Just when Hollywood thought it had exhausted its resurrection obsession (seriously, how many Batman reboots can one industry stomach?), Showtime drops a deliciously dark bombshell. Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan — television’s most beloved blood spatter analyst with a body count — is staging a killer comeback this summer.
“Dexter: Resurrection” lands on Paramount+ with Showtime July 11, and darling, the teaser is absolutely wicked. There’s our favorite antihero, casual as you please, reading his own obituary with that signature smirk that’s launched a thousand fan theories. “I’ve experienced death so many times, but never my own,” Hall purrs, and just like that, we’re transported back to the glory days of premium cable’s golden age.
The landscape of television has shifted dramatically since Dexter first wielded his knife collection, but this isn’t some desperate grab at nostalgia’s coattails. Trading Miami’s sweltering backdrop for Manhattan’s concrete jungle feels deliciously on-point for 2025’s grittier streaming aesthetic.
And speaking of delicious — this cast! Uma Thurman (fresh off her Emmy-nominated turn in last fall’s “The Ambassador”) joins as the enigmatic Charley, while Peter Dinklage steps in as Leon Prater. The ensemble reads like a group chat of premium television’s finest, with Neil Patrick Harris, Krysten Ritter, and Eric Stonestreet rounding out what might be the year’s most impressive casting coup.
The plot? Pure psychological candy. Weeks after taking a bullet from his own flesh and blood, Dexter awakens in a hospital bed only to discover his son Harrison has pulled a disappearing act worthy of a seasoned killer. Because nothing says “family drama” quite like a father-son game of cat and mouse across the five boroughs.
In a twist that’s either brilliant or bonkers (possibly both), John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer and Jimmy Smits’ Miguel Prado are set to return. How? Well, darling, that’s the question keeping Twitter’s conspiracy theorists up at night. Though given the show’s history with ghostly visitors — hello, Jennifer Carpenter’s Deb — anything’s possible in Dexter’s world.
Clyde Phillips returns as showrunner, bringing the same sharp instincts that made the original series appointment television. With Monica Raymund (riding high after her directorial triumph with “Chicago Fire’s” landmark 200th episode) helming four episodes and veteran Marcos Siega handling six, the visual approach promises to be as cutting-edge as the subject matter.
Let’s be honest — television’s graveyard is littered with failed revivals. For every “Frasier 2.0” success story, there’s a dozen reboots better left buried. But something about this feels different. Maybe it’s the stellar cast, maybe it’s the New York setting, or maybe it’s just that Michael C. Hall has this uncanny ability to make sociopathy seem somehow… charming?
July can’t come soon enough. In a landscape crowded with true crime documentaries and cookie-cutter procedurals, “Dexter: Resurrection” might just be the jolt of adrenaline television needs. Though perhaps it’s best to keep the plastic wrap and duct tape purchases to a minimum until then — just to avoid any awkward conversations with the neighbors.
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