According to EP and writer Scott Reynolds, the now-canceled Dexter prequel would have addressed a popular fan theory, and he has a direct answer about whether it was true.
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| Dexter: Original Sin cast poster featuring James Remar and Christian Slater as Harry. (Photo credit: Showtime/Paramount+) |
It was in late 2024 that Dexter: Original Sin debuted on Paramount+, giving audiences the chance to explore Dexter Morgan's early years, with Patrick Gibson taking on the role. The prequel performed very well during its roughly two-month weekly run and was even renewed for a second season. However, that decision was reversed just a few months later, leaving some storylines unresolved.
As it turns out, the show had plenty more story to tell. Across its 10 episodes, and even though it was a prequel, Original Sin introduced some mysteries, creating fan theories about specific characters and events. Perhaps the biggest one involved Harry Morgan, (Christian Slater), and young Brian Moser, (Roby Attal).
One popular theory suggested that Harry didn't really take his own life, as the OG series established, but was murdered by Brian, who then made his death look like he actually did. The prequel's final episodes gave fans many reasons to wonder, especially after Brian violently confronted Harry. But was there any truth to the theory? And more importantly, how would the show's continuation have addressed it?
In a recent interview with Icons of Fright, executive producer and writer Scott Reynolds finally addressed the speculation, making it clear that the series was never planning such a major change to the original story.
"We were not going to retcon that much," Reynolds explained.
In other words, Harry really did take his own life, just as the original series revealed. Brian was never meant to be secretly responsible for his death.
Dexter: Original Sin Seasons 2 and 3 Story Plans Revealed
Reynolds also offered some insight into what the cancelled second and third seasons of Original Sin would have explored. According to the writer, Season 2 would have actually ended with Harry reaching the point where he decides to take his own life.
Season 3, however, would have brought the tragedy itself. Reynolds suggested that Harry would have (potentially) died shortly after the new season began, meaning the story could have explored the aftermath of his death and how it affected young Dexter, young Deb, and of course, every colleague at Miami Metro.
This also gives us a better idea of how much time would have passed between seasons. Based on what we learned from Dexter's narration in the OG series, Harry survived for roughly another year after his health scare and the incident in which Nurse Mary nearly killed him.
That suggests Season 2 and at least the beginning of Season 3 would have remained relatively close to the events of the first season, with the story taking place in 1992. In other words, the prequel wasn't actually preparing for a significant leap forward in time just yet.
It also means that a young version of James Doakes might not have appeared as soon as some viewers expected, despite showrunner Clyde Phillips previously hinting at the character's potential involvement.
What do you think about these plans for Seasons 2 and 3? Would you have preferred the prequel to take its time with Dexter's early years rather than make big jumps forward between seasons?