Hollywood continues to outdo itself when it comes to the new lows they reach when it comes to television. For the past couple of years we have been living in a space where cancellations are more than likely to happen if a show doesn’t reach Stranger Things level of viewership within the first season.
That’s evolved into shows not even being given a week before they’re unceremoniously canceled. And now we have reached peak level BS with the cancellation of Dexter: Original Sin after it was already given a Season 2 renewal.
Dexter: Original Sin sees Patrick Gibson play the titular character of Dexter Morgan. And it acts as a prequel to the Showtime TV series from 2006 starring Michael C. Hall. In that series he was already an established serial killer. And Original Sin was clearly a way to explore how he sharpened his skills in his youth and became the man that we know in the OG series. The show debuted in December 2024 with episodes finishing this February. And by April a Season 2 was confirmed.
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Now in August of the same year we have various outlets reporting that Dexter: Original Sin has been unrenewed. As to why it was unrenewed, there are differing accounts. Some say this cancellation was a result of the Skydance-Paramount merger. Others say Showtime has been bleeding viewership so they decided to go the safe route with the sequel Dexter: Resurrection. But no matter how you look at it, this is about money. And that’s where I get mad.
This anger that I feel at the cancellation of Dexter: Original Sin isn’t because I’m a fan of the show. I watched the original 2006 show but never finished it because they lost the plot by killing Rita. And I had no plans to watch Original Sin despite liking Gibson. The anger that I feel right now has to do with the fact that studios are playing fast and loose with big productions in a way that feels unprecedented and disrespectful for the very people that create these shows in the first place.
By people who create these TV shows I don’t mean the people who bankroll it, the studios involved, or anybody on an executive level. The unrenewal of Dexter: Original Sin is disrespectful to the cast and crew who thought they had work booked for the upcoming TV season and passed on other opportunities to just find out that Dexter: Original Sin has been canceled. And when we talk about cast and crew, remember to think beyond the actors. Think about the PAs or camera operators or even craft services.
They depended on Dexter: Original Sin. And this is how they were repaid.
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In 2025, Hollywood has turned into that friend that you casually hang out with but can’t fully trust because their word isn’t their bond and if money is on the line, they’re going to pick money first and you last. And that Hollywood friend might think it’s cute for a little bit. They’re getting their money and that’s bankrolling the next big thing they do.
But money only gets you so far when you consider the workers of Hollywood talk. And if they boycott or get together like they did during the SAG and WGA strikes, that’s going to hurt the wallets studios are padding right now with the cancellation of Dexter: Original Sin.
I also think it’s important to reiterate that studios act like we need them; the “we” being viewers who consume these TV shows. And that’s just not it. Studios need us. And if they want to try and gaslight viewers that “a renewal isn’t a guarantee of another season,” a concept that is so ridiculous and not part of the social contract we share as viewer and provider, studios are going to have to live with the fact that they have lost the most important thing between a consumer and the person delivering said goods; trust.
Studios in Hollywood have lost the trust of the public. And that will last longer than any money ever will.
