Paramount cancels Dexter prequel Original Sin shifts Resurrection

Showrunner Clyde Phillips said he was blindsided and frustrated after the Paramount streaming service rescinded a previously announced renewal for the Dexter prequel series Original Sin, just months after the show was greenlit. The reversal, which came in August following a corporate merger, leaves the expanded Dexter franchise scaled back and has put several planned spinoffs on hold while the company prioritizes a second season of Dexter Resurrection.

Original Sin had been renewed for a second season in April under the prior leadership. Phillips said on the Dissecting Dexter podcast that he had informed writers and actors the pickup was official, only to be told later that the renewal had been withdrawn. "It was a tough phone call that I got that night," he said. "They had already picked up the show, and I'd informed all the writers and informed all the actors, and then they unpicked it up. It wasn't handled well, and I'm not happy about it."

Industry sources say a writers room for Original Sin never opened and production dates were not set. Executives moved resources toward Dexter Resurrection after the streaming service's merger with Skydance and a change in leadership, and...