Dexter: Resurrection is the fourth series in the Dexter franchise. The series picks up right where Dexter: New Blood ended In that series, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) was reunited with his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) in a small upstate New York town of Iron Lake. Dexter revealed his truth to Harrison, and taught him Harry’s code. But Harrison became afraid that Dexter was just constantly feeding his Dark Passenger, and would never stop killing, so Dexter told Harrison to shoot him. As far as Harrison and the audience knew, Dexter was dead.

As the new series opens, Dexter somehow survived the shot, spending ten weeks in the hospital in a coma, being haunted by ghosts from his past. Harrison moved to New York City where he works as a concierge at the upscale Empire Hotel. He’s seemingly happy—he managed to get his GED, and has made a friend in coworker, cleaner Elsa Rivera (Emilia Suárez). He often watches her son while she’s working as a thank you for Elsa setting him up with empty rooms in the hotel to sleep in. However, Harrison is still haunted by killing his father, and also struggles with his own urges—when he witnesses a rich hotel guest taking advantage of a nice woman he met earlier that day, he unleashes his Dark Passenger, and must remember what Dexter taught him to clean up the crime scene.

When Dexter hears about a murder in NYC, with a body chopped into 9 parts and put into garbage bags, he’s worried that Harrison is following in his footsteps, and wonders what kind of mistakes his son may have made. So he heads to NYC possibly assist. However, Dexter soon discovers that there’s another serial killer at work in the city, murdering ride share drivers. So he gets a job as a UrCar driver to try to lure the killer to him. However, Dexter also catches the attention of billionaire Leon Prater, who is obsessed with serial killers, and has started his own secret society for them, and invites Dexter to join. Could Dexter finally find some kindred spirits in the other members? Are any of them vigilantes like him, or are these just more potential targets to satiate his Dark Passenger with? Maybe he doesn’t need to be a lone wolf anymore.

Meanwhile, Harrison has attracted the attention of NYPD homicide detectives Claudette Wallace (Kadia Saraf) and Melvin Oliva (Dominic Fumusa) after body parts are found in the trash. They are determined to solve the case, and Harrison is high on their suspect list. While Dexter tries to help his son fix the situation, things even more complicated. While Dexter was in Iron Lake, the cops had alerted his former partner Angel Batista (David Zayas) to his presence, and the notion that he could be the Bay Harbor Butcher. Now Angel is back, blaming Dexter for the death of his wife, Maria, and he’s determined to prove that Dexter is a killer and prosecute him.

When I heard that they were going to resurrect Dexter after killing him in a previous series, I couldn’t help but be skeptical. However, I should no longer be doubting this franchise. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with each new iteration. I loved the most recent Dexter: Original Sin, and Dexter: New Blood before that. At this point, I’ll most certainly watch whatever Dexter shows they bless us with!

The writing on Dexter: Resurrection is phenomenal and truly back to form. It feels a lot like the original series, with Dexter once again on the hunt for a serial killer. But there’s also a lot of growth to the character this time around, and Michael C. Hall is killing it in this role (pun intended). Dexter quickly makes friends with ride share driver Blessing Kamara (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), who also becomes his landlord, and a representation and model of what a positive family relationship can be. Harry (James Remar) also continues to pop into Dexter’s mind as a bit of a conscience, but Dexter is now a bit more independent, and doesn’t always follow that advice. And as Dexter develops his relationship with son Harrison, he starts to tap into his own emotions (he actually has them!). This relationship also helps Harrison, who had been feeling a bit isolated and alone.

This first season of Dexter: Resurrection takes viewers on an engaging journey with so many exciting twists and turns. Each episode usually ends with some big reveal, making you excited to see what happens next. I originally watched the season as it aired weekly, so there was a long 7-day wait in-between episodes. But with this Digital release, there’s no waiting, and yu can binge the entire season.

There are a lot of great adversaries this season. While Dexter is being stalked and pursued by Angel, Harrison has his own enemy trying to prove he’s guilty, in homicide Detectives Wallace and Oliva. Angel and Detective Wallace are both smart and determined to get their guy and won’t leave any stone unturned. However, Angel is more fueled by emotion and doesn’t necessarily make sure he’s following the law. It was so wonderful to see David Zayas back in this role, especially now that he is out for revenge, where he used to see Dexter as a friend. (There are also many other characters from the past that also pop up for cameos, primarily in the season premiere in Dexter’s coma dreams.)

Meanwhile, there’s this exciting new world of the serial killer secret society formed by Leon Prater. Peter Dinklage is great in this role of the serial-killer obsessed billionaire. And to help Prater with his dirty work is former solider who has a deadly former military Charley, played by the talented (and here, quite menacing) Uma Thurman. Plus there’s a fantastic rogues gallery of depraved serial killer guest stars that Dexter must deal with or befriend. These include Eric Stonestreet, Krysten Ritter, David Dastmalchian, Marc Menchaca, and Neil Patrick Harris.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first season of Dexter: Resurrection. I especially appreciated that it told a complete story with a proper ending, while also hinting at a future direction, should there be a second season. I wish all TV shows would construct their seasons like this, to provide closure should the series not return, rather than ending on some big cliffhanger that never gets resolved. My only minor disappointment with this series is that there isn’t the usual opening title sequence and familiar these (though that familiar creepy score does pop up at times).

CBS/Paramount has released this first season of Dexter: Resurrection on Digital, and it will be coming to disc later on. I was sent a digital code redeemable at Fandango at Home for this review. Fandango at Home offers the series in 4K, while Apple still doesn’t offer any TV shows for purchase in 4K. The presentation looks and sounds excellent. The picture is crisp and clean with an excellent level of detail, matching the quality of the original, 4K release on Paramount+. The audio is rich and immersive, and especially makes use of the surround channels during some of Dexter’s early dream sequences. The release also includes some bonus material—3 behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, totaling about 35 minutes of interviews with the cast and crew. Thought, it is less of a look at the making of the series and more the cast/producers discussing the characters and stories of the season.

What’s Included:
Specs may vary by provider

Episodes: (8:33:00)

• All 10 episodes of the season:
  “A Beating Heart…”, “Camera Shy”, “Backseat Driver”, “Call Me Red”, “Murder Horny”, “Cats and Mouse”, “Course Correction”, “The Kill Room Where It Happens”, “Touched by an Ángel”, “And Justice for All…”
• 2160p / Widescreen 21:9
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Audio Description, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Dexter Reawakened (21:13)
  The cast and crew discuss the premise, characters and storylines of the season. They also talk about reviving Dexter, bringing back characters from the original series, how family is at the core of the series, the return of Batista, the design of the serial killer vault, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips, executive producer Scott Reynolds, and stars Michael C. Hall (“Dexter Morgan”), Jack Alcott (“Harrison Morgan”), David Zayas (“Angel Batista”), Peter Dinklage (“Leon Prater”) & Uma Thurman (“Charley”).
• Father, Son, and the Dark Passenger (8:39)
  The cast and crew discuss the relationship between Harrison and Dexter, if Harrison is going to follow in his father’s footsteps, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips, executive producer Scott Reynolds, and stars Jack Alcott & Michael C. Hall.
• The Code Lives On (4:59)
  The cast and crew discuss Harry’s code and how Dexter puts it to the test this season, Dexter’s version of justice, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer/showrunner Clyde Phillips, executive producer Scott Reynolds, and stars Michael C. Hall & James Remar (“Harry Morgan”).

Final Thoughts:

Dexter: Resurrection is the fourth series in the Dexter franchise, which has been excellent so far, and this new series is no exception. Michael C. Hall is absolutely killing it in this role, and Jack Alcott is really coming into his own as Harrison. The season features so many great twists and turns as well as some amazing guest stars, and the wonderful return of Angel Batista. The 4K Digital release looks and sounds great, and includes some interesting interviews with the cast/producers. This series is a must own for any Dexter fan, and highly recommended for anyone interested in crime dramas. While longtime fans of the franchise will certainly get more references and have a deeper understanding of the characters, I think new viewers should still be able to fully enjoy this series without having seen the previous shows.