With Dexter: Original Sin beginning at the end of 2024, the prequel show has several pitfalls it must avoid so it can improve upon its parent program and the New Blood miniseries. While the upcoming project has almost no members of the original Dexter cast coming back, the show’s established characters being recast allows them to be seen in a new light. Although the Dexter franchise has been wildly successful, it hasn’t been perfect. So, the Original Sin needs to be careful not to make the same mistakes, or make new and avoidable ones.
Although Dexter: Original Sin‘s cast consists almost entirely of franchise debutants, Michael C. Hall’s role as the narrator offers a sense of consistency between the three shows. Hall has played Dexter Morgan since the original show began back in 2006, albeit intermittently due to the multi-year gap between Dexter and New Blood. Not having him involved with Original Sin would have been a little unusual, so bringing Hall back into the fold is a clever move. However, the actor’s presence is just one small step toward ensuring the show’s success.
8 Original Sin Needs Stronger Character Development For Supporting Characters
Dexter’s friends, colleagues, and adversaries must have more compelling arcs
Understandably, Dexter and New Blood have both focused almost entirely on the franchise’s title character. That being said, both shows so far have been populated with some very interesting supporting characters. While some of the other members of the cast have been given their own mini-arcs, they tend to end the story in a very similar position to where they started. Dexter: Original Sin can correct this by fleshing out the entire cast’s backstories instead of just staying with Patrick Gibson’s Dexter Morgan.
Original Sin
will be a mix of new characters and younger versions of existing ones.
It would be very interesting if characters, like Deb, were to begin Original Sin as unrecognizable versions of their characters, and as the show progresses, they become much more similar to how the original actor played them. The prequel show has much more freedom with new characters, as there won’t be any preconceptions about how they should act and where their stories are headed. Unfortunately, the newcomers arguably can’t be too compelling, or it’ll make their absence from the original show more noticeable.
7 Dexter Morgan Needs To Face Realistic Consequences
Patrick Gibson’s Dexter can’t sail through the show with no resistance
Original Sin suffers from the same downfall as so many other prequel shows: the main character has too much plot armor. Because the other shows have already revealed that Dexter survives into adulthood, the possibility of him dying in Original Sin just isn’t there. Similarly, he can’t be caught for his crimes either, as that would retcon huge parts of the franchise’s future.
One option could be for new characters to be in danger (perhaps from Dexter).
Because Dexter’s future has already been written with a great level of detail, Original Sin needs to find a believable and entertaining way for the character to be in danger for the story to be engaging. He can’t be safe from everything throughout, or the entire show would feel flat and listless. One option could be for new characters to be in danger (perhaps from Dexter), as their absence from later points in the timeline could mean they die, but it could equally mean they’re just elsewhere. That tension could make for a good addition to the show.
6 Dexter: Original Sin Has To Have A Satisfying Finale
The franchise has tried twice to big Dexter Morgan the best ending possible
Dexter‘s ending was so divisive that it ultimately led to Dexter: New Blood being made – to give the story a second chance of wrapping up events. Unfortunately, New Blood‘s finale also wasn’t very well-received. So, the franchise has never had an ending that fans accepted as sufficient. Although Original Sin can’t end the saga because of when it’s set in the timeline, it can still include a final episode that changes the series’ poor record.
It’s currently unclear how many seasons of Original Sin will be made. The overall success of the previous two shows suggests the prequel will run beyond the lone season that’s already been made. However, there is always a risk that the show flops, and the inaugural batch of episodes stands forever as a testament to its failure. If so, it’ll make the endings of Dexter and New Blood much better by comparison – but only because they both actually had proper endings.
5 Dexter Morgan Can’t Have A Love Interest In Original Sin
Rita needs to remain as the first woman Dexter loved
Dexter’s marriage to and eventual loss of Rita in the original show is a huge point in the title character’s development. He shocks even himself that he genuinely loved his late spouse, as he struggles with processing and even feeling genuine emotions. Although Dexter did have ties to women before Rita, none of them resulted in him feeling anything approaching the concept of romantic love, so it wouldn’t make sense for Patrick Gibson’s version of the character to experience it in the prequel.
Of course, Gibson’s Dexter can have relationships that seem genuine, but the prequel needs to avoid the temptation to allow the younger Dexter to develop the capacity for love. Sham dates and even sexual encounters can, and probably should, be included, as both would help Dexter blend in and seem just like everyone else. That being said, the story probably has more interesting things to give screen time to.
4 Michael C. Hall’s Voiceover Must Not Confuse The Timeline
Original Sin must clarify from which point in the timeline the older Dexter is narrating
The narrating duties will still be carried out by the main character’s originator in Original Sin, but Hall’s return presents a problem. The voiceover in the other shows is very much a present-day thing. It’s Dexter’s inner monologue which acts as a real-time account of what’s running through his head. Because Michael C. Hall is supplying the voiceover despite Gibson playing the onscreen character, the implication is that his version of Dexter is recalling his youth instead.
He could be communicating from the events of
Dexter
,
New Blood,
or even the upcoming sequel show,
Resurrection
.
If so, Original Sin needs to establish early on from which point in the timeline Hall’s Dexter is speaking. He could be communicating from the events of Dexter, New Blood, or even the upcoming sequel show, Resurrection. Each era would imply a different context to Hall’s storytelling, and if it’s not made clear, it could be a distracting element of the prequel’s formula rather than a good addition. While keeping it vague has its merits, it’s the lesser option.
3 Dexter: Original Sin Can’t Run For Too Long
The Dexter prequel needs to have an endgame in sight
Showtime is surely planning a multi-season run for Original Sin, but it needs to have a definite end point that isn’t too far into the future. The longer the show is in production, the closer the events of the original show will become. It wouldn’t really make sense for Original Sin to end exactly where Dexter begins, as Gibson playing the character so far into the future would create an odd dissonance considering Michael C. Hall has already been established as that era’s Dexter Morgan.
In short, Original Sin‘s days are obviously numbered. Additionally, from a canonical perspective, the show needs to leave a good number of in-universe years between its final episode and Dexter‘s first. It makes sense that there would be an unchronicled period to separate the two shows instead of trying to perfectly knit them together. The alternative approach could work, but it would be weird. Michael C. Hall voicing a “younger” version of himself in a scene where the actor once physically portrayed the character is just a little too meta.
2 Original Sin Must Adhere To Established Dexter Canon
The writers have a responsibility to avoid canon clashes
The upcoming Dexter prequel isn’t alone in the challenge of honoring pre-existing franchise installments. It’s always risky delving into the past of a fictional universe, as it can change how later events are perceived and even how much sense they make. Even a small writing error or forgotten piece of lore can bloom into a huge gap in the logic of the larger story. Dexter and New Blood need to be used to inform Original Sin‘s worldbuilding, otherwise the entire franchise could be harmed as a result.
Dexter Franchise Timeline (In Chronological Order)
- Dexter: Original Sin (Prequel) – Premieres December 2024
- Dexter (Original show) – 2006-2013
- Dexter: New Blood (Sequel) – 2021-2022
- Dexter: Resurrection (Sequel) – Premieres 2025
The vast number of characters and plots already present in the Dexter shows means there are a lot of moving parts that need to be accounted for in the scripts for Original Sin. This doesn’t mean the prequel can’t introduce fresh storylines. In fact, it would be weird if it didn’t. On the other hand, the writers need to ensure the new material doesn’t clash with or contradict the other branches of the franchise. It’s a difficult line to tread, but it’s certainly one that must be properly monitored for the larger story to maintain its integrity.
1 Flashbacks Aren’t Required In Dexter: Original Sin
The Dexter prequel needs to leave flashbacks in the past
Both Dexter shows so far have made clever use of flashbacks to contextualize the main character’s journey and experiences. However, with Original Sin essentially serving as one big flashback, showing moments from even earlier in Dexter’s life would be unnecessary. All the key moments of Dexter’s earlier years have already been shown, and if Original Sin‘s “present-day” storyline isn’t interesting enough on its own, it begs the question of why the era was chosen. That being said, there is a way Original Sin could incorporate moments from other parts of the Dexter timeline.
With a sequel show also on the horizon, Original Sin could cross over with Dexter: Resurrection by flashing forward to what’s happening after the events of New Blood. It would be an interesting writing challenge, plus incredibly exciting. Not only that, it would also further justify Michael C. Hall’s role in the Original Sin cast. With an older version of the title character narrating Dexter: Original Sin, it seems reasonable to also witness firsthand what Hall’s iteration is up to as he tells the story.
