Showtime’s ‘Dexter’: Will Jennifer Carpenter return for the revival?

Fans are getting more & more excited for this fall when Dexter returns. The series about a serial killer with a conscience originally aired on Showtime for eight seasons totalling ninety-six episodes. It was based on the 2004 novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter written by Jeff Lindsay. The show, which was developed by James Manos Jr., received rampant critical acclaim and inspired an audience of diehard fans.

Dexter began its run in 2006. The series concluded back in 2013 with one of the most polarizing finales on that side of the ending of Game of Thrones. The season finale drew in the largest audience in Showtime’s history, though many of them left feeling that Dexter hadn’t properly concluded. After almost a decade of disappointment, Showtime revealed in October 2020 that they were creating a ten episode revival of Dexter.

The ninth, and presumably final, season of Dexter will see the return of Michael C. Hall in the titular role. He won’t be the only familiar face in the upcoming limited series. The Dexter revival is set to land on Showtime this fall. Dive into the latest updates ahead of the action and find out who else is coming along for the ride when Dexter returns to television.

Back from the dead?

Clyde Phillips, the original Dexter showrunner, will be overseeing all the happenings in season 9. Since Phillips left the show after season 4, his return is a big point of excitement for fans who’ve been with Dexter since the very beginning. Phillips and Michael C. Hall will executive produce the new seasons, and Phillips seems determined to bring back some old friends as well.

John Lithgow will be contributing to the upcoming season. Lithgow previously starred as the Trinity Killer in the fourth season of Dexter. He won an Emmy for the role, so it’s no wonder that Phillips (who’s last season of Dexter was the fourth) would want him back in some capacity. Alongside the Trinity Killer, the new season will also include Dexter’s sister Deb in some capacity.

Deb Morgan, played by Jennifer Carpenter, died in Dexter’s original series finale. Now The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Carpenter will be making an appearance in Dexter season 9. Carpenter had advocated for her character’s death in the original show, and she’s previously said it would take “an extraordinary script many, many, many years from now” for her to return. Now it seems that time has come.

New faces

Of course, when Dexter returns both John Lithgow & Jennifer Carpenter are expected to show up in brief flashbacks. The show isn’t going to veer off into supernatural territory and start bringing characters back from the dead – we think. Instead, Michael C. Hall will be joined by a new cast of characters as Dexter embarks on an all new journey that, to some degree, will pull him out of his self-imposed exile.

Dexter will pick up ten years after the original series finale, with its titular character now living in Oregon. The season’s main villain will be played by the one-and-only Clancy Brown. The town’s chief of police will be played by Julia Jones and Johnny Sequoyah will play her daughter. Alano Miller will start as a high school wrestling coach, and Jack Alcott will play Randall, someone who has a “meaningful encounter” with Dexter.

The actual plot of the upcoming season has been kept hush hush. Clyde Phillips has talked about his excitement for the opportunity to write a second series finale for his beloved show. With another luck, when Dexter returns & concludes the story, fans won’t be left as savagely disappointed as they were the first time around.

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Were you shocked to hear that Jennifer Carpenter is coming back for more Dexter? Will you be tuning in when Dexter returns this fall? Let us know in the comments!