Dexter: Resurrection TV Review: Dexter is back (again) in the new sequel series

Plot: Takes place weeks after Dexter Morgan takes a bullet to the chest from his own son, as he awakens from a coma to find Harrison gone without a trace. Realizing the weight of what he put his son through, Dexter sets out for New York City, determined to find him and make things right. But closure won’t come easy. When Miami Metro’s Angel Batista arrives with questions, Dexter realizes his past is catching up to him fast. As father and son navigate their own darkness in the city that never sleeps, they soon find themselves deeper than they ever imagined – and that the only way out is together.

Review: Dexter has always been a popular series since its original run on Showtime from 2019 to 2019. The series was revived with a sequel, Dexter: New Blood, that ended with the seemingly fatal shooting of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) by his son, Harrison. When the prequel series, Dexter: Original Sin, showed that the chest wound was not fatal, the groundwork was laid for the second sequel series to continue the tale of the serial killer. With a shift from Miami and New England to New York City, Dexter: Resurrection is the best entry in the franchise and the most entertaining season in years. With familiar characters returning and introducing multiple new ones, Dexter: Resurrection finally makes the series a destination viewing again by changing the motivations and code that Dexter lives by, allowing the character to move beyond his innate urges and become something more interesting.

Like New Blood and Original Sin, Dexter: Resurrection comprises ten episodes. Having seen the first four chapters of the series, I immediately connected with this entry in the franchise for the first time since the original run’s third season, which featured John Lithgow’s acclaimed turn as The Trinity Killer. Lithgow reprises that character at the start of Dexter: Resurrection, which helps reset the mediocre storyline of New Blood. At the end of that series, Dexter’s son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), shot his father when he realized Dexter had killed an innocent man and violated his code. Harrison left his father and headed to New York City, where he found work at an upscale hotel, attempting to live a life out of the shadow of his murderous bloodline. But, when circumstances necessitate that Harrison use the teachings his father bestowed on him, it draws the recuperating Dexter to the Big Apple to help protect his son from being discovered by the police.

For most of the first half of Dexter: Resurrection, the storylines of father and son parallel each other. Harrison, believing his father to be dead, struggles with the murder at the hotel and that Detective Claudette Wallace (Kadia Saraf) and Melvin Oliva (Dominic Fumusa) suspect Harrison’s involvement. Dexter, after being confronted by old friend Angel Batista (David Zayas), heads to the city to find his son but ends up hunting multiple serial killers. The New York landscape offers a different hunting ground for Dexter, who is still dealing with the effects of his wounds and subsequent coma, but faces down a killer hunting ride-share drivers as well as those assembled by a wealthy patron named Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage). Dexter’s interactions with killers played by Krysten Ritter, Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Stonestreet, and David Dastmalchian offer him the broadest range of targets at any point in the series run. It also adds to the fun and momentum this season has to offer.

Despite Dexter being a fan favorite for years, I lost interest as the series arcs became repetitive. New Blood did little to invigorate the narrative, and Original Sin felt like more of the same. This season finally finds Michael C. Hall having fun in the role for the first time in over a decade. Having James Remar as the spirit of Harry Morgan keeps the connection to the original series, but with Dexter’s new lease on life, his code is changing, which is great for audiences. Dexter’s code switched the targets he went after for a long time, but the character has evolved in many ways that viewers will uncover as the season progresses. The star power of this season is also something special, with Uma Thurman on board as Prater’s head of security, Charley. The big names chew the scenery in their unique ways that add to this season’s fun, which is not as dark and brooding as New Blood, but still keeps the kills intriguing. The weakest part of Resurrection is Harrison. Jack Alcott does what he can, but Harrison comes across as a boring character outside of one or two bursts of potential early in the season.

Dexter: Resurrection sees the continued leadership of showrunner Clyde Phillips, the leader of the original series who departed after the fourth season, before returning to create New Blood and Original Sin. While the series has evolved significantly from author Jeff Lindsay’s novels, this new season is the first time the series has felt the same energy as the original seasons of Dexter. Phillips wrote the season alongside Katrina Mathewson, Tanner Bean, Scott Reynolds, Marc Muszynski, Alexandra Franklin, Tony Saltzman, Mary Leah Sutton, and Nick Zayas. Directing duties fell to Dexter veteran Marcos Siega and Original Sin helmer Monica Raymund, each directing four episodes. This season’s soundtrack is solid, along with the New York location shooting, giving the series a feel distinct from Dexter and both spin-off series.

Thanks to the most entertaining season arc in years, Dexter: Resurrection is my favorite entry in the series. Michael C. Hall feels more himself this season than he did in the stunted New Blood, and the inclusion of Dinklage, Thurman, Ritter, and the retinue of big-name supporting players, coupled with the return of original series characters, elevates this to the series Dexter has always tried to be. It is bloody, violent, and darkly funny, but it is also finally a fascinating character study as Dexter becomes something he never felt he was: an emotional person. Dexter: Resurrection is highly enjoyable and hopefully sticks the landing, but based on the first four episodes, this will make fans of the series very happy.

Dexter: Resurrection will premiere with two episodes on July 11th on Paramount+ with Showtime.