Why did Paramount cancel Dexter: Original Sin post Season 1? Here's what we know so far

In a shocking turn of events, Paramount has canceled Dexter: Original Sin after Season 1, after it was already renewed for Season 2 in April 2025. Fans were certain to see actor Patrick Gibson return as young Dexter Morgan once again. However, sadly, the series will not return with a sophomore season.

Original Sin, a prequel to 2006's popular thriller Dexter, premiered on Paramount+ in December 2024. Starring Gibson as a young Dexter, the series was set fifteen years before the events of Dexter and followed the infamous serial killer as he developed the code with his adoptive father Harry.

The cancellation news comes ahead of the Dexter: Resurrection Season 1 finale, another spin-off in the franchise, which marked the return of Michael C. Hall in the titular character. The latest sequel's impressive success is being attributed as one of the key reasons for Dexter: Original Sin's cancelation, which failed to match the success of the sequel's premiere.

More on the possible reasons behind Dexter: Original Sin's cancellation in our story.

Why did Paramount cancel Dexter: Original Sin?

The disappointing news for Dexter: Original Sin comes months after the August 7 Skydance-Paramount merger, which is likely one of the biggest reasons that factored into it. Since Paramount's restructuring, the network has made many key changes to its programming, including the shocking and controversial cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Since Original Sin was already ordered for a sophomore season in April 2025 and then cancelled, one cannot help but speculate that this sudden cancellation might be related to budgetary concerns, following the merger with Skydance.

In addition, the overwhelming success of Resurrection (thanks to Hall's Dexter Morgan) might have also worked against its prequel series, as the network clearly favours the more popular series in the franchise.

The premiere for Original Sin recorded roughly 3.3 million views (in its first seven days), in comparison to Resurrection's 4.4 million views (in its first week). This clearly suggests that while Original Sin's numbers were impressive, they were overshadowed by Resurrection's performance.

Dexter: Original Sin cancellation proves that Michael C Hall is important for the franchise

In addition to these behind-the-scenes changes, one of the major differentiating factors between Dexter: Original Sin and other Dexter spin-offs is actor Michael C Hall.

While the actor was an executive producer on the prequel and also provided narration for Patrick Gibson's young Dexter, Original Sin is the only spin-off to not feature Hall as the infamous serial killer on-screen. This makes one think that this might be another factor that ultimately led to the show's cancellation.

Dexter: Original Sin followed Gibson's young Dexter Morgan in 1991 Miami, where he lives with his father Harry and sister Debra. The prequel series shed some much-needed light on the serial killer's formative years as he learns to control (and unleash) his killing urges and creates 'the code' with Harry.

While many Dexter fans appreciated Gibson's take as the young serial killer, some also missed Hall's presence in the prequel series. In addition to Gibson, the series also stars Christian Slater as Harry Morgan and Molly Brown as Debra Morgan.

In addition, Dexter: Resurrection's recent and overwhelming success proves that the franchise is still very much alive and the fans still want to see more of the serial killer's adventures, but with Michael C. Hall headlining his iconic character. Reportedly, Paramount is already planning to open the writer's room for Resurrection Season 2, which further proves that Hall is now inseparable from the franchise.

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