Almost 20 years ago, I remember reading the premise of Dexter. The story followed a blood spatter expert who helped solve crimes, but he was also a serial killer. Except he hunted other bad people and fellow killers. And that made me pause as I laughed, but I was intrigued. It was so wild, but I gave it a shot. Well, who’s laughing now? Here we are in 2025, and Dexter is still going, this time with a new series titled Dexter: Resurrection.
The show features some very familiar faces, as well as a cast of impressive actors making their Dexter debuts. Love it or hate it, the original series built a huge fan base that has never faded, giving the franchise creatives the chance to expand the Dexter universe in surprising ways.
Although many believed the story was over after the seemingly fatal shooting in New Blood, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) survived. In Resurrection, after waking from a coma, he follows Harrison’s trail to New York City. There, he discovers that a serial killer is targeting rideshare drivers, using a familiar name: The Dark Passenger. To complicate matters, Det. Angel Batista gets involved once again.
In anticipation of the premiere of Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+ with Showtime, we spoke with some of the cast about their involvement with the series. It was immediately clear how much they enjoyed portraying their characters and working on set with the talented team. David Zayas returns as franchise fan-favorite character Det. Angel Batista, telling us, “It was great to come back to the show as Angel Batista. We had so many great moments, from twenty years up until now. It was wonderful to dig back into this character, particularly with all the information and the revelation that he has about Dexter Morgan and how that is going to affect him moving forward.”
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Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, who joins the cast as Blessing Kamara, a driver who befriends Dexter in NYC, shared similar thoughts. The actor explained, “It was really great, after seeing these guys for decades, create this franchise and to be able to come in and play a small part in telling this incredible story.”
Emilia Suarez is also new to the Dexter cast, playing Elsa Rivera, a friend and coworker of Harrison (Jack Alcott). When talking about joining the show, she said, “It was pretty seamless. The team that created this show, works on this show, from [showrunner] Clyde Phillips down to every single crew member, have been unbelievably welcoming, warm. You’d think entering such a big and successful franchise is going to be a well-oiled machine that works a certain way, and you’re going to need to slide in and stay out of the way, but it really is as successful as it is because it’s a big family. They run the set as a family and have such tremendous respect for each person’s role; it’s been really, really wonderful for all of us. No complaints, which is pretty rare and pretty special.”
Dominic Fumusa and Kadia Saraf portray Det. Melvin Oliva and Det. Claudette Wallace, respectively, who are investigating a brutal and familiar murder. Fumusa told us, “I completely agree. It’s really exciting to tell someone what you’re doing, they know what it is, most of them have seen it and are big fans, it’s really awesome.” Saraf agreed, adding, “Yeah, we don’t need to sell anyone, other than those that say they are too scared to watch Dexter, then I have to sell. I just say, it’s really not that bad, it’s about a father and son” (laughs).
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Fumusa continued, “It’s a great group, like joining a great team where everyone knows how to play. The writing is so good. I’ve said a few times, when you have a great character who is part of a great story, the biggest thing you can do is make sure you don’t get in the way because the best parts really do play themselves. It’s a thrill to be part of something that is so strong and interesting and knows itself so well, it’s a great roadmap, it’s really wonderful to be a part of.”
Suarez, whose character quickly gets caught up in the Morgan family’s dark web, expanded on her thoughts regarding her time on set, adding, “I think when you get to work with not just kind, but very talented and thoughtful actors as well, you have people serving the story. So, entering this pre-existing world, you know what the world is, you have a relationship with what’s already been built, and you get to continue to serve that story. I think when you have as intelligent and generous actors as you do on this set, you have people serving a story with an arc that is bigger than themselves.”
Franchise fans are excited to see Angel Batista return in Dexter: Resurrection. He has been involved with Dexter Morgan since the first season of the original series, and he seeks answers. Returning to the set felt natural for Zayas. “Dexter has always been a great set, and new actors would come aboard and blend right in because the writing is so good. Michael C. Hall is a great example of being a leader on the show. But the new characters on the show, for example, when Ntare comes in, it’s just beautiful scenes and a kind of great in between to what’s happening between Batista and Dexter. It’s needed for this story, and it’s a compliment to the actors coming in and doing these great performances,” he told us.
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The show has always centered on a compelling story about family and how the choices we make can affect many people. Dexter—and now Harrison—continue to try to understand what family is, but at the same time, they sabotage many things because of their own decisions. Mwine discussed how his character offers Dexter something he rarely experiences: compassion. “I think my character brings a whole different element in terms of family and a friend, and someone he can lean on. It was great to sort of be a breath of fresh air of joy and have my character’s family kind of buoy Dexter and offer him a support system.”
Saraf expanded on how choices are big in Dexter: Resurrection and life in general, saying, “I think all creeks and rivers lead to the same sea, essentially. It all comes from the same source and goes back to the same source, which sounds almost spiritual, but why not? We do, at every moment, have a choice about where we want to go; it’s a beautiful thing. That’s what the show is about. Even if we veer off, we can always course correct and come back.”
She continued, “The show is about choices, second chances, hope, and what happens when sociopaths and psychopaths discover a community, a sense of family, belonging? I think we all make our choices, but we all want the same thing too, even if some do it differently.”
Dexter: Resurrection episodes will be released weekly, with new episodes streaming on Fridays on Paramount+ with Showtime.
