Dexter started as a single series on Showtime in the early 2000s. But after receiving a second life through streaming on Netflix and attracting a new legion of fans, the series based on the Jeff Lindsay books has now become a franchise. There are two sequels and a prequel to sink your teeth into for those who have fallen in love with or are curious about the vigilante serial killer at the heart of the story. If you’re new to the show or want to re-watch the original and continue in the proper order from there, here’s the best way to stream every Dexter series to get the most out of it.
Start With the Original ‘Dexter’ Series
Dexter and photos of the Trinity Killer’s victims from Season 4 Episode 12 of Dexter.
Netflix
Dexter originally aired on Showtime for eight seasons from 2006 through 2013. It makes sense to start with this series. From there, the best order in which to watch the others is indeed based on the order of release, even though one series flips back in time. You could theoretically wait until the end for the prequel, but there’s a crucial moment in Episode 1 that’s important to watch first. Before explaining, here’s the release schedule for all Dexter series, in order.
Every ‘Dexter’ Series in Release Order
Show
Air Dates
Current Status
Dexter
October 1, 2006 – September 22, 2013
Complete
Dexter: New Blood
November 7, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Complete, limited series
Dexter: Original Sin
December 13, 2024 – February 14, 2025
Canceled
Dexter: Resurrection
July 11, 2025 – September 5, 2025
TBA
Of course, you’ll want to start with the original series, which includes eight seasons and a total of 96 episodes to set up the story and the characters. Set in Miami, Dexter centers around Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a talented blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro P.D. He’s socially awkward but well-liked, considered harmless by most. But he harbors a deep secret.
He’s also a serial killer who lives by a Code that his now deceased father, Harry (James Remar), a former detective, taught him when Dexter was a teenager. Recognizing his adoptive son’s darkness, which Dexter calls his Dark Passenger, Harry tried to channel it into something positive. Seeing how many heinous criminals skirted by the justice system, he advised Dexter that if he felt this nagging urge to kill, and he could not control the compulsion, he should at least vet his victims. Only kill those awful people who would undoubtedly continue to harm many others. This includes rapists, murderers, drug peddlers, and even other serial killers.
Watch ‘New Blood’ To See What Happens 10 Years Later
Harrison and Dexter standing outside in the cold looking worried on Dexter: New Blood.
Image via Showtime
Once you’ve finished all eight seasons of Dexter, move on to Dexter: New Blood. This crime drama series is a direct continuation, taking place 10 years after the events in Dexter. The title character has assumed a new identity in a small town in upstate New York. He is trying to live a quiet existence, paying penance for all his wrongs and making the most of his unexpected second chance at life.
The story takes a turn, however, when Dexter’s now-teenage son Harrison (Jack Alcott) shows up in town, having tracked his father down. Harrison doesn’t know what his father does or why he left, but he’s looking to reconnect and get answers.
The series explores the fractured father-son relationship as Dexter tries to discern if his son has the same darkness he does and if it’s a good idea to have him in his life or not. With a serial killer being hunted in that town, however, Dexter finds himself drawn to the same vigilante work he had been doing in Miami since he was 20 years old.
The limited series ends in tragedy, but there’s a surprise twist that allows the franchise to continue. Before picking back up in this timeline, however, you’ll want to flip to the first episode of Dexter: Original Sin after watching Dexter: New Blood.
Flip to the Past, Present, and Back to the Past
Power through all 10 episodes of Dexter: New Blood, then tune into Episode 1 of Dexter: Original Sin. While this is a prequel series with an entirely new cast of actors playing younger versions of key characters, it begins with a crucial scene that picks up in the aftermath of Dexter: New Blood. It doesn’t pertain to the story in Dexter: Original Sin, but the short cold open sets things up for Dexter: Resurrection. Because of that, you need to watch it first.
You could theoretically pause Dexter: Original Sin after Episode 1 and switch to Dexter: Resurrection if you wanted to continue in the current timeline. The opening scene in the first episode is designed to help you understand what happens in Dexter: Resurrection and how Dexter is still alive. It’s, in essence, as though Dexter: Original Sin is showing Dexter’s own memories of his past play out on screen while he’s stuck in a coma.
Once you finish the first season of Dexter: Resurrection, you can flip back to Dexter: Original Sin to watch the remaining nine episodes of the prequel series. As noted, it tells the origin story of how Dexter began to kill and started working at Miami Metro P.D. The character is played by Patrick Gibson in that series, though Hall continues to provide the voice of the inner monologue. There are a lot of callbacks to the original show and scenes that were only ever discussed or shown in brief flashbacks in the original, playing out in full. The way the two series tie so beautifully together is something you’ll especially notice when watching both close together.
Sadly, Dexter: Original Sin was cancelled in August 2025, despite having initially been renewed for a second season. For now, the single season is the perfect filler to watch while you wait for a possible second season of Dexter: Resurrection, which would continue to tell the story in the present day.
Where Can You Stream Every ‘Dexter’ Series?
If you hate following rules, you can also watch the shows in chronological order. But you have been warned that this will lead to some serious confusion.
Every ‘Dexter’ Series in Chronological Order
Order
Show
1
Dexter: Original Sin
2
Dexter
3
Dexter: New Blood
4
Dexter: Resurrection
Dexter, Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin, and Dexter: Resurrection all stream on Paramount+ with Showtime. If you have Showtime, you can stream the series there as well. While Dexter was streaming on Netflix for some time, it was removed from the streamer earlier in the summer. It was supposed to return, but hasn’t shown up again. Dexter continues to stream on Netflix in Canada, however.
Release Date
2006 – 2013-00-00
Network
Showtime
Showrunner
Clyde Phillips
Directors
John Dahl, Steve Shill, Keith Gordon, Marcos Siega, Michael Cuesta, Romeo Tirone, Ernest R. Dickerson, Tony Goldwyn, Nick Gomez, Rob Lieberman, Tim Hunter, Adam Davidson, Alik Sakharov, Brian Kirk, Holly Dale, Jeremy Podeswa, Michael Lehmann, Milan Cheylov, Seith Mann
Writers
Scott Reynolds, Jace Richdale, James Manos, Jr., Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Leonard, Karen Campbell
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