Dexter Cast & Where They Are Now

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS for Dexter ahead.

It’s been more than ten years since most of the original cast of Dexter have said goodbye to the celebrated series. While some beloved characters reprised their roles in the 2021 Dexter sequel series Dexter: New Blood, many of the original cast members moved on from the Emmy-winning series to pursue other projects in both film and television. None of the Dexter original cast members are expected to appear in the upcoming Dexter prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, which will be developed by New Blood showrunner Clyde Phillips. Michael C. Hall remains invested in the Dexter franchise as an executive producer on Original Sin.

The Dexter prequel series recently cast Grey’s Anatomy alumnus Patrick Dempsey as a new character in the story world. Dempsey will play Captain Aaron Spencer, a fellow police officer of Harry Morgan, Dexter’s father, who had previously been portrayed by James Remar but will be recast by Christian Slater. The two exciting additions of Slater and Dempsey imply that the series will focus more intently on Harry’s character working for the Miami Metro Police Department than ever before. The prequel chronicles the beginning of Dexter Morgan’s forensics career at the Miami Metro Police Department, which will bring back the classic original characters of Angel Batista, María LaGuerta, and Vince Masuka.

Michael C. Hall

Dexter Morgan

Michael C. Hall will forever be known as the true Dexter Morgan due to his uniquely captivating performance as the titular character for eight seasons of the original series as well as the miniseries New Blood. Hall is notably a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma after first getting diagnosed with the disease in 2010 during the fourth season of Dexter. After Dexter ended in 2013, Hall starred in a few movies such as Cold in July (2014), Christine (2016), Lazarus (2018), and Game Night (2018). He has also appeared in the television series The Crown, Safe, Documentary Now!, and The Defeated. He is expected to appear in 2025’s The Gettysburg Address alongside Dermot Mulroney and Sam Elliot.

Jennifer Carpenter

Debra Morgan

Jennifer Carpenter reprised her role as Debra Morgan alongside Michael C. Hall in Dexter: New Blood, appearing as a figment of Dexter’s imagination much like Harry Morgan did throughout the original series. Despite having a complicated and controversial onscreen relationship, Carpenter and Hall were married in real life during the production of Dexter between the years of 2008 and 2011. After Dexter concluded in 2013, Carpenter became a lead on the television adaptation of Limitless inspired by the 2011 Bradley Cooper movie. Carpenter also starred in 2019’s The Enemy Within and appeared in one episode of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel 1923.

James Remar

Harry Morgan

James Remar had a celebrated acting career before joining the cast of Dexter, appearing in dozens of films such as Cruising (1980) starring Al Pacino and directed by William Friedkin and 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) as well as classic television series such as Hill Street Blues (1981), Miami Vice (1985), and The Equalizer (1987). After Dexter ended in 2013, Remar became a recurring character in Grey’s Anatomy season 10 and also appeared as Henry in Wilfred seasons 3 and 4, Animal Kingdom season 4, and City on a Hill (2019). Recently, Remar has appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture winner Oppenheimer as Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

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Julie Benz

Rita Bennett

Julie Benz was a main character in the first four seasons of Dexter before her shocking death in the season 4 finale, which aired on December 13, 2009. Benz also appeared in the Dexter season 5 premiere in 2010 before going on to star as Stephanie Powell in No Ordinary Family (2010-2011). She also appeared in A Gifted Man alongside Patrick Wilson and all three seasons of Defiance (2013-2015). Benz recently starred in Love, Victor and will star in the upcoming drama The Midway Point.

David Zayas

Angel Batista

David Zayas was one of the few actors to appear in all 96 episodes of Dexter alongside Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, and James Remar. Zayas was also one of the few original Dexter cast members to reprise his role in New Blood. Zayas has appeared in several other notable roles in film and television following the conclusion of Dexter in 2013. He played Lou in the 2014 Annie remake and Sal Maroni in Fox’s Gotham series. He went on to star in the celebrated Netflix original series Bloodline alongside Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, and Linda Cardellini. He has recently starred in Blue Bloods and The Blacklist.

Lauren Vélez

María LaGuerta

Lauren Vélez portrayed María LaGuerta for seven out of Dexter’s eight seasons after she was unforgettably killed by Debra in the season 7 finale. After exiting from Dexter, she starred in seasons 3 and 4 of How to Get Away with Murder in 2016 and 2017 and voiced Rio Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Vélez also appeared in 2019’s Shaft and 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts as well as American Rust season 2 (2024)

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C. S. Lee

Vince Masuka

C. S. Lee is arguably best known for his role as Vince Masuka, which he played in 95 out of Dexter’s 96 episodes. Lee has had a storied career in television, going on to appear in True Detective season 2 as well as popular shows such as The League, Fresh Off the Boat, Family Guy, Power, Sneaky Pete, MacGyver, 24: Legacy, Silicon Valley, and Lethal Weapon. He has recently starred as Master Kim Sun-Young in Cobra Kai, Apple’s For All Mankind, and the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Desmond Harrington

Joey Quinn

Desmond Harrington was a great addition to the Dexter main cast in season 3, staying on all the way through to the series finale. Harrington went on to appear in Those Who Kill, The Astronaut Wives Club, and Limitless before returning to movies with The Neon Demon in 2016. He also starred in six episodes of Sneaky Pete, seven episodes of Elementary season 6, and seven episodes of Manhunt season 2, which was Harrington’s most recent acting role. He currently has no official upcoming films or television series.

Geoff Pierson

Tom Matthews

Geoff Perison starred as Captain Tom Matthews in 43 of Dexter’s 96 episodes, appearing in every episode of the final season. Pierson, who has appeared in dozens of films and television series such as Boardwalk Empire, Fringe, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, went on to appear in Castle, Person of Interest, Homeland, and Veep following the conclusion of Dexter. He notably starred in 16 episodes of Designated Survivor and recently appeared in The Terminal List alongside Chris Pratt.

Erik King

James Doakes

Erik King only starred in the first two seasons of Dexter but is undeniably one of the most memorable characters of the entire series. After his character Sgt. James Doakes was surprisingly killed in Dexter season 2 by Lila West, King went on to appear in Growing Up Fisher, South of Hell, Banshee, Mistresses, and The Detour. His most recent notable roles were in 2019’s The Oath and 2020’s The Good Fight. He is set to star in the 2024 horror film Crybaby Bridge, but will always be a legend in Dexter.

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Dexter

Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime’s Dexter follows Miami Metro Police Department’s most skilled blood spatter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he attempts to satisfy his Dark Passenger’s need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; with every problem solved by his Dark Passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes things personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his co-workers. Dexter aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Blood, which picked up ten years after the show’s events. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day. 

Cast

David Zayas , Michael C. Hall , Lauren Velez , C. S. Lee , James Remar , Jennifer Carpenter , Desmond Harrington , Julie Benz

Release Date

October 31, 2010

Seasons

8

Writers

Jeff Lindsay , Scott Buck , Scott Reynolds , Tim Schlattmann , Karen Campbell , Melissa Rosenberg , Kevin Maynard , Wendy West , Manny Coto , Daniel Cerone , Jace Richdale , Drew Z. Greenberg , Chip Johannessen , Adam Fierro , Jim Leonard

Directors

Clyde Phillips

Showrunner

Clyde Phillips

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