Showtime presidents on giving Dexter a “proper finale” and finding a new home for Halo

It sure looks like the folks at Showtime are now acknowledging fans’ hostility for Dexter’s original series finale. At the Television Critics Association’s 2021 summer press tour, the cable network’s President of Entertainment Gary Levine admitted that they didn’t do the show justice, and that’s always “been a burr in his saddle.”

“Dexter is a jewel in the crown for Showtime. We always wanted to see if we can do it right,” Levine continued. “It took a long time for us to get there, and for Michael C. Hall to [come back]. We finally got to a place that I can’t wait to show it to you and the world. It’s a proper finale for a brilliant series.” Levine added that for now, they’re focusing on the 10-episode special event series Dexter: New Blood and have no plans for spin-offs.

The limited series picks up 10 years after the finale, which aired in September 2013. Dexter Morgan [Hall] has moved to the small town of Iron Lake, New York, and hides his identity under the name Jim Lindsay, a local shopkeeper. He’s in a relationship with chief of police Angela Bishop (Julia Jones), and has given up his serial killer ways, but a string of incidents around town causes Dexter to fear he won’t have a choice but to reveal his dark side. Jennifer Carpenter and John Lithgow will reprise their roles. Dexter: New Blood premieres on November 7.

Later in the panel, Levine answered questions about Halo, the video game adaptation that was originally developed at Showtime, but is now being produced by Paramount+ for a streaming premiere. The series, which stars Pablo Schreiber, ultimately didn’t fit with the Showtime brand: “We were intimately involved with the creative and the production of it. But the truth is it was always a bit of an outlier for us in terms of the fitting into the Showtime universe,” Levine said. “We did an amazing job of imbuing the character drama we’re known for. But in the end, it’s big broad tentpole show. So when Paramount+ came into being, it was really a natural fit there.” Kyle Killen, who was co-showrunning Halo with Steven Kane, left the production in June. Production on season one is underway, and Paramount+ is still eyeing a 2022 release date.

Jana Winograde, president of entertainment at Showtime, added that Halo was being developed before Paramount+ even existed, but it still felt like an odd fit: “What is Showtime doing taking a first-person shooter video game and putting it in their dramas?” When Halo moved to Paramount+, Showtime picked up its The Man Who Fell To Earth adaptation, so the loss of the big-budget adaptation “doesn’t leave a hole [in the Showtime schedule]; it leaves a hole in our hearts, but we’re still there. We’re excited about it being on Paramount+, and we’re so excited about The Man Who Fell To Earth coming to Showtime.”

Developed by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet, the science-fiction drama is based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel of the same name. It focuses on the future of the planet, which is in the hands of an alien who arrives on Earth at a pivotal moment in history. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Jimmi Simpson, and Rob Delaney star. The Man Who Fell To Earth will premiere on Showtime in 2022.