20 Years Later, Dexter Has Its Best Cast Yet

Published Jul 18, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Of all the great fast-paced crime dramas, the early seasons of Dexter ranked near the top. Based on the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay, the show's first season was not only a relatively faithful adaptation, but a major success, earning a 96% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The following seasons of Dexter told original stories written for the show, elaborating on the main character's relationship with his dead father, his love life, and his life as a psychopath who kills other killers. The show's premise instantly made it into one of the best and most interesting police procedurals, with its bright aesthetic setting it apart from grittier and more formulaic police series. That said, Dexter's cast and characters were the heart of the show, and it is unlikely that it would have been such a success had it not been for Michael C. Hall's performance as the charming serial killer and blood spatter analyst. He was so good that the character has defined his acting career, and Hall has returned to play Dexter in all three of the Dexter spinoffs. While he was only seen onscreen in a cameo role in Dexter: Original Sin, Hall was just as good in his voice acting role as the narrator of the series, keeping the spinoff feeling consistent as it explored his youth. The show has similar Rotten Tomatoes scores to the original series, but it is important to take into account the fact that Dexter's quality dropped drastically after season 5, which lowers its overall score. When the show was good, it was groundbreaking, but Dexter's controversial ending is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV show mistakes ever written. After Dexter's bizarre romance twist with Debra before mercy-killing her, faking his own death, and becoming a lumberjack, many viewers wanted the show to have a second chance at a proper ending. Since that moment, it has sometimes appeared as though the show has been on a continuous quest to redeem itself. Dexter has two finales yet still missed the perfect ending by apparently killing Dexter. With this being as polarizing as the original ending, it may not be surprising that the show is trying again, with Dexter revealed to be alive. However, this series might just work. Dexter: Resurrection Is Justifying The Decision To Revive The Franchise MovieStillsDB Dexter: Resurrection revealed its lead character to be very difficult to kill, with Dexter waking up from a coma and following Harrison to New York City. With Dexter experiencing visions from his past, this immediately gave viewers some highlights from the original series, including John Lithgow as season 4's iconic Trinity Killer, widely regarded at the show's pinnacle for the cat and mouse chase between the two, resulting in Rita's shocking death. That said, the newest Dexter spinoff needed more than just nostalgia to bring back fans of the original series, and it delivered, with Dexter's best cast yet. Dexter: Resurrection features both new and returning characters, with Michael C. Hall reprising his role as Dexter, along with James Remar as Harry Morgan, David Zayas as Angel Batista, investigating Dexter once more, and Jack Alcott as Harrison Morgan, reprising his New Blood role. The news that Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) was joining the cast took the show to another level, and she was joined by an entire cast of acclaimed actors, including Peter Dinklage, Krysten Ritter, and Neil Patrick Harris. It is not uncommon to see A-list actors in TV shows, but Dexter: Resurrection's cast is unusually impressive. The four Dexter TV shows Title Year Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating Rotten Tomatoes audience rating Dexter 2006 71% 81% Dexter: New Blood 2021 77% 74% Dexter: Original Sin 2024 70% 78% Dexter: Resurrection 2025 95% 90% Already, the series has significantly higher Rotten Tomatoes rankings than any previous Dexter TV show, and while some reviewers have criticized the series for being unnecessary and predictable, it has marked a return to the pulpy formula and dark humor that made the original series stand out. With a cast that now includes Gabriel Luna for season 2, the show appears to be on a winning streak, returning in October for more of the same Dexter, but elevated by one of TV's best casts. Release Date July 13, 2025 Network Paramount+ with Showtime Directors Marcos Siega Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro's Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.