TV review: 'Dexter: Resurrection' takes revival further
LOS ANGELES, July 10 (UPI) -- Dexter: Resurrection does not give the franchise as much of a fresh start as the revival Dexter: New Blood did in 2021. Once it resolves the loose threads from New Blood, however, it becomes a compelling new season of Dexter, premiering Friday on Paramount+ with Showtime.
The prequel Dexter: Original Sin already showed that Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) survived his seemingly fatal shooting at the end of New Blood. Resurrection opens with Dexter in rehab at a hospital in Iron Lake, N.Y., while his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), works at a New York City hotel.
As he recovers, Dexter once again starts seeing visions of his father Harry (James Remar). The explanation given, which won't be spoiled, is as good as any, considering Harry is a voice in Dexter's head.
The explanation of Dexter's survival from a point-blank gunshot is even flimsier, but anyone still watching has implicitly agreed they wanted Dexter to live.
Cameos from other Dexter co-stars aren't as satisfying for fans, given the context in which they appear. Dexter even makes a joke about it, seeming to acknowledge their iffy inclusion.
New Blood's David Magidoff returns as Officer Reed, who provides a lot of explanation for Chief Angela Bishop's (Julia Jones) absence. Angel Batista (David Zayas) even shows up from Miami to explain some remaining business from Seasons 2 and 8 in the original series.
While resetting the table, Resurrection does introduce some new story. Harrison saves a roofie victim and kills the rapist, disposing of him and cleaning up the scene using methods he learned from his father.
There is a certain glee in seeing Harrison take out a totally deserving creep, though his plans quickly go awry in an equally outrageous fashion. He's not quite found out, but Detectives Wallace (Kadia Saraf) and Oliva (Dominic Fumusa) are on the case of the missing hotel guest.
Uma Thurman is introduced as a cat burglar and Dexter makes his way to New York, though much of the season revolves around deciding whether or not to let Harrison know he is still alive.
Episode 2 introduces a new serial killer who incurs Dexter's ire. It is fun to see Dexter's opposition to this killer both by his own code, and over petty quibbles.
Even with rehab, Dexter is physically compromised, giving a reasonable way to address an aging serial killer. He now has all of New York City to play with, including public transit and his job as a rideshare driver, though the show invents the service "Urcar."
Dexter has to set up shop in New York, which means obtaining the drugs he uses to knock out his victims and setting up new kill rooms. Even maintaining his rideshare job introduces new demands, such as the accouterments customers expect and the need to maintain a high rating.
Harry is back to arguing with Dexter about his choices, a function he served in the original series and often proved to be right. Easter eggs from previous seasons also appear, much more organically than the ones in the season premiere.
Harrison continues to cover his tracks with the investigators and Dexter tries to help from afar. Dexter also finds a new surrogate family with the landlords from whom he rents a room, and who introduce him to Urcar.
Other characters appear in later episodes, so it would constitute spoilers to discuss Peter Dinklage, Krysten Ritter and others at length. Neil Patrick Harris changes his appearance considerably to play his role.
Where New Blood was more of a reinvention of Dexter, Resurrection is Season 2, or Season 10 if including the original series. Still, by addressing Dexter's inevitable changes, it is a stronger new season than the original's Seasons 5-8.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
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'Dexter: Resurrection' cast: All about the spinoff series' mix of returning fan-favorites and A-list newcomers
Dexter: Resurrection follows the title character as he heads to New York City in search of his son. Returning stars like Michael C. Hall and David Zayas appear alongside new faces Peter Dinklage and Uma Thurman. The series premiered on Friday, July never would've thought Dexter (2006–2013) would become a full-blown franchise, but here we are, heading into a third new series. Dexter: Resurrection picks up just weeks after the events of New Blood (2021–2022), reuniting audiences with serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), who's somehow survived a near-fatal gunshot. With his umpteenth chance at life, Dexter is trailing his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) to New York City, while his former coworker Captain Angel Batista (David Zayas) closes in on them. Now, Hall, Alcott, and Zayas aren't the only ones reprising their roles. Alongside newcomers like Peter Dinklage, Uma Thurman, Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Stonestreet, and David Dastmalchian, the series is also resurrecting familiar faces with John Lithgow, Jimmy Smits, and Erik King appearing as Arthur Mitchell/the Trinity Killer, Miguel Prado, and James Doakes, respectively. Read on to learn more about the Dexter: Resurrection cast and where you might've seen them before. To many, Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall will always be remembered as Dexter Morgan, the vigilante serial killer with a moral code. But his range goes well beyond those dark corridors, having earned critical acclaim as David Fisher on HBO's Six Feet Under (2001–2005). He also portrayed President John F. Kennedy on The Crown (2017) and took a villainous turn as an eccentric Bulgarian in the comedy hit Game Night (2018). In recent years, Hall has stepped back into Dexter's shoes, first for New Blood, then the prequel Original Sin (2024–present). Now, Dexter lives on in Resurrection after his supposed death. Hall noted that returning to the character offered plenty of fresh opportunities. "The fact that Dexter didn't die liberated the character to a degree," he told The Los Angeles Times. "He can't go back to who he was, but he can reclaim some of the essential magic of who he is. He is not blind to his past, but he's not dragging it around in the same way. He's able to let it be." Series creator Clyde Phillips told Entertainment Weekly that Resurrection is, at its core, "a father and son show." Dexter's central mission is "to find his son." "And these returning characters, as much of a surprise and as thrilling as it is to see them, help launch the mission for what the show is about: his drive to see Harrison," Phillips clarified. Peter Dinklage is best known for his iconic role as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones (2011–2019), a performance that set a record for most Emmy wins by a supporting actor in a drama. His breakout came with The Station Agent (2003). He's since starred in films like Elf (2003), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Cyrano (2021), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), and the Oscar-winning musical Wicked (2024). The actor's packed slate continues with Roofman (2025), Wicked: For Good (2025), and the King Lear adaptation Lear Rex. On Resurrection, Dinklage takes on the role of Leon Prater, a billionaire with an unnerving fascination with serial killers. In a behind-the-scenes clip, Dinklage described Leon as "a very complicated man, and he has chosen to go down the dark rabbit hole." "He has never committed a violent crime himself, but he likes to be around it secondhand," the actor added. Many fans know David Zayas as Angel Batista from Dexter and its spinoff New Blood, but his career spans major roles like Enrique Morales on HBO's drama Oz (2000–2003) and mob boss Sal Maroni on Gotham (2014–2015). Other notable credits include Shut Eye (2016–2017), Blue Bloods (2017–2024), and The Bear (2024–present). He'll next appear in Edgar Wright's The Running Man (2025) alongside Glen Powell. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about Resurrection, Zayas said, "This is a different Angel, with all the information he has now, particularly Dexter just being alive. It's a new case he has to deal with outside of his environment, in a new place, in New York, where he has no authority as a police officer. ... There's so many little issues for him to navigate, while he's trying to get some justice for all of what he's missed over those many years." Since breaking out in the 2020 miniseries The Good Lord Bird, Jack Alcott has firmly established himself within the Dexter universe. He first joined the franchise on New Blood as Harrison Morgan, Dexter's son, and now reprises that role on Dexter: Resurrection. In an interview with CBS News Los Angeles, Alcott described Harrison as a "deeply haunted kid" trying to get his life back on track by starting fresh in New York, far away from his troubled father. "Harrison would do anything to divorce himself entirely from the idea that he could be like his father," Alcott explained. "The idea that he could be capable of what his father's capable of — that's what makes this character so fun because there's a whole lot of potential there. He's not afraid of nothing, and so there's a lot to wrestle with." With a career spanning nearly 50 years, James Remar has stayed busy. From crime dramas to prestige television, his filmography includes roles in 48 Hrs. (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), Sex and the City (2001–2004), Django Unchained (2012), and, of course, Dexter, where he played the ghostly presence of Harry Morgan. In recent years, Remar has continued to expand his range with turns on Gotham (2016–2019) and Black Lightning (2018–2021), as well as high-profile appearances in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (2023) and Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis (2024). Next, he'll appear on HBO's highly anticipated horror series It: Welcome to Derry (2025). On Resurrection, Remar returns as Harry Morgan, the title character's adoptive father and moral compass. Speaking to TVLine, Remar described the experience as "very emotional [and] very exciting," but also challenging. "I'm not really playing a character outside of Dexter's mind, so it has to always be in balance," he added. Another big name joining the Dexter-verse is Hollywood superstar Uma Thurman, who's known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994) and her fierce turn as the Bride in Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003–2004). Her diverse filmography spans everything from Batman & Robin (1997) and Les Misérables (1998) to the romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) and the action flick The Old Guard 2 (2025). On Resurrection, Thurman plays Charley, a former Special Ops hand now working as head of security for eccentric billionaire Leon Prater. "I play a rather dangerous woman," Thurman said of Charley during a June 23 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. "She's fun, she's a highly-trained, possibly violent, person with a very private moral code." Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is a true multi-hyphenate whose work spans movies, TV, theater, photography, and documentary. He's likely known for his appearances on Heroes (2006–2009), Treme (2010–2013), The Chi (2018–2020), The Lincoln Lawyer (2022–2023), and most recently, the Apple TV+ crime miniseries Smoke (2025). Up next, he'll star alongside Sterling K. Brown on Hulu's eight-part series Washington Black (2025). Mwine stars as Blessing Kamara on Resurrection, a rideshare driver who the actor described as "a family man." "He's not the loneliest man on the planet. He's well-connected, he makes friends with everyone he meets, and sort of brings them into his life," Mwine explained to MovieZine, noting that Blessing gets to "interact a lot with Dexter on the show." Kadia Saraf, who played recurring roles on series like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2021–2023) and its spinoff, Organized Crime (2023), appears on Resurrection as Claudette Wallace, an offbeat and observant detective with the New York Police Department. In a recent interview with LRM Online, Saraf discussed how music, especially the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," helps Claudette get into the zone. "She has a way of processing," the actress said. "And so, you see the way she works with music or beelining from clue to clue — it's all processing... she is wired differently than everybody else, and she's okay with it." 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The first two episodes of Dexter: Resurrection are now streaming on Paramount+ Premium, with new episodes dropping every Friday. For cable viewers, episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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Listen, we're just like all of you. We thought that Dexter Morgan's story was over with the end of Dexter. Then came Dexter: New Blood and it became very clear that he's not done just yet. Yeah, so what if he got shot at the end of that series? Now he's back and it seems like he's facing some familiar faces from his past who are interested in hearing how this man has miraculously survived death twice. Of course, that means you're not going ot want to miss a second of Dexter: Resurrection. Here's everything you need to know about Dexter: Resurrection's release schedule. Dexter: Resurrection was officially released on July 11, 2025 on Paramount+ Premium! While the series premiere included two episodes, fans will only get one new episode every Friday on Paramount+ Premium. That means that if you have just Paramount+ Essential, you won't be able to catch the show. Episodes of Dexter: Resurrection will also air on SHOWTIME on Sundays at 8 PM ET/PT. Dexter: Resurrection will have 10 episodes that will air on Paramount+ Premium for subscribers every Friday. Cable viewers who are subscribed to SHOWTIME will also be able to watch it on Sunday nights at 8 PM ET/PT.
