With the news of Showtime's serial killer drama, Dexter, returning to the network in the form of a limited revival series, fans of the show have a second finale to look forward to, with showrunner Clyde Phillips promising the revival will "make things right."
More and more popular television series are getting the revival treatment nowadays -- some to recapture the nostalgia of their original run or to revisit beloved characters at new points in their lives, and some to fix endings that left viewers enraged or unsatisfied with the story's conclusion. With Dexter getting another shot, let's look at some shows that were excellent for the majority of their runs, but through creative decisions with storytelling or behind-the-scenes drama, left fans wanting more.
Penny Dreadful
Showtime's Penny Dreadful had recently had its spin-off series, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, canceled, but it's the original gothic series that deserves a shot at redemption. Created and executive produced by John Logan, Penny Dreadful offered reimaginings for classic characters like Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster and Dr. Jekyll. The show, set in Victorian England, featured a stellar performance from Eva Green as the central heroine, Vanessa Ives, an anguished woman relentlessly pursued by evil.
The series was critically acclaimed and ran for three seasons, but a rushed and bloated finale left viewers stunned. Vanessa, arguably Penny Dreadful's most important character, spent the finale episode standing in a room while the world ended around her, eventually succumbing to Dracula and begging her true love Ethan to kill her, which he quickly obliged with a single shot. The show left so many unanswered questions and several key characters' fates in the air. A revival could revisit how Vanessa's closest friends and family are coping with her death and their ongoing battle against Dracula and his forces, and how immortals Dorian Gray and Brona Croft are shaping the world around them.
How I Met Your Mother
Running from 2005 to 2014, How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom that followed Ted Mosby as he narrates the story of how he met the mother of his two children. The stories centered on Ted and his group of friends, longtime couple Marshall and Lilly, playboy Barney and reporter Robin, who’s on again and off again relationships with Ted and Barney lasted nearly the entire show.
The series was met with strong ratings and critical acclaim, pulling in 30 Emmy nominations and 10 wins. It played with plot and timing in a unique way and was seen as sharp and inventive. However, as the series continued, it became less of a critical darling. In fact, the finale season received the most criticism because it took place over a wedding weekend and killed off the titular Mother. Considering how the show received such high acclaim during its early to mid-seasons, a revival makes sense to provide its beloved characters with a proper sendoff.
Lost
Lost is a supernatural science fiction series that followed the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. The series was seen by critics and fans as the greatest television series of all time, pulling in 54 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Lost was known for playing with plot structure across flashbacks, flash-forwards and flash-sideways as it explored the numerous stories of its expansive cast of characters who struggled to survive on the island and explore its secrets.
As new characters were introduced and the mythology became more complex, however, interest in the show began to wane, culminating in a deeply divisive series finale that left many questions in the air. The series may have ended with every major character "dead," but a revival could follow Bin Linus and Hurley, who decided to stay on the island, or Kate as she adjusts to post-island life.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Created by Joss Whedon and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead role, Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed Buffy Summers, a Slayer in a long line of women chosen to fight evil as she navigates high-school. Buffy not only received critical acclaim for most of its run, but it also became a popular subject of academia in explorations of identity and feminism.
However, an overcrowded and rushed final season left a bad taste in the mouth of its rabid fanbase. A revival could adapt some of the storylines in the Buffy Season Eight comics published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007-2011. Fans could follow a grown-up Buffy as she and the Scooby Gang disperse across the world to fight evil, something the final season failed to deliver on.
Game of Thrones
No list of shows deserving their shot at redemption is complete without Game of Thrones. The wildly popular fantasy series, created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, premiered on HBO in 2011 and ran for eight seasons. The show was critically acclaimed and featured a stellar ensemble cast of characters who scheme and murder their way to power, while the threat of annihilation from ice zombies grows ever more dangerous. Game of Thrones spent several seasons carefully crafting its narrative and expanding on the world and lore adapted from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
However, the final season -- particularly the last two episodes --received significant backlash from fans and critics for a rushed story and creative decisions involving several arcs. A revival could offer a deeper exploration of Daenerys’ fall into madness and exploration of characters like Jon as he experiences life beyond the wall, or Sansa as she adjusts to her new role as Queen of the North.