The actor behind Harrison Morgan, recently explained why his character is destined to follow a different path than Dexter.
Looking back at Harrison Morgan's journey throughout the Dexter, there have always been signs that he might one day follow in his father's footsteps. But in the end, Harrison will never truly become the next Dexter.
Speaking with Collider, actor Jack Alcott revealed that the biggest difference between Harrison and Dexter actually comes down to one thing, and that is empathy.
"Harrison cares really, really deeply."
Alcott noted that while Harrison is capable of commiting terrible acts of violence, he genuinely cares about other people. Unlike Dexter, whose actions are mostly driven by his own urges and code, Harrison has a strong concern for human life and a deep sense of right and wrong.
According to Alcott, Harrison's self-awareness also plays an important role. He understands the darkness inside him and fears becoming the kind of person his father was. That fear actually makes him question his actions and think of the possibility that he could turn into a monster.
As Season 1 comes to an end, Alcott believes Harrison begins to see a different path for himself. Instead of accepting the darkness, he starts to realize that he has choices and that his future does not have to be the same as Dexter's.
How New Blood and Resurrection Flipped the Approach
Alcott reflected on how both series explored the question of Harrison's darkness from opposite angles.
In Dexter: New Blood, the story repeatedly pushed the idea that Harrison was just like his father, only to leave audiences wondering if that was really true. In Dexter: Resurrection, the approach was actually reversed. The series spent much of its first season showing how different Harrison is from Dexter, while still leaving room for viewers to wonder how much of his father's darkness remains inside him.
By the end of the season, the answer became more obvious, which of course gave Dexter a big relief as he realized his son will not become just another version of himself.
Set 10 weeks after the events of New Blood, the new series opens with Harrison committing his first kill. He targets an abuser and follows the exact same method Dexter taught him, although in a far... messier way. At that point, many viewers believed that Harrison truly had a Dark Passenger of his own. But as the season progressed, it actually became increasingly clear that Harrison was not simply a younger version of Dexter.
The History of Harrison's Journey
Harrison was first introduced as a baby in Dexter Season 4 before returning as a teenager in Dexter: New Blood. From the moment he reappeared in 2021, the series heavily suggested that he had "inherited" the same darkness that Dexter Morgan had for almost all his life.
At the time, it seemed clear that the creative team had big plans for Harrison. New Blood even included a flashback in which Harrison appeared to remember the traumatic moment he was born in blood after the Trinity Killer murdered his mother in front of him.
After "killing" Dexter in the finale, Harrison appeared destined to become a new version of his father in a future sequel series, with Jack Alcott taking over as the lead.
However, those plans never moved forward. A fully written 10-episode continuation centered on Harrison was ultimately shelved, bringing that chapter of the character's story to an end before it ever reached production, all thanks to Michael C. Hall's decision to return to the role, in Dexter: Resurrection.
In the end, while both characters are capable of violence, Harrison's empathy, conscience, and concern for others make him very different from Dexter. As Alcott emphasized, Harrison cares deeply, and that may be the very thing that stops him from becoming the man he fears most.