How To Watch The Dexter Shows In Chronological Order

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I was completely hooked on Dexter – Michael C. Hall was just incredible as the lead! He really made Dexter Morgan such a memorable character, and it’s no surprise he became a star. But like with a lot of popular shows, there have been spin-offs, and honestly, it’s a little confusing figuring out the right order to watch everything, especially when they start playing with the original timeline, like Dexter did. It’s a testament to Hall’s performance that Dexter is still so captivating.

After the original series concluded, Showtime approved several spin-off shows, but two were canceled after just one season. Other planned spin-offs, like one centered around John Lithgow’s character, the Trinity Killer, were also scrapped, while some are still being developed. With so many shows expanding the Dexter universe, here’s a guide to watching them all, listed by release date and in chronological order.

Every Dexter Show In Release Order

Zach Dilgard / ©Paramount+ with Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection

The show Dexter first aired on Showtime in 2006 and quickly became a popular cultural hit. Though the early seasons were well-received, the final eighth season was widely considered disappointing. In 2021, Showtime tried to improve the show’s ending with Dexter: New Blood, a continuation of the original series. Unfortunately, the finale of New Blood proved to be just as controversial as the original Dexter’s ending.

Several years after the original series, Showtime approved a prequel called Dexter: Original Sin, which was the first to feature the characters with different actors. Although it was initially renewed for a second season in April 2025, that season was later canceled. Currently, Dexter: Resurrection – a sequel bringing back Michael C. Hall as Dexter – is the only Dexter series still in production.

In order of release, the Dexter franchise shows run:

Dexter Franchise Show Premiere Date Finale Date
Dexter October 1, 2006 September 22, 2013
Dexter: New Blood November 7, 2021 January 9, 2022
Dexter: Original Sin December 13, 2024 February 14, 2025
Dexter: Resurrection July 11, 2025 TBD

How To Watch The Dexter Shows In Chronological Order

Zach Dilgard/Paramount+

Most people watch the shows as they were originally released, but if you prefer to watch them in the order the events happen within the story, the viewing order is a little different. Here’s the order to follow if you want to watch it chronologically:

Dexter: Original Sin

As a fan of the Dexter universe, I’m really excited about Original Sin! It’s the earliest story we’ve seen so far, showing us Dexter Morgan as a young man, with Patrick Gibson playing him. The show is essentially Dexter looking back on his teenage years, set in 1991 – fifteen years before the original series. We get to see him starting his career as a forensic intern in Miami, and it really dives into his complicated relationship with his dad, Harry (Christian Slater), before Harry passed away. It’s fascinating to see the roots of everything we know about Dexter!

Dexter

The original Dexter series captivated audiences for eight seasons, and with good reason. Michael C. Hall delivered a compelling performance as Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst who secretly hunted down and killed dangerous criminals. The show delved into the complexities of Dexter’s double life, as he tried to appear normal while grappling with his own dark urges and channeling them towards eliminating truly evil people.

Dexter: New Blood

The new series, Dexter: New Blood, picks up ten years after the original Dexter finale. Dexter Morgan has been living under a new identity in a small town in upstate New York, successfully hiding his true nature and even finding love. But his carefully constructed normal life is disrupted when his son, Harrison, unexpectedly appears, leading Dexter to worry that Harrison may have inherited his dangerous impulses.

Dexter: Resurrection

Finally, there’s Dexter: Resurrection, which starts just 10 weeks after the end of Dexter: New Blood. Dexter is still healing from a serious gunshot wound he got in the New Blood finale and travels to New York to find Harrison. Currently, New Blood is the only Dexter series with new episodes planned, as it’s been renewed for another season.

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2025-11-01 21:19