'Dexter' Takes up Lighthearted Identity With an Eerie Twist in New Season 9 Teaser

It seems like things have taken a sharp turn for Dexter Morgan as he takes a stab at a new life following the events of Season 8. In an eerie new teaser released from Showtime for the highly-anticipated 10-episode revival of the critically acclaimed series Dexter, the titular character is living a lighthearted and joyful life, and working as a sales associate named Jim Lindsay — an homage to the series' author, Jeff Lindsay — at the small-town fish and game store, Fred's.

In the 30-second tease, Dexter star Michael C. Hall is greeted warmly by town locals, including a bunch of high school students and characters that feel seemingly like friends for Dexter as they share nicknames for him like, "Jimbo!" As he struts down Main Street with a concealed item in hand, he passes by a store window, highlighting a collection of knives. Stopped in his tracks and his gaze fixated on the set, he lets out a deep sigh.

Fans took to the comments section of the YouTube video, writing over their excitement for the series return. "He learned to control his urges… at least for a long while," wrote one fan, as another chimed in disbelief, "Still can't believe this is actually happening! DEXTER's been my no.1 favorite show ever since the pilot. And I was one of those hugely disappointed with the finale, so I'm hoping this new Season is gonna give Dexter all of his much-deserved glory back."

After receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim in its premiere seasons on Showtime with scores leading with 82% freshness per Rotten Tomatoes for its first, the show's finale by the eighth year was not as well received by the fans and critics — something even lead star Hall was well aware of per the showrunner, Clyde Phillips.

"Michael was certainly aware that the ending wasn't well-received," Phillips told Us Weekly. "I believe that he was not completely satisfied with it. This is an opportunity to make [the ending] right, but that's not why we're doing it. We're doing this because there is such a hunger for Dexter out there."

Set to premiere later this year on Showtime, the revival will pick up after Dexter (Hall) went missing following the aftermath of Hurricane Laura and the death of his sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter). With the last scene showing the serial killer living as a lumberjack of sorts after uprooting his life and living in solitary from girlfriend, Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) and son Harrison, early details state he is now living under a new disguise, but something has seemingly brought him out to the forefront.

With Dexter's return exciting fans, Hall has been dishing on the upcoming series though he isn't exactly sure what to expect just yet — especially after they wrap up the set order. "I've never returned to a job after so much time. Having Dexter in a completely different context, we'll see how that feels. It's been interesting to figure out how to do that, and I thought it was time to find out what the hell happened to him," he told NME, later admitting the 10-part limited series might not exactly be the end. "I'm reluctant to say 'definitely,' you know? Let's see. What's plain now is that there's 10 new episodes."

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