Dexter star Michael C. Hall said fans of the Showtime series shouldn't expect the upcoming revival, Dexter: New Blood, to be a straightforward continuation of the previous series.
"We're not going back in time," the actor told Entertainment Weekly. Hall also explained that unlike Seasons 1-8, which was set in Miami, New Blood takes place over two weeks in New England.
"The first thing I shot was literally on a frozen lake," the actor recalled, noting that the "tone of the show is quite different" this time around. "Most of the building blocks that create a sense of the show's world have changed. The color palette of the show is different. Every piece of the landscape both externally and internally is altered."
Hall also got into the specifics of the reboot's tone, noting, "We're not self-consciously thinking about whether it is less or more edgy, but it's informed by and redefined by a completely different context."
Hall's latest comments about New Blood come shortly after Showtime's President of Entertainment Gary Levine recently admitted the revival would have been made had fans of the original series gotten the finale they deserved. Specifically, Levine explained, "It gnawed a little at us, and gnawed a little at Michael, that a series as good as Dexter didn't end in a way that was perhaps worthy of the series."
While Dexter ran for eight seasons, fans have been critical of Seasons 5-8, which featured a new showrunner following the departure of original showrunner Clyde Phillips. In the years since, Phillips has addressed the decline of the series, recently saying, "The show was untethered, and the character was untethered. I wasn't in the room, and many factors go into it between executive producers and the network. But as an audience member with a vested interest, the show lost its way."
While specific details about the plot of New Blood have been kept under wraps, it's been confirmed that fan favorites Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) and Arthur Mitchell/the Trinity Killer (John Lithgow) will appear. While Debra was killed off the series in Season 8, the new trailer for Dexter: New Blood showed Debra appearing to Dexter as a ghost after he hears about a serial killer preying on children, which appears to spark his murderous tendencies.
All seasons of the original Dexter are available to stream on Hulu with the Showtime add-on. Dexter: New Blood is scheduled to premiere on Nov. 7.
Source: EW