Dexter: Original Sin


Dexter: Original Sin is an American crime drama mystery television series created by Clyde Phillips for Paramount+ with Showtime. A prequel to the television series Dexter, 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 15, 2024, on Paramount+ with Showtime. Despite reports that the series had been renewed for a second season, it was ultimately canceled in August 2025.
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Cast and characters

Main

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

Guest

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 consisted of 10 episodes. Phillips, who serves as the showrunner, executive produced 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.
In March 2025, 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, 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. On April 1, 2025, reports emerged that the series had been renewed for a second season. However, on August 22, 2025, Dexter: Original Sin was canceled prior to production on a second season commencing.

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 70% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 20 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.