Why Michael C. Hall returned after the series finale

Did the finae of the series widely derided Showtime’s serial killer drama “Dexter” influences decision to bring the series back for a new series of events?

This certainly motivated star Michael C. Hall to try and come up with a more satisfying ending for fans who watched the series when it originally aired from 2006-2013.

“The way the series proper ended has a lot to do with why we’re revisiting the show and the character, ”Hall told reporters during a Television Critics Association panel for the 10-episode sequel, “Dexter: new blood” (due November 7 9 EDT / PDT).

“A lot of what was mystifying or unsatisfying to people is what creates appetites” for the new season, he says. “The show didn’t end in a definite way for people or give anyone a sense of closure. We didn’t hear from Dexter… and I think that left the audience feeling like it was. ‘suspended animation “about” what happened with this guy. “

The new series, which takes place around a decade after the events of the 2013 series finale, is less an attempt to fix the mistakes of the finale and more of moving on to a new story, the cast and creators said. In the new season, Dexter leads a semi-normal life in a small, snowy town in upstate New York. This is a far cry from the glamorous, sunny Miami setting of the original eight-season series.

“He’s not in the same place he was when we left him,” Hall said. In fact, he concocts a normal life and tries to live one. “

And while the new setting introduces many new characters, some favorites are returning, including Dexter’s son Harrison (Jack Alcott), now grown up and looking for answers from his father.

“The theme of the season quickly became fathers and sons,” executive producer Clyde Phillips said. “Dexter has a lot of work to do to win back his son and prove he’s a good father, and I think we’ll get there.”

But while there are many callbacks to the original series, Phillips was quick to point out that this was not “the ninth season of ‘Dexter’.”

“This is a whole new incarnation of the series, a whole new take on the series,” he said of what Showtime calls a special event series. “He has nothing to do with his previous life other than who he is. By the time the first image appears, you can see that we are in a whole new world.”

Hall also added that he wanted to return to “Dexter” because it was a good time to revisit the character.

“There were a lot of moving parts, which all came together,” he said. “But I think a big part of it was that enough time had passed for Harrison to be a certain age to presumably be someone who can afford to find his father.”

Showtime Entertainment President Gary Levine said he was still troubled by the lack of closure at the end of “Dexter,” something Hall was hoping the new series could resolve for fans.

“I certainly hope watching the show is a satisfying experience for people who originally watched it and are curious about what happened to it. I certainly hope it provides definitive answers. ”

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