Hein’s Picks: Dexter’s Back, and My Fingers Are Crossed

Jon Hein knows TV. In the late 1990s, he coined the phrase "Jump the Shark" when he founded the site of the same name. Since then, he's written about television everywhere from The New York Times to TV Guide. In his column for Primetimer, he shares his thoughts on what's new and good on TV and the shows on his radar for the coming week.

Dexter was one of my favorite shows. It was dark, funny and different than anything else on TV at the time. Michael C. Hall gave an Emmy worthy performance as blood splatter analyst Dexter Morgan who couldn't stop himself from the thrill of the kill while following his vigilante moral code.

Dexter was violent, funny, and wonderfully shot around the world of the Miami Dade police department. Drama built season after season as the intensity ratcheted up notch after notch. The fourth season, featuring John Lithgow as the Trinity killer, is some of the best television you'll ever see.

And then… well, I'll use an old phrase of mine. It jumped the shark and was never quite the same culminating in a laughable lumberjack finale. After all of those kills, Dexter Morgan faked his death and showed up in the Pacific Northwest sporting a full beard chopping wood. The series went out in the worst way possible, tarnishing the legacy built by those great early seasons.

Now Dexter: New Blood is premiering on Showtime this Sunday. But has enough time passed to bring the troubled killer back? That Oregon lumberjack ending was a tremendous disappointment, one that I truly want to forgive and forget. The awkward charm of Dexter is contagious, but this really needs to be handled in a smart and delicate way.

Bringing back an old favorite to lead a new series is not an easy thing to pull off. There's so much history and so many titular characters who met their demise. Stabler recently came back to the L&O universe after a long absence, but that was in a spinoff and not as the lead of the original franchise.

It has been eight years since the final season of Dexter, and after 130 plus kills he will be rejoining society. His sister Deb met her demise in the controversial finale, so he’ll need a new dark passenger to guide him this time around. We're going to hear some cursing from beyond the grave.

Dexter's latest girlfriend Hannah and his son Harrison were last seen getting on a plane to leave the country. Harrison is coming back and there's speculation that our favorite killer passed his gene to his son. Talk about daddy issues.

The new season begins with Dexter living in a small New York town under yet another alias. Dexter Morgan needs to atone for his sins. Dexter the series needs to atone for that finale.

If the creepy opening credits and music are there, that will be a good start…

THIS WEEK’S SPTIMNBAFOBYMB!
(Shows Premiering That I Might Not Be A Fan Of But You Might Be!)

Head Of The Class (HBO MAX) – Inevitable reboot with a grown up Robin Givens. Thursday.

Hello Jack! The Kindness Show (APPLE TV+) – Jack McBrayer and the creator of Blues Clues make a beautiful day in their neighborhood. Friday.

Big Mouth (NETFLIX) – The fifth season of one the funniest foul mouthed cartoons about puberty that you’ll ever see. Friday.

Attica (SHOWTIME) – Documentary on the 1971 uprising Al Pacino was shouting about. Saturday at 9pm.

Highway To Heaven (LIFETIME) – Inevitable reboot that was bound to happen on this network. Saturday at 8pm.

THIS WEEK'S PICKS
Heading south of the border and to big sky country…

Narcos: Mexico (NETFLIX)
Friday, November 5th Season 3

This incredible story of the evolving Mexican drug cartel serves up its third and final chapter. With mastermind Felix Gallardo behind bars, local cartel leaders battle to become the next kingpin in a tumultuous political climate.

Scoot McNairy is back as the voice of the show, but I'm curious to see how it fares without Diego Luna who carried things during its first two seasons. The original Narcos wasn't the same without Pablo, but I'll be watching this ten episode run to see if El Chapo or others step up.

Yellowstone (PARAMOUNT)
Sunday, November 7th Season 4

Saddle up… the Dutton family is back for another go around. This new season picks up right where those crazy cliffhangers of the third season left us, and we’ll find out which Duttons survived.

Kevin Costner has been doing a fantastic job heading up his Montana cattle ranch, and although there's speculation he might not survive that gunshot, I'm highly skeptical. The melodrama is sure to continue, with a prequel and spinoff now in the works at Paramount+. Can't wait to see what the Tony Soprano of Montana is up to next.

If you love or hate my picks, I'd love to hear from you.

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Jon Hein is the creator of "Jump the Shark" and author of three books. Follow him @jonhein on Twitter.