Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Dexter Lost Its Way Long Before Original Series Finale, Says Showrunner

Clyde Phillips, the showrunner of Dexter, says that the original series "lost its way" long before the series finale aired. Dexter is based on a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay and ran on Showtime for eight seasons from 2006 to 2013. The story revolves around Dexter Morgan, a forensic technician working for the Miami Metro Police Department, who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer to hunt down murderers that escape legal punishment. The series starred Michael C. Hall in the titular role and he was joined by Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, David Zayas, Julie Benz, Erik King, and Lauren Veles.

Dexter mostly received positive reviews throughout its run with the first four seasons in particular receiving universal acclaim. The crime drama series was also a massive hit for Showtime and the Dexter season 8 finale was the most-watched episode in the television network's history. However, the reception deteriorated towards the latter half of the show's run, especially for the final season 8, with the last episode being labelled as one of the most disappointing finales of all time by myriad publications and fans of the show.

Related: Why Dexter Season 9 Is So Exciting (Despite The Hated Series Finale)

In a recent interview with Variety, Phillips, who was the showrunner for Dexter's first four seasons, revealed his thoughts on where it all went wrong for the original series. He mentioned that the series "lost its way" in the last few seasons, and expressed that it wasn't looking "far enough into the future." Phillips also thought that the show had discarded the qualities that made the protagonist so compelling, which alienated him from the audience. Read Phillips' comments below:

“I think the show in the last couple of years of its original incarnation lost its way. It was only seeing as far into the future as the headlights on a car and had broken the covenant with the audience about everything that Dexter does has to be code-worthy.”

Dexter season 6, which received a below-average rating of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, has been cited by many critics as where the gradual downfall of the show began. It left many viewers feeling a little uncomfortable and largely unimpressed by the story involving a ritualistic serial killer as the main foe, and the subplot with Debra harbouring romantic feelings for Dexter. It didn't stop there, though. The series finale of the show in season 8, which saw Dexter fake his death and end up working as a lumberjack in Oregon in the final moments of the episode, upset the loyal fans of the show and critics alike - and possibly de-valued the series as a whole in the process.

However, the announcement of the revival series Dexter: New Blood a year ago generated plenty of optimism and excitement among the fanbase. Many viewers will no doubt be looking at New Blood as an opportunity for the show to redeem its status as one of television's elite series. Moreover, with Phillips returning as the showrunner once again, it's quite likely that Dexter: New Blood will deliver on that promise, and may well again reach the soaring heights of Dexter's beloved first four seasons.

Next: How Many People Dexter Has Killed So Far

Source: Variety



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