Dexter season 8 showrunner Scott Buck explains why he chose that controversial ending for the original series. Showtime's flagship show began in 2006 centering on the Six Feet Under star Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by day and serial killer who only preys on other murderers by night. Clyde Phillips was the original showrunner and left after season 4, which many fans believe was consistent with the series' decrease in the quality of writing.
In 2013, Dexter aired its infamous series finale “Remember the Monsters?” which saw the titular serial killer say goodbye to his beloved sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and unplug her life support after she enters a permanent vegetative state. Realizing that he destroys everyone he loves, Dexter abandons Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski) and his son Harrison by faking his own death in Miami and relocating to Oregon to become a lumberjack. Needless to say, this puzzling ending was highly derided. Years later, the air of dissatisfaction among fans inspired Phillips and Hall to revive the show for one more season to give Dexter a proper sendoff. New Blood aired on Showtime in November 2021 and wrapped last month.
Now, in a new interview with Bloody Disgusting, season 8 showrunner Scott Buck finally explains why he chose that confounding conclusion for Dexter. The ending was actually born out of necessity for Buck, rather than a creative choice. Because Showtime was interested in bringing the character back, the network told him he was not allowed to kill off Dexter. Buck figured he couldn't get arrested either, because that would also nip any future spinoffs in the bud. Read what he had to say below:
The one thing I was told I could not do is kill Dexter, because [Showtime] wanted to bring him back. So that meant, at least to me, that I also couldn’t have Dexter get captured. Because if he is, that makes him the most notorious serial killer in the world, and you can’t really do any more future episodes because he’s going to walk down the street and everyone he sees is going to recognize him. So that’s what sort of led to the way the show ended.
While fans will likely continue hating on the original ending, these comments from Buck should at least help everyone understand why he concluded the show the way he did. Given the restrictions Showtime placed on the series, it would be difficult to imagine any other way he could have ended the series. Phillips has shared his ideal Dexter ending in which Hall's character is executed by the state for his crimes, but that wouldn't have flown with the network given their parameters.
Buck also takes issue with the narrative that Dexter's original ending failed to satisfy and thus, necessitated New Blood. From his perspective, the series finale was designed to be open-ended because it was always Showtime's intent to continue the story years later. That's exactly what happened with New Blood which picked up with Dexter a decade later living under the alias Jim Lindsay in upstate New York. After 10 episodes, the follow-up finally gave Hall's beloved character that many fans consider to be a proper resolution, though some credit appears to be owed to Buck for planting the seeds during Dexter's original ending.
Source: Bloody Disgusting