Michael C. Hall Has Opened Up About What ‘Dexter’ Has (And Hasn’t) Been Doing For All These Years

Dexter Morgan, who’s arguably TV’s most beloved serial killer of all time (sorry, Hannibal fans), will soon return in Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood season. The really good news is this: the limited series is a bloody good time and works hard to erase the sins of the lumberjack past. Star and executive producer Michael C. Hall is more than well aware of the fan backlash to his character’s previous anticlimactic ending (after sailing into a damn hurricane and somehow surviving), and he is hoping that this new show avoids previous mistakes and redeems the original series.

To that end, he’s greasing the gears in a new interview with ET Online. Hall discussed how he was surprised that Dexter’s “was still very available to me, which was reassuring and creepy.” Given that it’s been somewhere at least eight years since we caught up with the man and his Dark Passenger, Hall gave an update on what Dexter’s been doing (besides chopping wood), but more importantly, he spoke about what Dexter hasn’t been doing. In other words, he’s been “sober” from his addiction (i.e., that “thing” he has with blood) and living the clean life:

“I think the biggest difference was the fundamental differences that in these eight years or near decade since we left him, he hasn’t killed anybody. He has been abstinent. He’s been dedicated to this sober life and has managed it in this very isolated way. He’s a guy who is dead to himself as far as he is concerned, but as you can imagine, the cameras are turning back on probably because he is going to come back to life.”

Yep, on that last note… the “probably because he is going to come back to life” part That provides a big hint there. Dexter hasn’t been doing anything worth watching for eight years, and now, there’s going to be something to gawk at. Also, Showtime already revealed that not only will Harrison be back, but Debra as well. So, there’s a lot of outside forces at work, and it’s going to be a trip to see how Dexter can survive having to tend to something else beyond his inner war. That’s the real hurricane, and it’s a much more compelling storm.

Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood premieres on November 7.