Dexter: New Blood spoilers follow.

Dexter: New Blood has just finished airing and it left fans reeling with its shocking ending.

The 10-episode Showtime series brought back Michael C Hall's serial killer Dexter, catching up with him a decade after the original series finale, which aired in 2013.

michael c hall as dexter, jack alcott as harrison, dexter new blood, season 9
Sky

Related: Dexter: New Blood season 2 - will there be one?

After managing to get away with murder for so long, Dexter's story reached its conclusion in the New Blood finale as his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) brought about his end, killing his father in retaliation for Dexter murdering Sergeant Logan.

Speaking about the shocking twist, showrunner Clyde Phillips explained to Rotten Tomatoes why Dexter's shocking death had to happen.

"We needed him to [die], I think," Phillips explained. "Dexter is an antihero, which is [still] a hero that we like, but he is still psychotic. And he kills people, and you’re not supposed to kill people. So it's, in a way, it's just desserts. In a way, it's what has to happen."

michael c hall as dexter, dexter new blood
Sky

He continued: "And as for the specifics of the method of how it happened, that evolved in the writing room. We had great writers, and it's what we call 'best idea wins'.

"And once again, once you introduce what's called Chekhov's 'rifle', people who are paying attention to that kind of stuff … it's kind of a foreboding, a breadcrumb. And then the trick was to make it honest and authentic, dignified, have its own integrity."

Phillips also explained that the writers were "hell bent to redeem the show," from its widely panned season eight finale, adding: "I personally think we've succeeded. I just watched the show again this morning in preparation for this interview, and I was crying all over again."

michael c hall as dexter, jack alcott as harrison, dexter new blood
Sky

Related: Dexter: New Blood surprise character return explained by original cast member

The decision to kill off Dexter wasn't one that was taken lightly by Phillips, who said that they only wanted to create a "respectful and authentic" show for the audience.

"I believe Dexter is Showtime's No. 1 asset, and to kill that character, it's a huge decision and a mutual decision on the part of Michael, myself, and Showtime," he explained.

"I really respect my audience. We didn't want this to be Dexter season 9. We want to acknowledge that 10 years have passed. We didn't want to pretend that season 8 never happened. We didn't want him waking up from a dream.

"All of that was discussed, but all of it was pushed away in the interest of doing the most respectful and authentic show we could for the audience."

Dexter: New Blood is available on Sky and NOW in the UK and Showtime in the US.

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Stephanie Chase

Reporter, Digital Spy 

Stephanie is a writer who specialises in pro wrestling, covering everything from AEW and WWE to NJPW. 

After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she went on to study journalism at Birbeck University. 

Outside of her journalism work Stephanie is also a YouTube content creator focusing on AEW and interviewing talent from AEW, WWE, and across the indie wrestling scene. She has also worked for Revolution Pro Wrestling as a backstage interviewer and commentator.

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