# Dexter: Original Sin

Dexter: Original Sin is an American crime drama mystery television series created by Clyde Phillips. Continuing from Dexter: New Blood, the series' frame story sees vigilante serial killer Dexter Morgan thinking back on his youth, starting in 1991, fifteen years before the first season of Dexter. The series premiered on December 13, 2024, on Paramount+ with Showtime.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Patrick Gibson as Dexter Morgan, a recently hired forensic intern at Miami Metro Police Department
* Christian Slater as Harry Morgan, Dexter's adoptive father and homicide detective at Miami Metro Police Department
* Molly Brown as Debra Morgan, Dexter's adoptive younger sister and Harry's daughter
* Christina Milian as María LaGuerta, the first female homicide detective at Miami Metro Police Department
* James Martinez as Angel Batista, a fellow detective working alongside Harry at Miami Metro Police Department
* Alex Shimizu as Vince Masuka, a forensic analyst at Miami Metro Police Department
* Reno Wilson as Bobby Watt, Harry's homicide division partner at Miami Metro Police Department
* Patrick Dempsey as Aaron Spencer, the captain of the homicide division at Miami Metro Police Department
* Michael C. Hall as the narrator/inner voice of Dexter

### Special guest star

* Sarah Michelle Gellar as Tanya Martin, the chief of forensics of the homicide division at Miami Metro Police Department and Dexter's boss

### Recurring

* Brittany Allen as Laura Moser, Dexter's biological mother in flashbacks
* Raquel Justice as Sofia Rivera, Debra's best friend and Dexter's love interest
* Jeff Daniel Phillips as Levi Reed
* Sarah Kinsey as Camilla Figg, a records clerk at Miami Metro Police Department
* Jasper Lewis as Doris Morgan, Dexter's adoptive mother and Debra's biological mother in flashbacks
* Aaron Jennings as Clark Sanders, a closeted gay police officer at Miami Metro Police Department whom Dexter befriends
* Roberto Sanchez as Tony Ferrer
* Eli Sherman as Little Dexter
* Carlo Mendez as Hector Estrada
* Randy Gonzalez as Santos Jimenez
* Isaac Gonzalez Rossi as Gio
* Amanda Brooks as Becca Spencer, Aaron's ex-wife
* London Thatcher as Nicky Spencer, Aaron and Becca's son
* Roby Attal as Brian Moser, Dexter's biological brother (Xander Mateo co-stars as young Brian in flashbacks)

### Guest

* Joe Pantoliano as Mad Dog, a hitman

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "And in the Beginning..." | Michael Lehmann | Clyde Phillips | December 13, 2024 (2024-12-13) |
| 2 | "Kid in a Candy Store" | Michael Lehmann | Katrina Mathewson & Tanner Bean | December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20) |
| 3 | "Miami Vice" | Monica Raymund | Safura Fadavi | December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20) |
| 4 | "Fender Bender" | Monica Raymund | Nick Zayas | December 27, 2024 (2024-12-27) |
| 5 | "F Is for Fuck Up" | Michael Lehmann | Alexandra Franklin & Marc Muszynski | January 3, 2025 (2025-1-3) |
| 6 | "The Joy of Killing" | Michael Lehmann | Terry Huang | January 10, 2025 (2025-1-10) |
| 7 | "The Big Bad Body Problem" | Monica Raymund | Katrina Mathewson & Tanner Bean | January 24, 2025 (2025-1-24) |
| 8 | "Business and Pleasure" | Monica Raymund | Teleplay by : Mary Leah Sutton Story by : Mary Leah Sutton & Johanna Ramm | January 31, 2025 (2025-1-31) |
| 9 | "Blood Drive" | Michael Lehmann | Teleplay by : Scott Reynolds Story by : Scott Reynolds & Alex Kellerman | February 7, 2025 (2025-2-7) |
| 10 | "Code Blues" | Michael Lehmann | Teleplay by : Clyde Phillips Story by : Clyde Phillips & Alexandra Franklin & Marc Muszynski | February 14, 2025 (2025-2-14) |

## Production
### Development

On February 6, 2023, Showtime gave production a series order for an origin-story prequel for Dexter, titled as Dexter: Origins created by Clyde Phillips. It was later retitled as Dexter: Original Sin and will consist of 10 episodes. Phillips, who serves as the showrunner, is also expected to executive produce alongside Scott Reynolds, Michael C. Hall, Mary Leah Sutton, Tony Hernandez, and Lilly Burns, with Robert Lloyd Lewis serving as a producer. Production companies involved with the series are Showtime Studios and Counterpart Studios.

### Casting

On May 23, 2024, Patrick Gibson, Christian Slater, and Molly Brown were cast in starring roles. In June 2024, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu, Reno Wilson, and Patrick Dempsey joined the cast as series regulars while Sarah Michelle Gellar was cast as a special guest star. On July 11, 2024, Joe Pantoliano, Brittany Allen, Randy Gonzalez, Aaron Jennings, Raquel Justice, Jasper Lewis, Carlo Mendez, Isaac Gonzalez Rossi, and Roberto Sanchez were cast in recurring roles. On July 26, 2024, at San Diego Comic-Con during the Dexter: Original Sin panel, it was announced that Michael C. Hall is set to narrate the inner voice of a young Dexter Morgan. On August 14, 2024, Amanda Brooks joined the cast in a recurring capacity. On September 20, 2024, Eli Sherman, London Thatcher and Sarah Kinsey joined the cast in undisclosed capacities.

### Filming

Principal photography for the series began on June 5, 2024, in Miami. In August 2024, it was reported that filming moved to Los Angeles.

## Release

Dexter: Original Sin premiered on December 13, 2024, on Paramount+ with Showtime.

## Reception

Upon its release Dexter: Original Sin became Showtime's most streamed premiere with over 2.1 million global cross-platform viewers.
Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 68% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 19 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Original Sin cares less about injecting fresh blood than reviving a tried-and-true formula, making for a prequel that's just solid enough to scratch the Dexter itch with a scalpel." According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average of 50 out of 100 based on six critic reviews, the series premiere received a "mixed or average" response.

## Future

A second season has yet to be announced. Showrunner Clyde Phillips said of a second season “I honestly don’t know. I’m busy shooting Resurrection now and haven’t been thinking about the next season of Original Sin. We’ll see.” Cast members have said that they would be open to return for another season. “I had such a great time doing this and everybody involved is so incredible. To have Clyde [Phillips], the original showrunner, involved and still doing it, and the cast was also great that I would feel so, so lucky to come back again” Patrick Gibson said.