A Dexter spin-off prequel series was confirmed by Showtime according to Deadline. Network head Chris McCarthy has spoken about his strategy for expanding Showtime since the integration with Paramount+. The series will be an origin story of the titular character in his home town of Miami. The announcement came alongside confirmation of a Billions spin-off and are reportedly just some of many spin off series’ for various franchises in the vein of the Yellowstone universe the network has planned.
Not much else is known, but the prequel series is said to follow stories based on real-life characters. Showtime is also exploring possibilities of origin spin-off series’ for other Dexter characters such as the Trinity Killer, played by John Lithgow (Shrek, Daddy’s Home 2). The most recent Dexter spin-off, Dexter: New Blood, set records for Showtime viewership and will most likely be getting a second season.
Dexter: New Blood stars Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under, Safe) as Dexter, Jennifer Carpenter (White Chicks, Quarantine), and Julia Jones (Wind river, Cold Pursuit) and aired on November 7, 2021. The series follows Dexter as he lives in New York under an alias and no longer commits murders until he is rattled by the return of his son.
There are similar plans for The Department, an adaption of French series The Bureau. The series will be produced by George Clooney (ER, Ocean’s Eleven) and Grant Heslov’s (The Ides of March, Dante’s Peak) Smokehouse Pictures, MTV Entertainment Studios (the studio behind Yellowjackets), and 101 Studios. If the series is successful, it will get a spin-off set in international spy agencies.
The announcements have quickly followed the cost cutting cancellations of Showtime’s Three Women, American Gigolo, and Let the Right One In. The network had also removed 21 shows from its streaming service, mostly Showtime originals.
The Original Dexter ran from 2006-2013 and follows homicidal detective who only murders those that are guilty. Dexter and Dexter: New Blood are available to stream on Paramount+ and Showtime.