Though Dexter: Original Sin on Paramount+ with Showtime proved that there’s still a lot of life left in the franchise, it now has the numbers to back it up. The season premiere on December 13 managed to draw in 2.1 million global cross-platform viewers, and while audience numbers tend to dip as seasons progress, that wasn’t the case here. Just the opposite happened, solidifying the fact once and for all that yes, Dexter is back, and – if fans have anything to say about it – won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Per Deadline, the finale of Dexter: Original Sin on Feb. 14, “Code Blues,” amassed 2.68 million global views, making it the most-streamed episode of the season. That number includes its Paramount+ streaming premiere on Friday, and stretches to its linear premiere on Showtime Sunday night. According to Paramount Global, the finale was up 30% from the debut episode, as audiences tuned in en masse to find out if Dexter would finally get his hands on Aaron Spencer.
Paramount is also touting Dexter: Original Sin as Showtime’s most-watched series in history, beating out other recent favorites such as Yellowjackets, and The Agency. That’s saying a lot when you consider the Dexter universe began in 2006, and has been around for nearly 20 years. Despite the polarizing reception to Dexter: New Blood in 2021, it’s clear that fans were very forgiving when it came to Original Sin, and once they saw what it had to offer, not only stuck around, but told their friends as well.
The ‘Dexter’ Renaissance Continues This Summer

With Dexter: Original Sin in the rearview mirror for now, it’s time to look ahead to what comes next. Patrick Gibson will step aside this June to make way for Michael C. Hall’s return as the titular serial killer in Dexter: Resurrection, which will pick up from where New Blood left off and feature such A-list stars as Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage. Given the fact that the first sequel series was met with mixed reviews, it’ll be interesting to see the reception to another when Original Sin is so fresh in people’s minds. Will they welcome an aged Dexter with open arms, or will they wish for the days when he was a fresh-faced young adult teeming with angst?

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Thus far, Original Sin has yet to be renewed for a second season, which makes us wonder if Paramount is waiting to see how Resurrection does before deciding which series to move forward with next. If the sequel’s numbers are even bigger than the prequel, then it would make sense business-wise to put another season into production sooner rather than later. But if it doesn’t? Expect Gibson and company to be back on the small screen in the near future.
Either way, with the numbers that the finale of Dexter: Original Sin did, Paramount has got to be enjoying the Dexter renaissance just as much as we are. This bodes well for the franchise’s future, which will also include a Trinity Killer spin-off focusing on a younger version of one of our favorite villains, with John Lithgow returning to provide the voice of the character’s inner monologue. We’ll have more news on that one as it becomes available, but in the meantime, you can catch the entire Dexter universe streaming now on Paramount+

Dexter: Original Sin

Release Date

December 15, 2024

Network

Paramount+ with Showtime