After 20 years,Dexterhas grown from a single show to a four-series franchise, and all of them have their strengths and weaknesses.Dexterstarted out in 2006 as a simple TV adaptation of Jeff Lindsay’s novel, “Darkly Dreaming Dexter.” It immediately gained notoriety as a tremendous show, however, and almost 20 years later,Dexterhas become a veritable franchise completely separate from the novels it’s based on. With four separate series - and a fifth on the way in the form ofDexter: Resurrection- it’s worth evaluating which installment in theDexterfranchise was the best.
Dexterbecame a sensation for a reason, so ranking each of the franchise’s shows is no straightforward task. Each series -Dexter,Dexter: Early Cuts,Dexter: New Blood, andDexter: Original Sin- had its strengths and weaknesses. While none of the shows have been bad, as each of them has aRotten Tomatoescritic and audience score in the 70s, only one of them can be considered the best. Each series will be gauged by their originality, what they contributed to the overallDexterfranchise, and, most importantly, how much they delighted audiences with scenes of Dexter and his Dark Passenger.
4Dexter: Early Cuts
Early Cuts Was An Imaginative Take On Dexter, But It Remains Only Interesting
The worstDextershow was far from bad, and it was also probably the franchise’s most unique entry.Theforgotten web-seriesDexter: Early Cutsfeatured hand-drawn illustrations and watercolor paintings and voice-over narration from Michael C. Hall, and it was surprisingly well-made for a side effort that has been mostly forgotten by Showtime. Its prequel story filled in some of the gaps between Dexter’s childhood and the start of the original series, and it was an above-average web-series all in all.Early Cutswas certainly interesting, but it was rarely anything more than that.
Dexter: Early Cutssuffered from one major disadvantage none of the franchise’s other shows did: it was an animated side-effort produced specifically for YouTube. It had a few interesting villains, but nothing truly special that topped Dexter’s victims in the live-action shows. Additionally, with just minutes-long episodes,Early Cutswas never able to build much momentum. On top of that,Dexter: Original Sinhas usurpedEarly Cutsas the definitive source of information on Dexter’s formative years, so the web-series lost its status as a critical piece of lore. Now,Early Cutsis little more than an interesting footnote for avidDexterfans.
Of the three mainDextershows,Dexter: New Bloodeasily takes last place. After thedivisive “lumberjack” ending ofDexter, many fans were hopeful thatNew Bloodcould give the titular serial killer a better sendoff. Theending ofNew Blood, however, was anything but satisfying.It was a divisive and ultimately unfortunate choice to have Harrison Morgan (Jack Alcott) shoot Dexter instead of having him face justice, and its sour ending leftNew Bloodon a bad note. There were also some strange choices throughout the show, such as including Angel Batista (David Zayas) but not having him confront Dexter, that held the show back.
New Blood had quite a bit of momentum for the majority of its run, and if its ending had been better, it could have become a more than serviceable entry to the franchise.
For all its critiques, however,New Bloodstill wasn’t a bad show. It took some big risks with a beloved character and formula, and while they didn’t all pay off, it was a commendable effort.The story of Dexter and Harrison trying to reconnect years afterDexterseason 8 also worked thematically and dramatically, and their dynamic could have been just as good as Dexter and Deb’s (Jennifer Carpenter), if given time to develop.New Bloodhad quite a bit of momentum for the majority of its run, and if its ending had been better, it could have become a more than serviceable entry to the franchise.
The most recent addition to theDexterfranchise,Dexter: Original Sin, proved that the story of Dexter Morgan had more than a little life left in it after two decades.Almost everything aboutOriginal Sinworks well: Patrick Gibson is a tremendous replacement for Michael C. Hall, its return to the classicDexterformula paid off in dividends, and it perfectly capitalized on establishedDexterlore to make some great twists work. By theend ofOriginal Sinseason 1, the prequel show had cemented itself as the next best thing to the originalDexter.
Dexter: Original Sin Season 2 - Confirmation & Everything We Know
Showtime’s Original Sin explores the life of Dexter Morgan in the early 1990s, and now the prequel series has scored a season 2 renewal.
The main thing currently holdingOriginal Sinback is its recency. ThoughOriginal Sinseason 1 was excellent, it remains to be seen if the show can maintain its momentum and continue to recapture the magic ofDexter.Original Sinalso benefited tremendously from coming afterDexterandNew Blood, such as its references to Brian Moser and its return to the classicDexterformula. Only time will tell ifOriginal Sincan truly stand on its own, or if it only works when it adds context to the original series.
The bestDextershow (so far) is the one that started it all.Dexterwas a groundbreaking TV show when it premiered in 2006, and it remains one of thebest TV shows ever madenearly 20 years later.Michael C. Hall was and is perfectly cast as Dexter Morgan, and he added so much life and intrigue to the character. The supporting cast was also tremendous, with Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, and David Zayas being standouts. There was also so much intrigue in unraveling the mysteries ofDexter, and each season seemed to top the last, for the most part.
Even thoughDexter’s eight seasons weren’t all created equal- there was a clear dropoff in quality afterDexterseason 4 - the series as a whole is still tremendous. It delves into everything from the morality of vigilantism to what it means to be a human, and it never misses a chance to be devilishly entertaining in the process. Despite often being imitated, no other show can really replicateDexter, aside fromOriginal Sin. Nothing can beat the originalDexter, except for more shows following the titular serial killer.
