Dexter: New Blood series premiere slays 2.2 million viewers for Showtime

Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood revival aired its second episode on Sunday but the ratings from its premiere episode are beginning to come into focus and it appears Showtime has a hit on their hands.

The premiere episode of Dexter: New Blood drew 2.2 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms, per “Deadline.” The trade also reports that the premiere is on track to become the most-watched Showtime series ever on OTT (over-the-top) media on its premiere day. Showtime also reports that it was the most-watched scripted drama season opener telecast among all the premium cable channels so far this year.

During its live telecast, the premiere pulled in 866,000 viewers while on-demand and streaming viewership came in at 1.303 million viewers. What these numbers indicate is that, at least for its premiere, fans were eagerly anticipating the return of Dexter and his killer misdeeds.

The 10-episode Dexter revival is set 10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura. The character is now living under an assumed name in Upstate New York — far from his original home in Miami. The Dexter revival is technically considered a closed-ended revival, though it does continue the original series which ended with the very controversial series finale in 2013 that is still very polarizing for fans. The revival’s new series regulars include Clancy Brown as the primary villain, Julia Jones as the town’s chief of police, Alano Miller as a sergeant/high school wrestling coach, Johnny Sequoyah as the chief’s daughter, and Jack Alcott as Randall, someone with whom Dexter has a meaningful encounter. The revival also sees the return of John Lithgow and Jennifer Carpenter.

Have YOU been watching Dexter: New Blood?