Dexter: New Blood sets a viewership record for Showtime. The revival season aired its finale this past Sunday, January 9, finally providing a proper conclusion to the titular serial killer's (Michael C. Hall) story that began 15 years ago during the show's original run from 2006 to 2013. Other than Hall, New Blood sees the return of Jennifer Carpenter as his deceased step-sister Deb, along with Sergeant Angel Batista (David Zayas) and Arthur Mitchell/Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) making brief appearances.
Set a decade after the events of the controversial season 8 finale, "Remember the Monsters?" which saw Dexter fake his own death in Miami and move to Oregon to become a lumberjack, New Blood finds him residing in a small town in upstate New York called Iron Lake. There, he lives under the alias Jim Lindsay, works at a Fish & Game shop, and dates the police chief Angela Bishop (Julia Jones). Dexter also reunites with his son Harrison (now played by Jack Alcott), and upon discovering he too carries his Dark Passenger, begins teaching him his sacred code as they team-up to take down the town's serial killer, Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown).
Now that Dexter: New Blood has ended its run on Showtime, viewing numbers have started to come in, and according to The Wrap they are pretty killer. In fact, the 10-episode revival now ranks as the pay cable network's most-watched series ever, averaging 8 million viewers a week across all platforms. The anticipated finale drew a total of 3 million viewers, two-thirds of which watched on streaming and on demand, meaning that about 1 million tuned in live on the cable channel.
New Blood's finale surpassed the season 3 finale of Homeland as Showtime's most-watched, which drew 2.9 million viewers in 2013, the same year Dexter aired its original finale that failed to satisfy many fans. This air of dissatisfaction amongst viewers extended to onetime Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, who left the show after season 4, and its lead star. New Blood offered them a chance to redeem the original series' reviled ending, a prospect fans immediately got behind as well. That interest has now borne itself out in some concrete, record-breaking viewing numbers for Showtime.
These impressive ratings will give Showtime every reason to continue the Dexter brand in some way. The idea that's gaining the most traction now is a New Blood season 2 continuing Harrison's story, which Philips has endorsed. In tradition of the show, Hall could even return as the embodiment of his Dark Passenger. Dexter has been one of Showtime's biggest hits for years, and they likely don't want to see it end anytime soon.
Source: TheWrap