GOSSIP & RUMORS: How did ‘Dexter’ leave off before ‘Original Sin’?

“Dexter: Original Sin” is ready to go back in time.

The new Paramount+ show will shed light on the fictional serial killer’s upbringing — but before the series premiere on Friday, December 13, here’s a reminder on how Dexter’s story initially ended up.

Michael C. Hall portrayed Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series for eight seasons from 2006 to 2013. After the original drama ended, Hall reprised the role of Dexter in the 2021 limited series spinoff, “New Blood.”

The show aired ten episodes on Showtime, and the network decided to move forward with “Dexter: Original Sin.”

In the prequel, Patrick Gibson portrays Dexter, with the show set in the ’90s. The plot will focus on Dexter’s transition from being a student to avenging a serial killer who doubles as an unsuspecting member of the Miami Metro Police Department. 

The star-studded cast of “Original Sin” also includes Molly Brown, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Christian Slater, Alex Shimizu, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Dempsey and Reno Wilson.

Dexter’s storyline in the OG show left him hiding out as a lumberjack after his stepsister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), was killed off. But in “New Blood,” it was implied that his life had ended, so they decided to opt for another spinoff instead.

Hall, 53, praised “Original Sin” for giving him another window into the prolific character’s world.

“The scripts they’ve executed are fantastic. I can’t wait, like, as a fan, to watch it, and as an actor to spend time seeing real footage of things that I’ve sort of tried to imagine for myself when I imagine what Dexter’s early days [were like],” he told “Entertainment Weekly” in August. “Now I’m going to have this Technicolor version of his memories to refer to.”

Hall, who narrates as young Dexter on “Original Sin,” added: “I think it will help inform my experience of whatever comes next in the other series, which I can only speak vaguely about at this point. It’s pretty heady. It’s so gratifying.”

Keep reading for everything you need to know about Dexter ahead of the “Original Sin” premiere:

Dexter’s Brother

It remains to be seen if “Original Sin” will address Dexter’s secret older brother. In the original series, Dexter finds out when he is already an adult that he has a brother who, yup, is also a serial killer. Brian (Christian Camargo) became the Ice Truck Killer and went as far as to stalk Dexter during his murder sprees.

Dexter’s Complicated Family History

Slater, 55, will play Dexter’s dad, Harry, a role originated by James Remar. Dexter started working for the police department through his dad.

As for Dexter’s mother? Well, his biological mother, Laura (Sage Kirkpatrick), met Harry when she was a confidential informant for the Miami Metro Police Department. She was killed in front of Brian and Dexter for her work against the Colombian cartel.

Harry adopted Dexter while Brian was placed into the foster system. Dexter gained an adoptive mother when Harry started dating Debra’s mother, Doris. She died when Debra was a teenager.

Dexter’s 1st Kill

A moment that will likely be shown in “Original Sin” is Dexter’s first kill. In the Showtime series, Dexter was given the green light to kill Nurse Mary, thanks to his dad. Harry initially tried to prevent Dexter from becoming a serial killer but quickly changed his mind when he realized the medical professional was poisoning him.

Harry tried to help Dexter control his kills by creating a “code of rules” for his son to follow. Only killing those who deserved it and leaving no evidence behind that the police could to track back to him, to name a few.

How Did “Dexter” Originally End?

In the “Dexter” series finale, the murderer was forced to disconnect Debra’s life support after she was brutally attacked by a fellow serial killer. After adopting a new identity as someone working for a lumber company, Dexter headed for seclusion. However, many fans were unsatisfied with the conclusion of his story.

Original creator and showrunner Clyde Phillips later shared that he had another ending in mind despite exiting the show in Season 4.

“In the very last scene of the series, Dexter wakes up. And everybody is going to think, ‘Oh, it was a dream.’ And then the camera pulls back and back and back and then we realize, ‘No, it’s not a dream.’ Dexter’s opening his eyes and he’s on the execution table at the Florida Penitentiary. They’re just starting to administer the drugs and he looks out through the window to the observation gallery,” he told E! News in 2013 after the series finale.

Phillips continued, “And in the gallery are all the people that Dexter killed — including the Trinity Killer and the Ice Truck Killer, LaGuerta who he was responsible for killing, Doakes who he’s arguably responsible for, Rita, who he’s arguably responsible for, Lila. All the big deaths, and also whoever the weekly episodic kills were. They are all there. … Literally, his life flashed before his eyes as he was about to die. I think it would have been a great, epic, very satisfying conclusion.”

What Was Dexter ‘s Fate in “New Blood?

Phillips returned to run the “New Blood” sequel and, in turn, gave Dexter an ending he thought might be more fitting. The revival picked up after Dexter faked his own death in a hurricane and moved to a small town.

He suppressed his urges to kill while building a new life and having hallucinations of his deceased sister.

At the beginning of the series, Dexter’s estranged son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), showed up unannounced. The reunion set off a chain of events, and Dexter became worried that his son would also become a murderer. During the limited series ending, Dexter asked Harrison to shoot him so he could set his son free.

Right before the fatal shot, Dexter realized he felt love for the first time. Harrison drove out of town to start over.

“Dexter: Original Sin” hits Paramount+ on Dec. 13 with Showtime subscribers. The series will make its network debut on Dec. 15 at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.