Fans of Dexter were devastated when the second season of spinoff series Dexter: Original Sin was scrapped last month, just four months after it garnered a new season order from Paramount — but creator and showrunner Clyde Phillips is just as upset as Dexter’s loyal fans, and he didn’t mince words about his feelings on the situation.
“It was a tough phone call I got that night where they had already picked up the show,” Phillips explained on a recent episode of the Dissecting Dexter podcast. “I had informed all the writers and actors, and then they unpicked it up, all while picking up Resurrection, which was no surprise. It wasn’t handled well and I’m not happy about it.”
The series ended up on the chopping block when new leadership came into Paramount as a result of its high profile merger with Skydance, and it’s clear not everyone is in agreement with the decision — including the fans, who have started to campaign for the studio to reconsider. Sadly, Phillips noted that he doesn’t think Paramount will have a change of heart.
In fact, the company’s decision to scrap the project altogether suggests it has scaled back its plans for the Dexter franchise. Phillips revealed on the podcast that prior to the Skydance merger, the studio wanted to turn Dexter into a Yellowstone-style franchise in which Phillips would take on the same responsibilities and public face as Taylor Sheridan does for the show he created and the greater franchise that spawned from it.
Because of that plan, Phillips and development execs had plotted out a greater roadmap for the Dexter franchise and where it could go in the future — but it seems all of that has been cancelled now. The only thing that remains of the rebuilt Dexter franchise is Dexter: Resurrection, which is still said to be returning for its second season despite the fact that it hasn’t been confirmed just yet.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
