for Dexter to eventually be apprehended and face trial for his offenses, while others thought the show should have concluded similarly to the final novel, where Dexter truly meets his end amid the boat accident.

The franchise was brought back to life with Dexter: New Blood, which debuted in 2021 and occurred 10 years after the events of the series finale. The revival spin-off chronicles Dexter’s new existence under an alias in Oregon, where he reconnects with his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) and, upon realizing his son shares the same murderous tendencies, chooses to mentor him in his specific.