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In 2024, Dexter: Original Sin premiered on Paramount+, breaking records for the streaming service. The Dexter prequel received over 2.1 million global cross-platform viewers, making it Showtime’s most streamed premiere. The show was a hit, so it seemed like a no-brainer when Paramount+ announced a second season in April 2025.

However, Paramount+ reversed the decision in August 2025. According to a report from Variety, the streamer decided to focus their resources on the sequel series Dexter: Resurrection, which just finished its first season. Clyde Phillips, who served as showrunner for Original Sin and other shows in the Dexter franchise, believes Paramount+ handled things poorly.

"It was a tough phone call that I got that night,” Phillips says during an episode of the Dissecting Dexter podcast. “They had already picked up the show, and I had informed all the writers and informed all the actors. And then they unpicked it up. They created their own word. They unpicked it up while picking up Resurrection, which was no surprise. It wasn’t handled well and I’m not happy about it.”

Phillips said that a regime change at Paramount was to blame. The old ownership planned to build an entire franchise around Dexter, with prequels, sequels, and spinoffs. Phillips went on to say that they were following the Yellowstone model. “This was all under the aegis of Chris McCarthy at Paramount, who got pushed out when Paramount changed. He wanted the Dexterverse to expand. He wanted me to be his new [Yellowstone co-creator] Taylor Sheridan.”

“Yellowstone had a couple of prequels to set it. After New Blood, Showtime picked up Harrison’s story, and we wrote ten scripts of Harrison, which was completely different than where he ended up in Resurrection, because Dexter wasn’t involved. And then they picked up Trinity. We wrote ten scripts of Trinity. I mean, I live in the East Coast. I was in LA for over a year with my writers, writing all these shows, creating the verse. And then the merger happened, and Paramount had other plans. And you know what, it’s their show, it’s their money, and they can do what they want.”

Phillips said they had years of stories planned for Original Sin, including an ending that would’ve bridged the gap to the original series.

“We plotted out a couple of years of this. We were looking forward to introducing new characters like Doakes. Imagine Doakes at 25-years-old or 30-years-old. And Captain Matthews. And also watching Dexter’s evolution and Harry’s evolution. If you remember in the pilot for Original Sin, which I wrote, the swimming pool scene. That was news. Nobody knew that. It was something I came up with, and it defined Harry. And we wanted to continue that definition and continue developing the characters and developing Dexter, played extraordinarily well by Patrick Gibson.”

“Another thing we wanted to explore in the second season of Original Sin was Dexter’s relationship with Brian. We wanted to flesh that out until the seasons kind of merged into the original show, and then we would end it.”

Various petitions have been launched online to save Original Sin, and while Phillips is flattered by them, he doesn’t believe they’ll change the outcome. “In all honesty, I think it’s wonderful. And I’m flattered and proud. I don’t think Paramount is going to change their mind.

While nothing official has been stated yet, Phillips also believes the Trinity prequel won’t be going forward. The show would’ve focused on the early years of the Trinity Killer, who John Lithgow portrayed in season four of the original Dexter series.

“It’s backburnered and I honestly don’t think they’re going to go for it. I just think they’re interested in Resurrection. I mean, if they cancelled Original Sin, which was a built-in hit, how are they going to pick up Trinity. If they do, I would be delighted, but I don’t see them doing it.”

Dexter: Resurrection is currently streaming on Paramount +.

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