Dexter: New Blood truly was a breath of fresh air for the Dexter franchise. The original eight-season run of Dexter is one of the most inconsistent viewing experiences in media, at one point being one of the most critically acclaimed shows of all time and another being a straight-up mess. When the original show ended, it was at one of the worst points in its entire run. Bearing one of the most controversial endings in television history, it’s safe to say people were skeptical with the announcement of a reboot. 

Us Dexter fans, however, were pleasantly surprised. It was certainly better than the latter four seasons, but for me, it didn’t reach the same level as the first four. This could very well be due to nostalgia reasons, but the early seasons make up some of the best television I’ve ever watched. Regardless, New Blood is a happy medium I was happy to watch. 

One of my favorite aspects of the new show was how drastically different the setting is. The first eight seasons of the show take place in Miami, where the majority of people acted somewhat of tools for Dexter. Furthermore, the crime-ridden streets and massive crowds make it easy for Dexter to get away with his killings. New Blood takes place in rural upstate New York. This transition was very interesting to me. Although he is moving from somewhere very crowded to somewhere very secluded, this somehow adds to the sense of claustrophobia to the show. In a small town setting like this, everyone knows everyone, there are no crowds, there’s nowhere for Dexter to hide now. 

This feeling is only amplified by the presence of Angela, Dexter’s new girlfriend and the current police chief of Iron Lake. I felt this addition was an intriguing way of placing Dexter near law enforcement at all times, just as he was in the first eight seasons of the show. Dexter’s proximity to law enforcement was always one of my favorite parts of the original, as it made things both easier and harder for Dexter. In a way, it allows Dexter to hide in plain sight so no one ever thinks their close friends are capable of wrongdoing. At the same time, there is always the possibility of this putting Dexter in danger by being close to detectives, like with Sergeant Doakes in the original series.

One issue I had with the miniseries was the very small presence of characters from the original. Though I understand Dexter’s moving across the country makes this hard considering everyone is back in Miami, having Dexter’s story move forward with little to nothing from Vince Masuka or Joey Quinn simply feels wrong.

Despite this, Dexter: New Blood was an enjoyable viewing experience. I don’t think it can top the first four seasons, but then again, not much could top them. If you enjoyed the original show as much as I did and want to finally see a good ending for our troubled protagonist, I certainly recommend giving this miniseries a try.