After years off the air, Dexter is coming back with a limited-series revival called Dexter: New Blood that sees an older version of the serial killer return to TV screens. Dexter follows Michael C. Hall’s portrayal of Dexter Morgan, based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay. With several years past since the Dexter season 8 finale, both Dexter and Michael C. Hall are older, but how old is Dexter in Dexter: New Blood?
Dexter Morgan became a household name when the original Dexter aired from 2006 to 2013 and viewers became enraptured by the mild-mannered man who served as a blood-spatter analyst by day and a vigilante serial killer by night. However, the Dexter finale, regarded as the worst ever, became a controversial point with many audience members unhappy with what they felt was an unfulfilling ending. Dexter: New Blood returns to the character in the hopes of providing more clarity on where Dexter Morgan went after the climatic and divisive events of the original series.
Dexter New Blood is set in the present day and takes place in 2021, treating the time in between as real-time. Dexter was born on February 1, 1971, according to his driver’s license and the notes taken by Dr. Vogel in Dexter season 8, meaning that he shares his birthday with Michael C. Hall himself. This confirms Dexter's age as 41-years-old at the end of Dexter season 8's timeline as the final episode was set in the fall of 2012 despite airing in 2013. The official synopsis from ShowTime states that Dexter: New Blood is set 10 years after the events of the Dexter season 8 finale with Dexter also saying that it has been 10 years since he faked his death, suggesting that it takes place in late-2022 which suggests that Dexter's age will be 51 in the new series, a year older than Michael C. Hall.
Providing a 10-year break between Dexter season 8 and Dexter: New Blood makes the age difference for the actors seem believable, but more importantly, it allows for several new storytelling opportunities. Dexter is shown to have had a chance to move on with his life, establish himself in a new community, and have a new society around him to build stories from. Crucially, Harrison Morgan (Jack Alcott), Dexter's potentially killer son who was born in Dexter season 4, returns for the new TV series as a teen who is old enough to have wanted to seek out his biological father and promises to turn his world upside down.
Dexter: New Blood seems to be designed to address the fears of previous viewers who might have felt that the concept for the original Dexter was played out. The renewal teases the return of some key characters that will help it feel connected to the original despite the new series being set 10 years after the original show. Yet, despite this connection the Dexter: New Blood trailer is keen to emphasize that beyond simply being the serial killer who is a “wolf among sheep,” or a “monster,” the older Dexter Morgan is evolving and can offer audiences something new.