WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Dexter.

The upcoming Dexter prequel series Dexter: Original Sin faces a high standard set by Dexter season 4. Dexter: Original Sin will feature a new actor as the legendary titular character for the first time in the franchise’s celebrated history. The upcoming Dexter prequel series will also chronicle the beginning of Dexter Morgan’s forensics career at the Miami Metro Police Department, which will bring back the original characters of Angel Batista, María LaGuerta, and Vince Masuka.

Both Debra and Harry Morgan will also appear in Dexter: Original Sin portrayed by different actors. Christian Slater replaces James Remar as Harry, Dexter’s adoptive father who introduced to him his vigilante code. Debra, Dexter’s adoptive sister who also works for Miami Metro, will be portrayed by Molly Brown, replacing Jennifer Carpenter. A slate of new characters will also appear in the Dexter prequel series as members of the Miami Metro Homicide Department, portrayed by Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Dexter’s Prequel Will Struggle To Top The Original Show’s Incredible Season 4 Finale

Even later seasons of Dexter couldn’t beat season 4

Many critics and viewers alike agree that Dexter season 4 is the greatest episode of the series with Dexter’s best villain, Arthur Mitchell, also known as the Trinity Killer. The Dexter sequel series Dexter: New Blood, which was created by Original Sin showrunner Clyde Phillips, certainly didn’t top this episode in any capacity, and arguably made for a worse series finale than the Dexter original. It’s hard to believe the prequel will be able to top the greatest Dexter episode of them all, the season 4 finale “The Getaway.”

“The Getaway” was the most shocking and well-crafted episode of the entirety of Dexter, so it set a big challenge for everything after. This is why some viewers and critics found the remaining four seasons of Dexter to be somewhat underwhelming, with Dexter season 6 and Dexter season 8 typically receiving the most criticism. Dexter: Original Sin already has several ostensible challenges ahead of it even before its release, the most daunting of all being pulling off a Dexter series without Michael C. Hall.

Why Dexter’s Season 4 Finale Is Considered The Show’s Best Episode

Rita’s shocking death was full of meaningful devastation

The acclaim of The Dexter season 4 finale has everything to do with the exceptional quality of the entire season and the treachery of the Trinity Killer. The first few seasons of Dexter established that the series was not afraid to kill off some of its main characters, such as Doakes, Paul, Lundy, and eventually, Rita. The death of Rita was truly the summit of the entire series with a shock value that was full of meaningful devastation. The fact that there had been so much suspense and logic that built up to the biggest twist in Dexter history made the season 4 finale one of the best episodes of modern television.