According to its showrunner, multiple original cast members will return for Dexter season 9, with John Lithgow and Jennifer Carpenter currently confirmed. Showtime's serial killer drama starring Michael C. Hall as Dexter is returning nearly eight years after one of TV's most divisive finales. The reception to Dexter's finale, and its final few seasons overall, diminished the reputation of a show that previously was considered one of the best on television.
Once Dexter season 9 was officially announced in 2020 with Michael C. Hall returning to star, fans of the series began to wonder exactly what it would contain. The show has moved locations from the sunny beaches of Florida to a chilly small town in New York, and that only raised more questions about how Dexter season 9 will connect to (and retcon) what happened before. When the revival was announced, Hall was the only original cast member confirmed to return alongside original showrunner Clyde Phillips.
During Comic-Con@Home 2021, Showtime hosted a virtual panel for Dexter season 9. It featured Hall, Phillips, executive producer Scott Reynolds, director Marcos Siega, and new cast member Julia Jones. They fielded many questions throughout the panel, but near the end Phillips was asked about the possibility of other original cast members returning for Dexter season 9. He only said, "Obviously I have to be a little bit coy about this, but I will say there will be some returning cast members from the original series that will make some people's brains explode." After this happened, the official Dexter on Showtime Twitter account confirmed the returns of John Lithgow as Trinity and Jennifer Carpenter as Deb, even though Phillips didn't say either of them by name.
The returns of Lithgow and Carpenter were previously reported in the lead-up to Dexter season 9's virtual panel. Lithgow's Trinity was one of Dexter's greatest villains prior to his demise, so it will be interesting to see how he returns for this new story. Meanwhile, Carpenter's Deb was a massive part of Dexter, so it shouldn't be a surprise that she's back, especially as season 9 attempts to course-correct the show's ending. Deb's love for Dexter and eventual death were two moments among many that didn't sit well with viewers.
With the tease that Dexter season 9 will feature more returning original cast members than just Hall, Lithgow, and Carpenter, it will be interesting to see who else comes back and how. Phillips teased that primarily every person they reached out to about coming back was immediately on board. There are plenty of fans who especially want to see Yvonne Strahovski return as Hannah, so she could be one of the other returning cast members. Julie Benz even said she'd want to return as Rita. Thankfully, Dexter season 9 begins airing later this year, so it won't be long before more is revealed.
Source: Comic-Con@Home, Dexter on Showtime