Dexter: Original Sin Creator Breaks Silence on Cancellation: “It Wasn’t Handled Well”

Dexter: Original Sin creator Clyde Phillips has broken his silence on the cancellation of the show and his response is very candid. Following the high viewership and critical reception to Dexter: New Blood, Paramount realized they had a gold mine in front of them and they had just shut the door on it by killing off Dexter Morgan. However, the creative team behind the show didn’t rule anything out. The team went on to develop a spin-off centered around Harrison without his father, a Trinity Killer prequel series, and a prequel centered around Dexter himself known as Original Sin. The latter is the only one that made it to air and was a huge hit.

The Harrison series was scrapped in favor of the massively successful Dexter: Resurrection when Michael C. Hall floated the idea of returning as the serial killer and the Trinity Killer show has been on the backburner for a while, awaiting a greenlight. However, Original Sin set viewership records for Showtime and seemed like it would have a big future ahead. Back in April, Paramount picked up Dexter: Original Sin for a second season and many assumed that would begin in earnest after Resurrection Season 1 concluded.

Dexter: Original Sin Creator Says He’s “Not Happy” About Show’s Cancellation

Unfortunately, Dexter: Original Sin was abruptly cancelled in August after new leadership came in as part of a company merger with Skydance. Over a month later and showrunner/creator Clyde Phillips has finally broken his silence in his first interview since Dexter: Resurrection premiered. The showrunner was extremely candid with his comments on the Dissecting Dexter podcast, expressing his disappointment with how the whole thing unraveled. Phillips also dispelled rumors that Original Sin was never officially picked up for Season 2, confirming it had already been picked up a while ago.

“It was a tough phone call I got that night where they had already picked up the show,” said Phillips. “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.”

He also noted that he is flattered and proud that fans are campaigning to save Dexter: Original Sin, but he doesn’t think Paramount will change their minds. Phillips went on to explain that prior to the merger with Skydance, the former leadership had wanted to build out a Yellowstone-esque franchise with Dexter with Phillips serving a role similar to Taylor Sheridan, the creator of the Kevin Costner neowestern series. As a result, they plotted out a big future for the entire franchise which would’ve seen Doakes joining the cast of Original Sin. Similarly, the series would’ve dug deeper into Harry, Dexter, and even Brian Moser.

Phillips also addressed that the Trinity Killer series is unlikely to get made given Paramount cancelled Dexter: Original Sin. However, it seems like the plan is to move forth on more seasons of Dexter: Resurrection, which is undeniably the biggest piece of this franchise and should hopefully ease some fan concerns for that show’s future.

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