Dexter came back to kill — and became Paramount+’s critics’ darling

After years of waiting and a series finale that divided opinions, Dexter Morgan is back, and this time audiences seem to have liked what they saw. "Dexter: Resurrection" premiered on Paramount+ (with the Paramount+ Premium subscription, formerly Paramount+ with Showtime) on July 11, 2025, with Michael C. Hall reprising the role that made him famous. The series picks up the story shortly after the ending of "Dexter: New Blood": Dexter wakes from a coma after being shot in the chest by his own son and discovers that Harrison has disappeared. From there, father and son find themselves caught up in a new spiral of blood, now in New York.

The journey so far helps explain why this season landed so well. The original "Dexter" ran from 2006 to 2013 on Showtime and ended in a way that fans themselves never really forgave. The attempt at a repair came in 2021 with the miniseries "New Blood", which received a lukewarm response, followed by the prequel "Dexter: Original Sin" in 2024, which also drew a muted reaction. "Resurrection" arrived as a new gamble, and it worked: the first season's ten episodes accumulated 4.4 million multiplatform viewers in the first week alone and opened with 100% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score ever recorded by any season in the franchise, even surpassing the 96% of the second season of classic "Dexter". Over the course of its run, the score settled around 95%, a remarkably rare level for a continuation of a series nearly 20 years old.

What puts "Resurrection" back in the spotlight now is precisely the movement surrounding the second season. In October 2025, Paramount+ confirmed the series' renewal, and Michael C. Hall personally announced to fans that the writers' room was being assembled. Then, in July 2026, the platform released the first official images from the new season, with filming underway in New York, reigniting conversation about the show just as it reappears on the public's radar even before a premiere date has been set.

Part of the buzz also comes from the cast. Joining the team that already included Uma Thurman, Jack Alcott and Peter Dinklage are now some heavyweight names: Dan Stevens, Brian Cox (winner of an Emmy, Olivier and Golden Globe, fresh in the public's memory from "Succession"), Bokeem Woodbine and Nona Parker Johnson join the main cast, while Krysten Ritter returns as a guest star and Gabriel Luna joins the list of special appearances. Clyde Phillips, showrunner of the original "Dexter", remains at the helm, which serves as a seal of assurance for those who were burned by the old series' ending.

At the end of the day, "Dexter: Resurrection" is that rare case of a belated spin-off that managed to make peace with the audience the franchise had lost along the way. With an acclaimed first season, a strengthened cast and a second batch of episodes already in production, TV's most likable serial killer continues to prove that he still has plenty of gas in the tank — and work — ahead of him.