Plans To Expand ‘Dexter’ Franchise Only An Idea … For Now

Since Dexter: New Blood was such a success for Showtime, there has to be some kind of killer sequel in the works, right?

Not exactly, Deadline has learned. There have been talks about expanding the Dexter universe but that’s all they are for now — talks. One of the ideas that has been discussed is a prequel but nothing is solid at this time.

A spokesperson for Showtime declined comment.

Interest in the future of the franchise has taken a front seat after Paramount Global said Tuesday that Showtime will no longer be a stand-alone brand. The company is rebranding the premium cable network as Paramount+ with Showtime as part of a wide-ranging change that also brings the two brands together in the streaming world.

After the Dexter: New Blood sequel wrapped in January 2022, there was plenty of chatter about whether it would make sense to follow the exploits of Dexter’s son Harrison (Jack Alcott). Get ready for a 12-month-old spoiler alert: The 10-episode Dexter sequel wrapped with Harrison killing his father (Michael C. Hall) after discovering that he had murdered the beloved Sgt. Logan.

TVLine reported earlier Tuesday that there was some thought about extending Dexter: New Blood for a Season 2, but that has been abandoned.

Long in the works, Dexter: New Blood was a ratings boon for Showtime. The series finale drew 3 million total viewers, making it the biggest Showtime finale in more than eight years, since Homeland in 2013, according to the network. Written by Clyde Phillips, the finale also set a new Showtime record with 2 million viewers from streaming and on demand platforms on a Sunday.

Over the series’ run, Dexter: New Blood averaged over 8 million weekly viewers across all Showtime platforms, becoming the most-watched series in the premium cabler’s history.

The original eight-season run of Dexter premiered in fall 2006 and became one of the most acclaimed series on television, earning multiple Emmy nominations for best drama series as well as a Peabody Award in 2008, and was twice named one of AFI’s top 10 television series.