Showtime’s CEO Michael Blank has previously been somewhat open to the idea of concluding Dexter during the last two Television Critics Association tours, but was understandably reluctant to kill the show in the face of solid ratings and without a sure-fire replacement hit. Showrunner Scott Buck had also been dropping hints of a conclusion, saying in December, “We are absolutely writing it with an end in sight, but if we get told otherwise somewhere along the way, we'll take it in a different direction.”
For a show working with such a delicate premise this can only be good news; it’s one thing to have a character with nothing to lose, but excitement increases exponentially when the show they’re on can begin to make irreversible changes. If nothing else this should bring some wandering strays back into fold, along with a few others curious to see what end the writers deem fitting for The Dark Defender himself. Anybody else praying for a return of Doakes as Cyber-Doakes should probably start their online petitions now.
Here's a sneak peek at the eighth and final season...