Despite being a smash hit with audiences, Showtime has canceled the Dexter sequel series Dexter: New Blood after one season. However, according to TV Line, the network is exploring the idea of a prequel series instead.
Dexter: New Blood premiered in 2021, eight years after the original series ended, and saw Michael C. Hall’s titular serial killer move from Miami to New York. The 10-episode revival averaged over eight million viewers per week, making it the most-watched series in Showtime history. New Blood’s sole season finale premiered in January 2022 with a controversial ending that would’ve given showrunner Clyde Phillips ample new storylines to draw from, but Showtime apparently has its eyes on the past, not the future.
TV Line sources say the premium network is considering a new series that would focus on a younger version of Dexter, instead of the tact that New Blood took centering Dexter himself and, increasingly, his son Harrison.
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The move follows news that Showtime will merge into the streamer Paramount+ and be officially renamed Paramount+ with Showtime. Along with all of Showtime’s content soon being available to stream for premium subscribers of Paramount+, the companies have shelved the completed series Three Women and canceled Let the Right One In and American Gigolo. It appears the Dexter news is part of the executives’ plan to “divert investment away from areas that are underperforming,” though it’s hard to see how eight million viewers a week equates to underperformance.